Letter from Austen Henry Layard. Written from Madrid. Manuscript
He encloses a letter from Professor Graells [Mariano de la Paz Graells, botanist], who has spent a week in Escorial [Spain] but has not located any of Maw's bulbs due to the lateness of the season; Graells proposes to employ a man to search for the bulbs at a rate of 50 reales [informal term for a 25 centimo coin] per hundred, and asks Maw's permission to do so; to save time, he has told Graells that Maw would likely not object to the sum, and to send the man to collect as soon as the time comes, if he does not hear from Maw before then; he hopes this was the right thing to do. 22 Mar 1876. 2 page letter (1 sheet). With envelope
Enclosed is a letter from Mariano de la Paz Graells, written from Madrid. Manuscript (in Spanish)
He has received the request to send a collection of bulbs of Narcissus rupicola, Ganymedes pallidulus [Narcissus pallidulus], Corvularia nivalis [Narcissus nivalis], Corvularia graellsii [Narcissus bulbocodium], Crocus carpetanus and Colchicum clementei [Colchicum triphyllum]; these grow in the mountains of Guadarrama near Escorial [Spain]; it has been a cold and snowy winter and vegetation growth is slow, and he has not found any of the requested bulbs yet; he has tasked a Mountain Guard with collecting all remaining examples of the bulbs Maw requested, for 50 reales [informal term for a 25 centimo coin] per 100 bulbs; he asks Maw to tell him the number of bulbs of each species he wants collected and asks if he agrees to the price; another two species not mentioned by Maw, which he may be interested in, are Oporanthus luteus or Amaryllis lutea [Sternbergia lutea], and Crocus nudiflorus which flowers in autumn; he thanks Maw for what he sent and for his consideration, and offers his services in return. 17 Mar 1876. 3 page letter (1 sheet)