Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 10 Jul 1875 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 letter
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Better known as Frank Buckland, he was an English surgeon, zoologist, author and natural historian. He was born in a noted family of naturalists. Frank was the first son of Canon William Buckland, a geologist and palaeontologist, and Mary Morland, a fossil collector.
He studied surgery under Caesar Hawkins at St George's Hospital. During this time he became acquainted with Abraham Dee Bartlett, Superintendent of London Zoo, who would send him dead animals at the zoo and he continued to keep many animals. Buckland was made a MRCS in 1851. He was appointed House Surgeon at St George's in 1852. He left St George's in 1853 and in August 1854 he joined the 2nd Life Guards as an assistant surgeon. This appointment left him time for his growing interest in natural history. Buckland gradually gave up medicine and surgery to devote himself to natural history and he was a pioneer of zoöphagy. He was one of the key members and founded of the acclimatisation society in Britain, an organisation that supported the introduction of new plants and animals as food sources which was influenced by his interest in eating and tasting a range of exotic animal meats.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Salmon Fisheries Office
4, Old Palace Yard
Westminster S.W.
July 10th 1875
May it please Your Royal Highness
I am exceedingly obliged to you for your very kind letter received this morning and an more than gratified that Her Majesty the Queen has been good enough to express her approval of my [Report?] It has been I assure you a real pleasure to have been able to enquire into and report upon a question of practical Natural History of this kind. I promise Your Royal Highness not to write a word about it to the Public press - I am very much obliged to you for sending me the Photograph which is of the highest interest to me, you will find the whole matter of Stag horns treated in my new book, a copy of which I hope to send you on Monday or Tuesday. I have received some eggs of the 'pinnated Grouse' or 'Prairie fowl' from Richard Valentine Esq. of Wisconsin, America through the Editor of 'Forest & Stream' New York. I send you half a dozen of these eggs (the others are gone to Mr. Bartlett) and shall feel much obliged to you if you would order them to be placed under a sitting hen immediately. The American letter is dated June the 24th I am therefore afraid that the eggs won't come to much, but never the less it might interest you to see them, and I shall be very obliged if you will give them a trial.
Again thanking you much for all your kindness
I have the honour to remain
Your Royal Highness's Most obedient Servant
Frank Buckland
I trust Your Royal Highness will allow me to conduct you over Brighton Aquarium any day next week or the next
(I believe there next Thursday) and could be at your command
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Buckland Family (Subject)
- Buckland, Francis Trevelyan (Subject)
- Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Christian (Subject)