[[1]]
Choongtam
October 3d/ [18]49 *1
My dear Father
I arrived here late last night, having made three flying marches down from Momay Samdong, to meet Campbell who will be here tomorrow en route (to K[ongra]. Lama) as he tells me you are (ere the receipt of this) aware. -- I have been [1 word crossed out, illeg.] months stimulating him to the journey, & with success at last. It is now six months since I have had any one to talk to, & now that the route is known, & he has the Rajah under his thumb, I do not anticipate any difficulty. -- He had a most narrow escape for his life, on the second day of leaving Darjiling [Darjeeling]: his pony slipped its foot, in a most dangerous part of the road ;-- feeling it to do so, he wisely jerked himself off, & the animal, rolling down the precipice, was killed on the spot!
I had hoped to make a very fine collection of seeds on the road down here; but it sleeted & snowed all the first day & rained tremendously the other two, which sadly impeded my proceeding: However, I did my utmost, & have ripe & good[?] seeds of many very fine things, of
[[2]] which I send a few samples. I am now collecting seeds as fast -- & hard as I well can, & losing no opportunity. But one Rhod[odendro]n was ripe, a hairy new species I found in May, but which apparently flowers the earliest of any, as it is one of the only three I could not get drawn on that account. It is a shrub, 2 ft. high, growing in rocky wet mt.n sides, at 9 -- 10 000 ft flowers pink, I think, -- cal: & cor: 5--lobed.
I collected specimens of about 20 or 25 species on the road down, all with green pods. The tardy advance of the whole flora is most remarkable; & many plants, actually ripening their seeds, & uniformly past flower at 15--16,000 ft, are still in full flower bloom at 7--10,000. The reason plainly is, the further N[North]. you go, the more sunshine there is. This climate appears wretched to me, after the drier air of the Thibet [Tibet] border. The rains, too, have made the leeches, sand--flies & mosquitoes outrageous; the former actually got into bed last night, & I took 5 off my body during the night, & woke, streaming with blood. On the way down I passed an uncut maize field, at 7,000 ft --, very high it is for the cultivation of that plant & I
[[3]] stole several hermaphrodite heads. The villagers made an outcry, at first, as they appear to know the value of the male panicle; but a sick woman hearing of coming in the way who I doctored they gave me the run of a field as fee, & a pocket--full of small hard tasteless peaches. Two of my coolies, who brought fevers up from the hot valleys, 2 months ago, sickened on the road down, at 13,000 ft, which is sufficiently curious, & shews[sic] what a hold this type of fever takes on the constitution[.] They are were the only two with me who had been attacked before, or who were, on this occcasion, & leaving two loads of my things on the road, I was till tonight without candles & sundry indispensibles articles. I brought down three loads of lb.80 each of plants, whose sodden state now keeps me hard at work – it is a very fine collection, after all, with heaps of new & curious things from the Passes. The roads, mere tracks at best, were in a horrid state from land slips & deep mire; & I do wonder how my coolies made it out in 3 days, but they are one & all the best & most patient coolies you can conceive -- never complaining.
My new Portuguese plant--collector has arrived at Dorjiling [Darjeeling] & Hodgson represents him as
[[4]] thoroughly good--for--nothing, & exigeant to boott. -- This troubles me, as Hodgson is a miracle of liberality to my Serv[an]ts, as [he] was to myself. I have ordered him (the collector) to buy blankets & come out to me at once, with an excellent Bhotan man, who took my last letter to D [Darjeeling?], & will return forthwith. If master Gomez comes, I'll rub the nonsense out of him; if not, I have ordered him back to Calcutta [Kolkata] without delay. My present man is perfectly honest, steady, patient, never complains nor sulks, nor gets angry with my people; in other respects he is idle, dirty, & stupid beyond belief, & the most outrageously careless being, at sea or ashore. He has the knack of plants, however; & had I but another man for to attend to my camp affairs & cooking, I could turn this to far better account; Gomez was brought hired to be such, -- apparently in vain.
Jenkins writes, praising Lobb very highly, but says he has had a sharp attack of fever, from sneering at the [1 word crossed out, illeg.] danger. Campbell has just forwarded me yours letter to him (inclosing one from my mother, to myself) which has given him (C) great satisfaction.
[[5]] I have just had the big tin vasculum up from Calcutta, at which you shook your head so gravely. The Lepchas are charmed with it; & there will be a competition who is to carry it. You have not an idea how bulky the wet undried plants of these climates are --. the otherwise, comparatively very large vasculum which I use, does not hold half hardly 1/3d morning's collection -- as to drying paper -- you know I stow well closely -- yet that ream of Bentall's paper does not suffice to lay in one day's collection, nor near it, if you take the woods with the other things. You may well wonder how I get on; it is only by changing & drying papers, every day. Bentall's is not nearly so good as the sugar--refining paper I bought at Calcutta & of which my stock cost me £15.;-- but after all, good English brown paper is the best for all plants & all climates; as Mr Brown always said. Collecting seeds in the rain is most disagreeable work; & I cannot teach the Lepchas to help me in it serviceably at all: they don't seem to comprehend it.
The paper for taking rubbings is today arrived; it was incomprehensible to my people at Dorjiling, so therefore not sent
[[6]] before -- I am glad it is come, for I will take off some "Om mami padmi" for your satisfaction -- I robbed the pass 18000 ft of its sacred stone, thus inscribed in letters as long as your finger, & have sent it to Dorjiling on a man's back. I shall paste some Lichens on it & stick it up in your museum; -- but don't you must not [1 word crossed out, illeg.] tell every body of this theft.
I am extremely glad to be going the Lachen road again, which is much richer than this in plants, but dreadfully fatiguing, both for myself & coolies -- I hunted in vain up this river, for Nardostachys which covers the mt [mountain] side at Tungu. It is curious how local some plants are, & amongst them of genera the least to be expected. At 18,000 ft I found a superb Endocarpon or Gyrophora, as large as the Ear, covering half a dozen stones which a occupied two square yards; -- though I spent 20 days botanizing there--abouts, I never below 16,000 ft & often above 18,000, I never observed it elsewhere. You will be glad to know that I quite got over my tendency to headaches at great elevations & much
[[7]] of my other distressing symptoms. & would not hesitate going up to 20,000, if the mts were but accessable[sic] so high; still the lassitude is trying & a sort of weight like a pound of lead, dragging down the stomach, -- probably caused by overaction of the lungs straining the diaphragm on the diminished atmospheric pressure actually relaxing that organ & causing the abdominal viscera to drag heavily downwards: -- it is a horrid feeling. To observe by Boiling--point is a perfect nuisance at these elevations; & the Barometer is the only useful, accurate, or simple method. You must have a man to carry the wood, & often the water, too,-- blowing the fire gives intolerable headaches,-- without blowing the best wood will not burn, owing to the deficiency of oxygen (ie. rarity of the air); & if there be any wind (as there is sure to be) the temperature never comes up to the true Boiling. Point. --
I have just had dinner (for which & all other mercies I am thankful -- including the safety of poor Campbell's neck, who writes affectingly on the subject, & says he is spared a little longer, to love me as a brother). -- to return to the dinner, it was a fine grouse tasting strong of Juniper--tops, -- followed by the Peaches
[[8]] all I can say of which is, that if Loti[?] were no better, Plato (I think it was Plato?) might have let his pupils eat their fill! A very large leech presented himself as the bell rung, to whom I did not refuse the rites of oriental hospitality, laying salt before him with alacrity. The serv[an]t, whom I left here, has caught me some beautiful butterflies & splendid beetles, -- I have rewarded him with 15/, to bag a garnet--colored Bhothea cloak, which is as his heart--eating envy, & in which, with his long hair parted down the middle, & beardly face, he looks like an auld-wife at Kilmun kirk.
My dogs caught a splendid monkey the other day, at 11,000 ft. -- the brute nearly bit the neck of one brave little dog through, to the spine. I have sent the skin & bones to Hodgson it is a very large, pale fawn black--faced colored animal; I have not seen before.
You will I fear, think this a very childish letter; but really I have little news & can think of nothing but "the Campbells are coming"--! My little finger too is hurt & I cannot write much -- Best love to my mother & Bessy. | Ever your most affection son | Jos D Hooker [signature]
ENDNOTES
1. A note written in another hand records that the the letter was: "(recd Decr 29.1849)".
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