[[1]]
Camp G[rea]t Rungeet river
April 11 1849 *1
My dear Father
I wrote you by last mail but have always plenty to say & all the will to say more than enough. Your letter of Feb[ruar]y. has just arrived with McGilivrays & Gunns enclosed. I am charmed with the little Balanophora & long to be cutting it up. I left Darjeeling a few days ago to botanize in the valleys, as long as the healthy season lasts, & until the plants are forward enough on the mts to make a start for them worth the while. The Cycas attracted me here & I have been all day unsuccessfully beating the jungle for flower fruit or young plants. It really is a fair plant, but very scarce & I do not see above a dozen full grown & only one young one. I have cut another 9 feet long to transmit to Kew none have lateral buds of what remain. I cut one with them last year -- I have got a good many very nice things this few days & some new orchideae amongst them of which I have roots for you -- Last week I sent two three parcels for transmission to Kew, one a tin box of bulbs of a beautiful little cold climate 1 flowered Coelygne 9000 ft (white) & a very pretty Magus. The second contains dried specimens
[[2]] of all my Rhododendrons. Many as you will expect in a very bad state all numbered & noted. With it are one or two drawings but I have sent few of my sketches of plants, hoping to improve them next rains. The third box contains the aneroid Barometer, alas broken & utterly useless -- so it arrived at Calcutta *2 & I fear young Wallich has been exploring its inside the glass was broken (on arrival at Calcutta) & the instrument otherwise out of order. I took it to pieces & find the derangement (a chain unhooked) Though so beautiful externally it is a most roughly & ill put together instrument & will not measure the height of Darjeeling or any thing above 5000ft. I am extremely sorry for this after your great kindness & liberality in procuring for me so charming an invention: but such workmen as Watkins & Hill who I know well, are only fit for toys & spectacles & my fiend Muller has had equally badly constructed instruments from them -- I am quite concerned about it after your kindness & consideration -- I hardly know what is but to be done, it will go home of course, as it is useless in its present state & if they will replace it by one which will measure to 17000ft I should be very glad; if not & they won't take this back, they may just repair it & return it to me overland -- It must not
[[3]] however come to Darjeeling, as to take it above its limits of working will I see injure an instrument of that constitution. If the expense is not over £5 I should like another from Newman to read to great heights, say 17000ft which would reach me if ordered at once before October, when I make my last trip to Kinchinjunga [Kanchenjunga]. It is a beautiful contrivance & I should like to be the first to report upon it from great elevations.
I am really vexed about not getting seeds of Rhod[odendron]. Dalhousiae. but greatly when the plant is not in flower it is impossible to find it on the great oaks of these dense forests except coincidently -- I can get plenty of young plants however & will send you a tin box direct on my return from to Darjeeling.
Your book of Rhod[odendron]s must be a splendid work which I quite long to see -- I do think the least Mr Reeves could have done would have been to send me 6 or 8 copies for my friends in India instead of putting that upon you. I have just seen the "Annalls" which (as all your other works) Judge Cathcart gets monthly from England. My journal reads fairly well, but that is an awful slap at McLelland, wherein I say "may the Palmy days of Roxburgh & Wallich &c &c." did I say this? You must send Mac[Lelland] a copy of the Rhodo[dendron]s. after that -- I have just finished the Tonglo journal for you to go I hope by this mail
[[4]] I surely sent you a sketch of the veg[etation]. of Darjeeling which I drew up months ago on purpose for you.
The news of Gardners death has just reached me through Cathcart & as you may suppose makes me very unhappy. This past 12 month has been truly disastrous. Providence is all wise, & we should not refine -- but one cannot keep wondering why such rubbish as my friend in Edinburgh is spared to do nothing & such sterling men removed I do fear poor G[ardner]. was overworking himself: he was very stout & full blooded when I saw him,& though this sad termination to his career never crossed my mind in anticipation: still his habit might have indicated it. I am truly grieved about it. A letter from me is on its way to his address now -- a better Superintendent or one more energetic never was: nor do I see that you can fill up his loss with equal worth. Mr Miers will be distressed pray do not forget to offer him my most sincere sympathy & best regards to himself & Mrs Miers. Wallich will be & with good reason sadly disappointed at not having a hand in the distribution of the collections -- it is not fair but poor fellow he made himself so thoroughly odious in India that I do not wonder at it -- I fight his battles to this day now with Cathcart -- but make
[[5]] rare little progress. I cannot contradict facts -- Royle I tried hard to like in spite of all direct evidence & as you know dined with him twice, but really failed.
However I am glad you have named a Rhod[odendron]. after him & we cannot do better than avoid all appearance of partiality & dislike.
I do wish you could give me better news of my affectionate friend Sir J. Franklin I was dreaming of him all last night as having succumbed to the hardships of his expedition which had returned decimated & without him -- & having a profound contempt for dreams I opened your letter to day in hopes of good news -- Poor old Sir J. I was very sanguine & will not yet give up good hopes that he is only hungry a little. Miss F[ranklin]. is quite right not to marry till certain news arrives, or all reasonable hope is groundless, & I honor her spirit highly. You did not tell me of Sir J. Barrow's death.
In my last I told you all I could of my prospects & really the more I think of it, the less I have to say in addition.
I am quite agreeably disappointed with the view of Kinchinjunga -- which is reasonably like & in effect very good indeed. it is quite approved of here though not considered faithful but really my dear Father I told
[[6]] you it was nothing but an "ideal view" & was done when I had seen the mt but once or twice & never drawn it at all: -- however all is well that ends well; & I am quite pleased. The Annals are excellent otherwise, Campbell is pleased with your notice of Pona fibre -- & if you can only keep up the economic virtues it will prove an extremely valuable periodical in the eyes of every one.
I shall have to be preparing soon for my journey to the Snow as I shall start about the 1st May. the distance is very great, 20 days march for light coolies & hence probably 25 or 30 for me & I want to visit two passes, both a long way East of Kinchin [Kanchenjunga] & in the extreme N[orth]. East corner of Sikkim, they are called the Lachen & Lachong & I think their positions are indicated in a sketch chart I sent you -- at any rate you will find Phari in Thibet [Tibet], to which they lead in any map & then are nearly due W[est]. of Phari the Himal appearing to take a bend there
[[7]] to the Southward. The Rajah has not sent any guide yet -- I hope he will the man I had before "Meepo" -- the latter has just purchased for me two more cups & 3 Lepcha knifes in sheaths of Cedrela toona with handles of Dalbergea Sissoo & his wife has sent me a present of the simple cotton worked suspenders, very prettily made indeed though not unlike garters on the whole. Yesterday I sawed down a Pinus longifolia & have taken two sections of the trunk for you. I will get more woods but the Lepchas cannot saw & they took a whole day to get through a small tree with the aid of 2 professional Sayers[?] who I brought from Darjeeling on purpose, & who are ill conditioned varlets. -- I have also got better specimens (whole) of some of the Palms -- I am sure I made a mess of them Calami sent home last. I think I know them now, but it is extremely difficult to recognize them.
Today I have found a magnificent mulberry tree 100ft high & the trunk 3 ft in diameter. The berries are large & a most
[[8]] beautiful pale green -- the long catkins are yellow green & juicy -- smell like apricots & are eaten -- I send seeds in this & hope it will grow for it is a noble tree. The quantity of Orchideae must be very great; but the trees are so lofty that it is very difficult to get them & new ones as well as the old turn up in dribblets. I have just got a most extraordinary little aroid plant about this size & cut with large green pseudobulbs & the short spadix adnate below to the spatha [an illustration of the aroid plant appears here].
Still there are many things I want to find here & especially Asysrtasia[?], of which by the way I found possibly a species in fruit only to day -- Cypropedium venustum, Cardiopteris, which if I have I do not recognize & an Aristolochoid genus whose name I forget found in Nepal I send bulbs of the Arum to Macrae at the gardens Mc Lelland who will forward them overland -- I have not heard of Clamanze & his ships arrival at Calcutta & hope he has not foundered with all my collections.
[[9]] Darjeeling April 15 [1849]
The news of poor Gardner[']s death has reached Hodgson in a letter from Sir Herbert Maddock who is on his way home, he says that Lord Torrington begs earnestly that I will accept the vacancy & has written me to that effect. -- I shall of course decline conditionally pending directions from you. My impression is that you will not think it united to my views & standing as also that I should not interfere for a place more properly the reward of such mens' labors as Gardner's. I also think you will not like my permanent separation from home & from your Herbarium which are as much my future estates to be cared for by me, as if they were Landed property. In all this I wait your decision, on the above points of view we shall probably coincide, as far as likings & dislikings are concerned all I can say is that it is not the position I would seek, though I would ten thousand times prefer it to Glasgow University or lecturing. In a pecuniary point of view it is better than any thing I shall get in England under many years.
I returned hither to day having been fairly broiled out of the valley below where the heat was intense this two days past. I think I have procured a reasonably good collection [of] Dendrobium which shows gloriously on the trees & is one of the earliest flowers of the genus. My new servant is unfortunately a perfect owl & I am sick & tired of scolding him, how I am to get to the Snow with such an animal I cannot tell -- happily he is willing civil & I believe honest but I do declare the most stupid hound I ever met, he has not the smallest idea how to pack a trunk, load a coolie or assist in directing a march, most provoking of all is his inattention to what I say, he hears me say something & goes & does the first thing that comes into his head without the smallest illusion to what I have said ordered. Morus Indica which Roxburgh did not know in a wild state is truly so here & I sent good specimens it is a small tree & the fruit eatable -- April 15th I must post this today & have little to add except that Fane Bell & Courtenay are at me for copies of my journal: they are vastly pleased with it & cannot imagine what the Athenaeum finds to snub in the letters. Reeves must send me a dozen copies & if so be I must pay [part of mss. missing] pray do not send me one of your copies of the Rhodod[endrons of Sikkim Himalaya]
[[10]] book I really do not want it from yours you have plenty to do with your copies, to which as Editor you are more than entitled. If that selfish dog Reeves has not the grace to send me one single copy of either journal letters or Rhod[odendron]. book why so much the worse for him & pay him off I will in the long run, though I quite agree with you that to keep him in humor now is the object & so make no complaints & if he won't give me any copies please pay for them. 12 of the letters & some odd plates of Kinchin & one copy of the Rhod[odendron]. book. *3
I heard from McLelland yesterday he writes very kindly. Fever had again broken out in their camp & bains (lately Williams) & all were ill himself laid up & is now returned to Calcutta. He is just ready with other parts of Griffiths, the ferns he assures me are all at the India House. Falconer is living at Amherst with half the garden establishment. Do spell Colviles name properly -- I am sure Lord Dalhousie will be charmed with the Rhod[odendron] book & especially with the compliment to "Susan". he is greatly delighted to get away from Ferozepore & is off to join Lady D[alhosie]. Simlah [Shimla]. My back is fairly up at Reeves not sending me a copy of either "Letters" or "Rhod[odendron]." book a more abominable piece of covetousness never was -- Best love to my mother & Bessy & regards to all old friends Ever your most aff[ectionate] son Jos D Hooker [signature]
ENDNOTES
1. An annotation written in another hand records that the letter was received June 5 [1849].
2. The city formerly known as Calcutta is now called Kolkata.
3. The address of the recipient appears here as the letter would originally have been folded n such a way that it formed its own 'envelope'. The address reads: "Overland | Sir W. J. Hooker | Royal Gardens | Kew near London"
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