[[1]] Copy*1
H.M.S. Erebus Berkeley Sound
Falkl[a]nd Nov[ember] 29. 1842
(rec ? March 6 1843)
To Dr Boott*2
My dear Sir
Had I not promised to Mrs Booth that I should address you also by this
opportunity, I might perhaps have wanted courage thus to fulfil my duty in
thanking you for your two long & kind letters to me. Above all things you have
gratified me by sending so good an account of my Fathers health & looks. I
feel sure that nobody takes a much deeper interest in his welfare than
yourself. He does, no doubt, work too hard & my chief consolation is that he
would only be the worse if he wanted materials. Now, however that his
employment calls for more exercise out of doors & that the last few most
harassing years of his life are over, not; we shall hope, to be repeated, I
confidently look for a full restoration of his bodily powers. Walking, in
particular always agreed well with him & good walkers invariably enjoy good
health, who ever saw a sick twopenny postman? or Police-runner? On board
ship, I more especially remark this to be the case. Sailors are no pedestrians:
walking out of the ship into a house is happiness enough for them & they find
more pleasure in staying indoors than leaving it at once.
Many thanks for the elegant letter of Lady Smith's which you enclose. The
correspondence of well educated & intelligent
[[2]] ladies is always the most engaging of any; & when vivacity & a religious
disposition are added, it is only what we may expect from her pen. It is many
years since I had the honor of being introduced to her at my grandfather's
table at Yarmouth & though I have a distinct recollection of her ladyship, she
does not, of course, remember me. I cannot yet return the letter, for my time
has been so closely occupied since the arrival of your kind communication,
that I have not copied it yet. It is, however, too valuable to be lost, & I dare not
think of depriving your letter book of such an ornament. Besides, the having
promised to return it to you will secure my doing myself the pleasure of writing
to you again if God pleases, at the Cape of Good Hope. Have you never
remarked how loth, persons often are, to commence a letter, from the fear
that they can say nothing which shall prove interesting? But when you have
once begun, the pleasure that is felt in thus talking to a friend, far more than
counterbalances the irksomeness of the first effort.
You gratify me by the information that you still attend to the Carices for I find
them a vastly important groupe[sic] in most Antarctic countries. Have you
much noticed their geographical distribution? (It is a very favourite subject of
mine), I have some 10[?], in a slight measure; but my notes are not at hand or
I could give you some tabular results, which might prove interesting. In New
Zealand the Cyperaceae, equal the Gramineae in number of species:-- in the
Falkl[an]ds as 1 is to 2.5. In
[[3]] Spitzbergen as 1:3.5. In Iceland as 1:0.8. In Auckl[an]d Island 1:1.9. In
Kerguelen's Land as 0:5. In Campbell's Isl[an]d as 1:5 (i.e. one Carex & one
Uncinia to 10 Grasses) In Australia as 0.7:1.
The descending scale for the Southern regions is beautiful & in perfect
accordance with what was to be expected from the climate & position of the
several islands. Australia 0.7:1. New Zealand 1:1. Auckl[an]d Island 1:1.9.
Falkl[an]d 1:2.5. Campbell's Island 1:5 & Kergualan's Land 0:5. These results,
however I must beg you to keep to yourself, as we are not permitted to
communicate Botanical Information (does it deserve the name?) except
through the Lords Commissioners!
At Hermite Island I found one Carex (?), for it was neither in flower nor fruit -& an Uncinia, in a similar state. The plant mentioned before for the
Tussack[sic] Grass, (& given to me, through mistake on the part of the
Governor, who asked me to describe it) is, I believe, Carex trifida; by far the
finest species I have seen, & eaten, along with Tussack by the cattle. So, at
least, the Governor assures me. There were several smaller Carices, not
uncommon here when we first arrived, but they have not made their
appearance again yet. I gathered a good many new species both in New
Zealand & Van Diemen's Land [Tasmania].
I have not yet heard anything of the botanical results of the American antarctic
squadron, but by the President's announcement, they must have met with
great success. We were told about them at the Bay of Islands where they
lived in the country for some time. They had, I was informed, besides their
pay, unlimited leave & were allowed to spend all the money they liked on their
collections.
[[4]] So what may we not expect? I hope they will send you some of their
Carices.
The right of search question does not appear to have been settled yet: I think
it would be much better to fight it out at once & argue the point afterwards,
instead of setting two creaking cabinets ajar! There is no occasion, you know,
the citizens of either Kingdom to quarrel with one another because the
Legislators do: nor, more particularly, that any restraint should be put upon
Botanical correspondence. However, I am no politician.
To Mrs Booth I have already written by this opportunity & sent my kind
regards to all your family. Accept the same, from yours truly & faithfully | J D
Hooker
Captain Ross told me the other day, to remember him most kindly whenever I
should write to you.
ENDNOTES
1. This letter is a contemporary 19th century copy, not written in the hand of
the original author Joseph Dalton Hooker, and not signed by him. The copy
was probably made by Hooker's Mother or one of his sisters to be circulated
amongst family and friends.
2. Dr Francis Boott (1792--1863). American doctor and botanist who lived in
England from 1820. His botanical studies were confined to the Genus Carex.
His monograph of 158 species of Carex was printed in Sir William Jackson
Hooker's Flora Boreali-Americana. Fellow and sometime Treasurer and
Secretary of the Linnean Society.
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