[[1]]
Royal Gardens Kew
April 28/[18]85
My dear Brian [Hodgson] *1,
I have two kind letters of your's[sic] to thank you for. I am glad to find that both give a
fair account of your health, though I wish you could get rid of the cough. We have a
sudden burst of lovely weather, though it is not warm at night.
Hyacinth *2 was laid up in bed for a week with rheumatism & a nasty pain in the side.
She would not see a doctor but he should
[[2]] do any thing[sic] that would interfere with her running -- so I had to do my best,
& she got well enough to go for change of air to Hythe where I left her last Monday
greatly improved -- as was Joey [Joseph Symonds Hooker], who like all my children
felt feels the relaxing air of Kew. We should have gone to the Camp -- but there I am
building! For Symonds' resuscitation, & remaining with us, compels me to add to the
house. So I am building 2 small additional rooms which
[[3]] will do for children, & bachelors at a pinch. We shall not go there I think till the
children come from Paris in end of July.
We are well. Charlie [Charles Paget Hooker] is engaged to be married to a Miss
Evans Lombe, an exceedingly nice & pretty girl, & as well connected with Norfolk country
families as could possibly be. He will probably "set up" in Norwich. Reggie [Reginald
Hawthorn Hooker] will try for his "Dr in Sciences" degree before he returns to us & if
he gets it I shall send him to Germany for the winter to perfect that language.
Poor Willy [William Henslow Hooker] is very hard worked, supervising the
transmission of stores for the troops in India, a very responsible duty. I hope
[[4]] you may see Reggie & Grace [Grace Ellen Hooker] in Paris if they know your
address they will call. Grace is immensely improved. She had to perform to the piano
before 800 people people the other day -- you may suppose how nervous she was -however she had a very great success -- but was so shy that she did not hear the
plaudits. I believe she plays exceedingly well -- she was quite the best at the
"exhibition".
Yes we are in a political and diplomatic mess; & the Comments comments on us for the
last year in foreign journals have not been pleasant reading. If Russia persists, fight
we must -- but why did we allow them her to break their her volunteered
[[5]] pledge, not to take revenge[?]? We allowed Arabia on in his rebellion, through
inaction till we had to fight a great battle & knock to pieces the final town in the
Levant. We have played the fool with Gordon *3, with Khartoum, with Osman Digna *4
with Gebu[?] and at the Cape & now we have have a Russian war staring us in the face, &
this with France hostile & Germany contemptuous. Poor Gladstone *5 they tell me hates
the whole subject; his Ministers are at sixes & sevens sevens, & Granville is too soft. It
is curious to see Dizzy's [Benjamin Disraeli's]*6 bust or portrait suddenly emerging &
stuck up in every other shop in London! -- in stationers, booksellers, print--sellers, on
plates! on handkerchiefs!! In public houses
[[6]] & every where[sic] -- it is quite curious. He made messes enough, goodness
knows! but somehow he made national credit a capital out of them.
I suspect that if Govt. have a Soudan policy & that it is to get Italy to take the charge
of the Red Sea coast & railroad, & to garrison Khartoum etc. with Turkish troops under
European offices. We shall see.
How gloriously Indian confidence in British Rule is showing up; does it not gladden
your heart?
Ever my dear old Brian with love to Susie[?] in which Hyacinth would join if here.
Yours faithfully | JDHooker [signature]
Old Grote[?] looks well. I saw your cousin A. Hogdson at the Geographical [Society]
last night. I am pressed hard to take the Presidency of the Geographical but absolutely
refused it, it would be too great labour & expense & I must finish the India Flora.
ENDNOTES
1.Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801--1894). A pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in
India and Nepal where he was a British civil servant. Joseph Hooker stayed at Hodgson’s
house in Darjeeling periodically during his expedition to India and the Himalayas, 1847-1851, and named one of his sons after him.
2. Lady Hyacinth Hooker, née Symonds then Jardine (1842--1921). Joseph Hooker's
second wife, they married in 1876.
3. Major General Charles George Gordon (1833--1885). British Army Officer and
Administrator. Governor General of Sudan. Famous for his involvement in the siege
of Khartoum, Gordon and his garrison were besieged in the city by Mahdist forces
seeking to overthrow their colonial leaders, after ten months the city fell and Gordon
and all the soldiers were killed.
4 Osman Digna (c.1840--1926). Sudanese Mahdist millitary commander in the
Mahdist War against British colonial forces.
5. William Ewart Gladstone (1809--1898). British Liberal Politician. Served as Prime
Minister four times; 1868--1874, 1880--1885, Feb to July 1886, 1892--1894.
6. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (1804--1881). British Conservative
Politician and writer. Served as Prime Minister twice: 1874--1880, Feb to Dec 1868.
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