[[1]] *1
Darjeeling June 12, 1848.
My dear Wallich
You are so constantly on my mind & in my eye that I cannot resist taking a gratis
opportunity of sending you a line or two. Here I am, staying with your old friend Bryian
Hodgson of Nepaul [Nepal], a guest, as you once were, though at a far smaller & less
ostentatious table. He talks very much & with great regard of you, & in strong terms of
the Calcutta *2 snobs!, as Colvile terms some of the pseudo--naturalists of that city.
Poor Falconer is very ill, I fear, & at Spence’s for advice. This morning brought me a
letter from your attached servant, Caly Comars, who often took me into a corner of the
garden, to talk about you, which he did with great modesty & regard for you. He was
getting a portrait of himself done for you, which, I dare say, you have received ere this.
To me he was personally most kind & attentive; & indeed was the only one there who
could give me any efficient aid. Should anything happen to Falconer, I must look to
Caly Comar. Cantaor I saw of course a few days after my arrival; & we spent several
hours together: he afterwards procured me a lot of glorious drying paper quite
invaluable to me. We went together to the Metcalfe Hall & Agricultural Society Rooms,
& there saw a wondrous grim bust between Dr Spy & Dwarkanath Rajah tagore & must
confess the Oriental to be not the least handsome of the three. However you are in
very good company.
As to the Botanical Gardens, I could only ejaculate with Falconer; "Heu quantum
mutatus ab", what I cannot tell, but certainly ab what I expected to find. What you may
have left undone to agitate the Chartistical Reform produced I cannot
[[2]] pretend to say.-- but the best compliment I could pay you was "that it could not have
been worse in Wallich’s time.” The Cycas grove, a child of long remembered
association with me, is clean forgotten; & the very place which held it knows no more.
Poor Caly Comar pointed out divers[sic] sites of old beauties with many a sigh.
However, it is no use dwelling on these things:-- my own opinion is, that the whole
affair wants remodelling; the Nepaul hill being the most creditable & all but only
retainable piece of ground in its present state. The old story always was, “Wallich did
not improve”; to which my response was, better let bad alone than make it worse.
I am now in your glorious country of Rhododendrons, Magnolias, & Arums; & with no
other book (till' yesterday,) but Wallich's Tentamen, kindly sent me by Falconer (who is
much pleased at you being the communicator of the Athenaeum intelligence) My
Magnolias beat yours, however; & as to Wallichia modesta; it does dares not shew[sic]
its head here, up or down. Now I have 10 Rhododendrons & as many Arums. Your A.
speciosissimum[?] is common here; but not the nepenthoidaes, which is represented
by a trifoliated monster with a broad head like a cobra, & caudata spadix; 2 feet long.
Its leaves are so large that I use them for an umbrella. One or both Holboellias are
here, Kadsura grandiflora, which Lindley improperly, I think, removes from
Magnoliaceae, some of your Oaks, &c; but, generally speaking, this is different from
Nepaul in Palms, Tree--Ferns fern, like (but I think not Branoriana? *3) & especially
millions & millions of wild plantain.
Kinchin junga [Kanchenjunga], 24,000ft. is my mountain here,: no great one intervenes
between this & Gossain than than than [Gosainthan]: your old friend
[[3]] Chumalari is the next Eastward; but that is behind the great range.
I am very comfortable & happy; travelling is & much less & ergo more cheaply,
contentedly & peaceably than you prognosticated I should have to. In only one thing I
am deceived by all you Indians in England; & that is the cookery -- which is in every
respect villainous & atrocious. Your stews, pillafs, & curries I abhor & eschew, et hoc
genus omne. Wines are invariably bad, ascending in scale of inferiority with the quality
& price. Thank goodness! Hodgson has good mutton & potatoes here.
Campbell is Political Resident here, a curious compound, the weakest Political
Resident perhaps in the service; giving in to this imbecile & crafty Rajah in every thing. In
his position the access to the snow ought to be, & easily accomplished; whereas we
are no nearer it in the British protected state of Sikim [Sikkim], than in bellicose
Nepaul or crafty Bootan [Bhutan]. In fact, I believe that the Nepalese Nepaulese would
allow a traveller to visit Gossain--than; & I would try that had you not gleaned the
country. The Niti pass is open; & I should like to attempt it another year, probably with
Thomson; that I may measure the height, & get the plants of the plateau beyond, &
also see the Deodar before I leave India. Strachy has been to Mansarovar, & his
narrative in the last Asiatic Society Journal is daily expected. out As to this ultima Thule,
Hodgson & I are going to divide the Himalayah [Himalayas] into sections by physical
characters deduced from the Water--sheds, which will, I think, be satisfactory; as the
waters are from the great Mountains. As it is, we have no physical distinctions: the
territorials are wholly arbitrary; & this from the Mishmees to the Sutlej.
[[4]] The general opinion is that the Moultan[sic] affair will blow over.
Sincere regards to all old friends, particularly to the Phil[osophical]. Club -- Brown,
Bammell, Bell, Booth, Lace Dale. I hope Mrs Wallich continues well & all your family: my
very kind regards:
Ever your affectionate friend | Jos. D. Hooker.
A Miss D'Aguilar at Wilby Welby Jackson's talked much of you; so do many. What plant
did you name after old Barnes at Purneah?. I have been much with his son, a very nice
fellow. Your Madras friends talked very much of you. Won't I call out Qui Hi *4 when I
see you in Regent Street.?
ENDNOTES
1. This letter is a copy, written in a hand not that of the original author, JDH. It was
probably copied out by JDH's mother or sister.
2. The city formerly known as Calcutta is currently called Kolkata.
3. This word has been crossed out and repeatedly amended in pencil and is hard to
decipher
4. Anglo--Indian call for a servant
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