[[1]]
Address Camp
Dec 2/ [18]85
Dear Old [Asa] Gray,
I am pretty busy -- changing quarters, putting old wine into new bottles, stuffing the
contents of a big home into a small one, making over charge of garden duties &
excogitating plans for putting [William Turner Thiselton-]Dyer at his ease in the shape of
providing an office, & such scientific assistance as I can get for him. I am deep in Indian
Laurels (they are perfectly dreadful); I have just sent Bentham[']s Flora to press. I am on
the council of the Royal & Geographical [Societies] & I have to find time for bed & meals
-- I forgot that I have the Bot[anical] Mag[azine] ever before me too. My wife lives at the
Camp & comes up & down after the furniture, books & goods & chattels of all sorts -- I
am taking most of my books down & shelving 2 rooms at the Camp I wanted to part with the
birds & some Wedgewoods, but she will not so the Camp resembles a Dry Goods
Store. As for me
[[2]] I shall be here till xmas except Saturday-Sunday at Camp -- it is ghastly sitting with
empty shelves & no pictures, but then I am utterly quiet & get through a lot of work & of
correspondence, for all the world writes to condole or congratulate, with me or the
public, or both & I feel inclined to say to the world, like the vain actors when applauded "bless
you my people".
As for myself I have nothing but vainglories to detail -- Lord Iddesleigh has written me
really a beautiful private note reporting my resignation & adding that Kew will be to me
what S[ain]t Pauls is to Wren! I have thanked him in my family's name (as including my
father). The Secret[arie]s of the colonies & India have both addressed the treasury
officially, deploring their loss of me, & hoping that my services to them will procure me a
good pension! -- (we shall see -- my 'opes are not 'igh). I make out that they owe me
£930 as pension; perhaps they won't see it -- I feel very keenly the cutting adrift from my
official relations with so many public offices but I guess I have not seen the end of them,
for visions of Treasury
[[3]] committees float before me -- I shall cut London society generally, except perhaps
that we may take lodgings in town for a month in the season, that is when our friends will
be too busy to care for us! Meanwhile I have taken a little house at Kew for Willy
[William Henslow Hooker], & shall keep 2 rooms for ourselves.
Dyer will no doubt come into this house but does not quite like it -- for Harriet is not
strong enough to do all that my wives did. I shall often lunch with them. We are sadly
puzzled about a second for Dyer -- there is no one in any way fit for the Assistant
Directorship or even in training for it except young Oliver, who is helping his father & Old
O[liver] does not seem much disposed to put his son towards running. My proposal is
meanwhile to appoint a Secretary, who if he turns out well might be turned into an
Ass[istan]t Director, & who if he does not; may keep where he is. Ridley of the B.M.
who was trained to Nat[ural] Hist[ory] by Lankaster is the man we think of. He is not
much to look at, but is most well spoken of we should offer £300. There will be a bother
in getting the Treasury to
[[4]] make the organic change in the staff but I have made fast friends with the secretary
of the T[reasury]., who is a sensible man.
Dyer I need hardly say is appointed my successor by Lord Iddesleigh.
As for family wife [Hyacinth Hooker] is well but very tired, as she still partly nurses baby.
Charlie [Charles Paget Hooker] is happy & busy at Cirencester. I have just heard that
Brian [Brian Harvey Hodgson Hooker] has (through Mueller) got something to do at
Melbourne. I am preparing Reggie [Reginald Hawthorn Hooker] for Cambridge. Joey
[Joseph Symonds Hooker] is quite disposed to be studious, he always asks me to read
with him when I am at Camp & he takes 2 hours of it one at Robinson Crusoe, the other
at English history -- he is a very good reader & most lovable child. The baby squawks
his sentiments or feelings or both, it is a very lively little man & great fun. The head
slowly rises but it is still dolichocephalic. Harriet [Harriet Anne Thiselton-Dyer nee
Hooker] is better than last year, but not strong -- she is at Eastbourne, Grace at Paris.
[George] Bentham's affairs not settled yet nor likely to be, as the House property won't
sell I am sick of the thing. I think I told you that Kew will get about £7200 but probably
not before next midsummer!
No more at present from | Yours ever affectionately J.D. Hooker [signature]
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