[[1]]
Yeumtong Upper Lachoong valley
Sept 2/[18]49.
My dearest Mother
I have this day had the pleasure of receiving the long looked for box of books from
England[.] They arrived some months ago, at Darjeeling, but Campbell did not
suppose I would care to have them. The coolies who brought them & food have
been 26 days on the road & eaten an immense lot of my food, of course. I have
been discovering the Kew Annals with especial delight: it is a capital work, the like
not seen since the old Annals of Botany & I hope my father will carry it on with
equal spirit & cater for Economic botany for every number. If I had but time, I
would draw him up a paper on the edibles of Sikkim; but I am really excessively
busy, & my plants alone keep me hard at work;-- besides the Annals have no lack
of me service, as it is. My Soane journal reads very well, much better than the
parts not meant for publication, which are miserably ill done; & where the startling
repetition
[[2]] of noble, gay & other grand words is just like me. You have forgotten after all
my allusion to Hodgson who gave me the curious information about Jains, of
which I knew as little [as] you did. The two copies of Turner's Thibet [Tibet] are
come most fortunately for me as I retain Hodgson's copy & send Campbell his - I
have been discovering it; it is an excellent work & my route comes into his map.
He is however full 15 miles out in Long & Lat: so tell my Father to be careful in
consulting it. The Purses from Bessy &c are enclosed & sent to their destinations,
or rather will go tomorrow, with this. Thank her very much,-- & my Grandmother,
for the beautiful piece she sends myself. Also, the wax for rubbing brasses,-- but
not the paper, which is a terrible pity, as the composition is useless without it, & I
wanted to take some inscriptions at Lachoong -- Tom Brighbach has most kindly
sent me a capital pair of razors a great boon in India where these things spoil so
rapidly -- I intend to
[[3]] use them first of any, some two or more months hence, when returning to
Darjeeling I shall remove a most patriarchal beard, a foot long, & huge
moustaches to match. I would as soon think of rougeing as shaving here; & the
beardless Bhotheas have a great respect fro[sic] such things in others.
I am getting on pretty badly with the authorities & have just had another much
unwarranted piece of insolence to report to Campbell. A poor Lepcha came to my
camp & offered his services as hunter. I wanted one, to help Hodgson's good--for-nothing shooters & stuffers, but would not take him, without some warrant -- He
hovered about the camp & next day the said shooters & coolies came & begged
me to take him, offering themselves to pay & feed him. I refused, on the same
grounds, adding that if the Singtam Soubah, (my guide, & Soubah of all this
district) or Meepo, or the Choongtam Lama, would answer for the man, I would
take him pay & feed him myself. The S[ingtam]. Soubah came
[[4]] forward voluntarily & I at once engaged the man.-- he was active & useful
bringing in wild sheep & deer, whilst we are at Choongtam, where I left him with
Hodgson's shooter to follow me. the poor fellow was laid up with an abscess on
the ankle from which I took nearly ½ a pint of matter. -- I was no sooner gone, than
the Choongtam Lama seized & twice, flogged him, threatening him with loss of
house & property if he dared to follow me -- this affair was known to the Singtam
Soubah & all my people who were bound by the S[ingtam]. S[oubah. not to tell me
of it. This wanton outrage upon a paid Serv[an]t: of mine, & the attempt to tamper
with my camp I need not say vexed me much; all I can do is to repeat it to
Campbell who with all his kindness is so utterly wanting in primness & I very
believe afraid of that bare legged buffoon the Sikkim Rajah that I expect no
redress from that quarter. The Sikkim Rajah
[[5]] has done every thing in his power short of violence to harass & oppose me, &
his standing order is that I am not to be treated as a Sahib. The insults to which
this exposes me & the degree of patience & resolution required I may talk of to my
Parents who know how short of temper I am in trifles. To my face I am told by a
ragged rabble that if I were a gentleman the S[ikkim].R[ajah]. would give different
instructions to his people -- I assure you at times I cannot get a particle of rice or milk
or eggs in villages with plenty, & my coolies are denied the purchase of food along
every road in Sikkim. Campbell knows all this & neither takes steps to coerce the
Rajah nor even reports it to Lord D[alhousie]. who would do so at once -- so I
stand in the place of a fool who takes notice of & reports contempt & insults of
which no account whatever is made at head q[uarte]rs. I do assure you I be awake
by the hour combatting the wiles of this durbar & in anxiety, the greater from
meeting no support from Campbell, on the other hand, Campbell is all I have
previously said of him,-- affectionate & liberal, unremitting in his solicitude for my
success & leaving no stone unturned to
[[6]] make me personally comfortable & happy, of that easy disposition that no
trouble can ruffle & long accustomed to be snubbed by the Rajah, he cannot feel
for the wrongs a prouder spirit must[?] succumb to -- These are the reasons why I
beg, nay insist, that no allusion be made to particulars of my difficulties &
abstractions -- I have told C[ampbell]. my mind; that he should not stroke me & the
Rajah on the back together, that I in toto condemn a policy that leaves an
Englishman to be for 5 months exposed to the insults of a petty dependant without
an effort for his relief. that Lord Dalhousie's letter is treated with defiance his,
(Campbell's), name with ridicule & myself with insolence & obstruction, all of which
I affirm might easily have been counter acted had any moderate degree of
resolution been shown by him. Having said so I hold my tongue & for ever, as to
the nature &c of my obstructions; I love Campbell too dearly to ruin his already
broken character as a political officer, & he shall
[[7]] never have to say of me, as he does of others, that "they praise him &
Darjeeling, when "there, & abuse all, ere they reach the Ganges.
Hodgson, the antagonistipodes of Campbell in spirit & disposition, as haughty, proud
& ambitious as C[ampbell]. is meek, unassuming & contented,-- does all he can to
set matters right; but C[ampbell]. hums & haws & shilly shallys, till I burst through
restraint. I have never been angry but once, since leaving coming to Darjeeling, &
need not say I am put to with Campbell,- but say say say I will & have;--all of which
he, poor soul attributes to my "irrepressible ambition" "unparalleled success" &c &c
-- & fearing I am going crazy, is himself in a fever of apprehension about me, & at
the same time dead to the calls of Justice.-- Henceforth I am silent, & shall bore nor
him nor you with my troubles.
I sent another small packet of seeds to Falconer yesterday, & forward a third with
this, I do hope that some will grow.-- What a splendid subscription list Reeves has
for the Rhododendrons,- quite a little Debrett. I am writing out the descriptions of
those now on hand. I call one "Hodgsoni", a most
[[8]] superb fellow species, -- he refused having one of the last batch, on grounds I
never dream't of,-- "he did not like appearing "to cater for the shadow of a return
for "his hospitality". As Rhod[odendron]. Hodgsonia will come first, I have prepared
a dog Latin poem for H[odgson]., which my F. [Father?] will kindly get put square
by my Grandfather.
I have just received a long letter from Edgeworth,-- poor fellow, he has lost only
brother, 2 sisters, & only child, within the year! -- he holds one of the 3
Commisionerships in the Punjaub [Punjab]; but his wife is not allowed to join him;-he writes as warmly & kindly & heartily as he is in manners cold stiff &
enigmatical,-- full of pleasant reminiscences of Kew, &c. Tayler sends my portrait
home, but begs it be returned at once;-- I take for granted you will get Fitch to copy
it, at which the little man will be wroth; except you have leave; or, if you do, keep it
entirely to yourselves & remember "walls have "ears" & India is one great
Dionysius' Ear. Taylor's pride of his pictures is
[[9]] truly ridiculous; but it is an Artists foible; & he is a most gentlemanly, amiable
& attractive little fellow.
Lest I forget it, please send me a Scribbling Diary for 1850; & a "Nautical Almanac"
price 5/-- to be had every where but where you will apply! Reeve will get one.
Don't forget to tell me what money I have in the bank,-- what I have drawn is
1) £500 which my father sent out to Calcutta in Jan[uar]y 48
2) £300 since upon him, in March or April 1849.-- I believe I have still this £300 in
Calcutta *1 untouched.
I will send a power of attorney as soon as I can get witnesses or what is required
i.e. return to Dorjiling [Darjeeling],.
No time to write to my Father by this opportunity: tell him my collections are getting
on well-- in spite of my friends, the Bhotteas. I am waiting for fine weather to go
Northwards. Thomson writes in good
[[10]] health & spirits. I am all well & hearty, don't think I am in the least down-hearted about these trifles. I am sending immense lots of Pines, Rhododendrons,
&c to Dorjiling to fill the Ward's cases for Kew. Best love to all, Ever your most
aff[ectionate]. Son Jos D Hooker [signature]
Are any of my things growing at Kew?
The Polka jacket will be most acceptable, & slippers.
I have repeatedly remarked the circumstance to which my F. alludes in Madden's
paper, of plants flowering & seeding much earlier at the higher passes, than at
lower elevations,, & can explain it very easily:, it is a general phenomenon, & not
partial, or confined to English plants. I want Actinometers to measure the force of
solar radiation & thus state numerically
[[11]] the values of the power that so anomalously influences the same plant.
I doubt Barometric pressure having any thing to do with the limiting of species to
elevations. Our seasons here are wholly different from those in the N.W.; but these
are very complicated questions, depending on the distribution of both light, heat, &
humidity.
ENDNOTES
1. The city formerly called Calcutta is now known as Kolkata.
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