[[1]]
Dorjiling [Darjeeling]
Jny Jany 2 /[18]50
Mr dear Father
At last I have the pleasure of addressing you again from Dorjiling having arrived on
the night of the 23d with all my collections in safety & good order, but a woeful
amount of breakages & damages in other departments, & most of my people -- all
but 4 are still though British Subjects every one of them still detained in the county.
The Rajah has sent no complaint against me! & has no excuse of any kind to offer
for his violence of the two past months, none for the detention of my people to this
hour. His complaints against Campbell are of the most foolish description, chiefly
relating to gov[ernmen]t. measures & are what the Rajah would never have urged at
all to our gov[ernmen]t. had he not involved himself. The Barbarian, thought that by
capturing & torturing C[ampbell]. he could force him to overrule these acts. That
[[2]] failing -- he was obliged to forward them to Govt. -- trivial they all were & full well
he knew that under ordinary circumstance they would not be attended to by Govt. he
hence kept us as hostage & then abused us, hoping thus to coerce the Govt. The
answer from Govt. being tantamount to the announcement that it's dignity was of
primary importance, our likes & liberty of secondary -- & that nothing could be
listened to till we were given up, drove him into the corner & he have us up. we were
sent in with the Sikkim Dewan (minister minister) who I believe was at the bottom of the
whole. The latter dawdled us on in captivity for 14 days before we were returned.
The Govt. throw no blame whatever on Campbell or myself. & are about to punish
the Rajah forthwith. He was summoned with all the accessories into
[[3]] Darj[eeling]. on the 25th Decr & a fortnight given them to make their
appearances. If they do not by the10th Jny of this month. troops are all ready to march
after them & will do so.
I do not know what Brian Hodgson may have written to you on the subject; he seems
to have, misapprehended the whole thing at the time in the most incomprehensible
manner, & Capt. Byng & he together have driven the Govt. perfectly frantic. The long
& short I believe is that Brian was extremely ill it at the time it happened & that when
so his mind wanders. Still great as is the mess he has made of politics, he cannot
hear the trumpet but he must make ready for the battle. Byng the only official here
[several words crossed out, illeg. *1] threw himself into Brian's hands, both listened to
every lie that the Rajah sent in, the whole station fell into a state of most
disgraceful[?] panic, on the receipt of a mere resport that the Bhotheas were about to
attack it
[[4]] & in the panic they wrote letters to Govt. of the most extraordinary description,
not having heard from or of us for 18 days, they accused us of all manner of
misdeeds official & non official or the reports of the natives sent in by the Rajah to do
so. -- of impossibilities & of improbabilities & of much that the Govt. must have
known could only be signs of total incapacity & want of sense or of entire want of
truth. A Mr Lushington was at once ordered up to Dorjiling Capt Byng suspended &
reprimanded in the most angry language. Brian told to mind his own affairs & not
meddle with Govt. &c. &c. -- That Brian was at bottom actuated solely by love of us
we know full well, but that he must have been mad at any time to write or allow such
letters to be written to Govt is clear for they accuse Campbell of what the Govt. know
is fake full well, throw uncalled for blame upon his whole official career, & declare
that we both
[[5]] from whom they had not ever heard where, whilst in prison, annulling their
attempts to release us & to comprising Govt. Such a tissue of untruths & nonsense
never was penned. The Govt. could put no other interpretation upon it than that
Capt. Byng wished to take advantage of the crisis to have possess himself
permanently of Campbells appointment, & they acted accordingly -- Campbell is so
good--natured & kind that he has forgiven Byng, & I dined with him on Xmas day.
[several words crossed out, illeg. *2] -- Poor Hodgson now worried by his pupil, every
day observing the magnitude of his political error & errors of judgement, is getting ill
falling ill again. If the Govt. do call on C[ampbell]. to answer those letters of his friends it
will be a fearful expense. of direct falsehoods & folly.
Such are the outlines of a long story of which I shall give you particulars vide[?] run
ere long.
Thomson is with me at last!. & looking now remarkably well -- he has however
suffered much in health &
[[6]] I cannot return his compliment that I look younger & fatter than I did in 1839 -he has grown very like his Father & his hair is literally as much white as black, not
grey as a whole but silver hairs mixed in equal proportion with the black. In manners
he is very agreeable & quite extremely amiable & well disposed. Hodgson who is
much more particular than I am (& very like my mother in that respect) likes
Thomson both the outer and private man. He is quite devoted to Botany & a famous
house worker. On comparing notes we find that we have both harvested our wild
oats & not likely to sow again. His collections are all gone down to Calcutta, & we
propose spending the remaining time of our sojourn in India together. It is very
singular to find that we have independently arrived at precisely the same novel
conclusions as to the great features of the Himal! its glacier action
[[7]] Geological effects[?] &c.&c. snow line &c.&c. We are now hard at work, & very
hard work it is, throwing my collections in order for sending home, we work every day
from day--light & I can do nothing else else till I get bundles of Nat[ural]. ord[er]s tied
up, this will be done in a few days, when I will send the Rhodod[Dendron]s. home by
steam with descriptions & specimens.
Your long & kind Sept. letter I received on my arrival here, very many thanks for the
telescope-- quite right not to send the Barometer. I will send the drawings as soon as
I possibly can.
I have written to Lord Dalhousie asking that, should Nepal be now unadvisable I may
have Thomsons company to the Khassya hills for the summer of 1850, whence we
shall return to England together, a measure of so great importance to us both, that if
T[homson]'s leave is not granted I think of returning with him to England before the
hot weather. & by sea
[[8]] I take advantage at once of the good perimssion of Mr Melvile to send through
the India--house.
Thomson is astonished with my results & we find our Flora to be wholly different.
I am making a little map for you to publish, so pray hold your hand at present it will
do for another fascie of Rhod[odendrons of Sikkim] Himal[aya] & I hope be useful &
intelligible[sic] which the one you sent is not. Fitch cannot do a thing of the kind -- nor
is it easy -- except to map makes -- we have fine weather here but it is very cold.
I will write to you by next mail as usual & announce the dispatch of some overland
small things to your address. Again many thanks for all your goodness. Tom sends
affect[ionate] regards
Ever y[ou]r affecti[onate] son
Jos D Hooker [signature]
That alpine grass is it named!
The Nepalese are so fond of C[ampbell]. & myself that they asked to come serve us!
ENDNOTES
1. Part of this sentence crossed out repeatedly in different pen.
2. One sentence has been scribbled out in a different pen to obscure it, it is no
longer legible.
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