[[1]]
Darjeeling
August 9 1848 *1
My dear Father
As you are still suffering as far as correspondence lets me know your state, I do
not hesitate to inflict another letter on you. Though my letter to Bessie will tell you
the only news of any importance I have to give which concerns the travelling in
Sikkim.
The rapidity with which the flowering season is advancing is quite wonderful & I
have accordingly doubled my establishment of collectors. This last fortnight I have
got a glorious lot of things, such fine Cyrtandreae especially & a good gale of wind
helped me to many of the trees. Campbell too is as active as ever he can be & I
generally get 2 instalments sometimes 4 daily. I cannot possibly draw all I ought
though I do my best to, & the poor Fungi are gone to the wall altogether. I cannot
go 100 yards from the door without getting new things, today a new Balanophora
close behind the house, actually within a stones throw. Campbell has today sent a
new Palm (Caryota not in fl[ower]. or f[rui]t) & a
[[2]] Citrus whose ripe fruit weighs 4 lbs I had drawn the flower previously it is so
large pink outside, the fruit very long unripe, 5 inches, quite a diff[erent]. sp[ecies].
from the long fruited one I got some weeks ago *2 . My other Palms are Calamus
Rotang -- a small Phoenix & 2 Arecinae one apparently new genus. I can name
neither by Kunth.
I have sent two more parcels of roots to Calcutta *3 since I wrote last, chiefly
Orchid. & Cyrtandreae -- a great many will have rotted I know, as this has been a
season of unusual drought & heat, & consequent sickness in the plains. I have not
heard from Falconer this 3 weeks & suppose he is ill again; he has sent me 4
cases of books soldered in tin by Post free! which is the only way of getting them now
a DC. [De Candolle] Walpas, Kunth & Royle -- this week of books & plants has
been perfect revelry -- My Rhododendrons I find are nearly all if not all new,
arboreum certainly not among them, pray attend to the number of cells in the
ovarium, hairiness &c of filaments & above all shape of calyx. Hodgson & I
[[3]] I have been reading Royle together & are heartily ashamed of it, it is really a
miserable book. Hope's Entomological part the only good one. By the bye I
captured today one of the India Goliathideae which I drew when a boy from Mr
Melly's cabine<t> a small species, very beautiful called opalinus I think. I have a
few insects, some splendid beetles; but have to keep them in spirits & cannot get
bottles, for love or money. Stag--beetles & Coccinella exactly like our 7 - Penetala,
are the most common -- a Bostrychus (apparently) kills the Oaks. Large bugs are
very common some gorgeously colored & a Caprida is the most splendid metallic
fiery gold beetle I ever saw, the metal being on the upper surface of the abdomen &
transparent horny Elytrons. Cicadas are very abundant on the trees &
magnificently colored; they make so great a din that one must talk loud in the
woods to be heard. I sent 3 men down to the Terai the other day who sent me up
my plants daily by post but they took ill & have come back. I am however trying to
get two natives of these malarious holes (Mechis) to collect there. One I have got
but these
[[4]] natives will never go alone -- I have sent 10 men to Tonglo top again for roots
of Rhododendrons & whatever else may be in flower. They are to come back in
couples with instalments; the first two came in with some good things from the
intermediate valleys & I expect some from the mountain daily. 6 men are in
Sikim[sic] but the distance they have to go is too great & I cannot get these natives
to put plants in papers -- Campbell I have begged to send two men across the
Snow, again, which he thinks he can do; with these I must send papers, though
the last were hardly worth the great price I had to pay; though I was glad enough
to get them.
When you send me an overland please always, to put in a few magnum bonum
pens Pencils, any Colors (I pay 4/ for 10d cakes) envelopes & note papers & Indian
wax. -- one stick, one pencil & one dozen of quills would be a boon my
consumption being terrible. Also from Roake & Varty a "Scribbling diary" & "pocket
book" for 1849. -- The S[cribbling].D[iary]. is a small foolscap folio size rated -- but
size is no matter. The mail is in & I am anxiously expecting my mother's letter.
Your ever most affectionate Son Jos D Hooker [signature]
Love to my mother. Hodgson is better again.
Aug 10 I have got 3 men to go down to the Terai & send me up plants by post. The
men from Nepaul [Nepal] with paper have not come back yet & I have got to send
others. Hodgson manages all these things for me most admirably he is a most
efficient aid & [for] his troubles you must mention him very often if printing any
thing about me. *4
ENDNOTES
1. An annotation written in another hand records that the letter was received Oct
2nd
2. Two small, rough illustration of the plant appear here
3. The city formerly known as Calcutta is now called Kolkata
4. The text under date of Aug 10 is written along the edge of page one at a right
angle to the rest of the text
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