[[1]]
T. Thomson's Affair
Nunklow Khassya Mts
No III *1
July 18./ [18]50
My dear father
I wrote to you three days ago & should not take up my pen again so soon, but to
make a last effort for [Thomas] Thomson. This I might have done before but you
know that I do not like to meddle in the affairs of the Indian court & Thomson was far
too modest to propose a statement of his case being made to the court by those
most interested in the cause of science at tome. Mr Melvile, Sir H Willock or
Col[onel] Sykes would I am sure kindly listen to Thomson's claim, to have this year of
travel & work in India counted as Indian Service, but I do not like to take the liberty of
addressing those gentlemen myself, & Tom never would. You have the honour of
their acquaintance, as has Mr Bentham who I am sure will kindly advise
[[2]] us in the matter.
I applied you know personally to Lord Dalhousie, who had every wish to give Tom
the advantage & indeed all but promised but a reconsideration of the circumstances
of the case, & especially that a great outcry is raised by the Military board for Medical
Officers, he did not feel himself justified in detaching Thomson for a purely scientific
object, though, as he over & over again said, it would have given him [1 word illeg.]
great pleasure to have done so having the highest opinion of his abilities energy &
conduct.
Thomson's case has been altogether unfortunate, he was very sick when his
furlough time arrived & took the usual "6 months leave preparatory to furlough" which
is allowed to officers to prepare during for the voyage. This was to be spent with me
in Sikkim -- for 1 1/2 months of it has was detained sick on the
[[3]] route from Simlah [Shimla] to Sikkim, for 4 weeks more I was in limbo by the
Sikkim Rajah -- for the 6 following he was employed on duty with the force in Sikkim,
of course away from my society.
Then followed the refusal to his having a year of leave to travel with me, on which he
determined to take it out of his furlough, & is so doing, occupying himself with the
greatest zeal & ability. Upon his furlough time pay, which latter is however nothing of a
hardship to him, whilst the loss of a year is a very great one. I most conscientiously
advised him not to do it, on Falconer's good counsel, for 10 years hence at the
expiration of his time of Indian Service, the he may be placed in a climate or position,
where the one year more may be a matter of life & death.
Thomson's claims are otherwise of the best, both as a man, a Medical Officer, &
traveller he bears the highest character
[[4]] he suffered all the horrors & hardships of the Carbul [Kabul] war, was one of the
few who survived the Ghuznee imprisonment party, & took on that year the whole of his
Afghanistan & plains collections, books &c &c & Besides his claims as a Botanist to
the Thibet [Tibet] mission, Medical officer, surveyor, geologist & intrepid traveller
(who alone has penetrated to the Karakorum,) he has given his whole collections to
the India House, I mean those found by on his own references[?] & in duty, got 5
years before he was appointed to the Thibet mission, amounting to several thousand
species. He alone of the 3 officers of that mission has been refused his deputation
allowance, for the 6 months required to draw up the report of the same, which Elliott
spoke of as first--rate, & which is really a wonderful & well arranged collection of
facts -- Credit of all kinds & colors every one allows him, but he has had no luck.
I have little news to add to my last. My map of Sikkim has been copied at the
Surv[eyor] Gen[era]ls office. Thuillier
[[5]] is greatly pleased with it --. I have given it to the Gov[ernmen]t. as they wished it,
but Thuillier sends you overland either the original or a fac--simile. Lord D[alhousie]
sent for it & expressed himself most kindly & flatteringly -- it is the first & last of my
performances in that line -- as a topographical map I hope it will do me credit, it is as
full as I could make it with accuracy & I have materials for working the elevations of 5
or 600 places over the surface, as also full ones for making it Geological[,] Botanical
& Meterological, from the plains to 19 000 ft of elevation in one direction & to 16 000
along the Northern, NE & NW frontiers. I have just heard from Simlah, my Lord &
Lady pretty well, Grant insists on their going to Kunawur to escape the rains for which they
were packing up to return in September. Here I can do nothing but Botany, the flora
is inconceivably rich & varied.
Anent the Flora Indica I can give you no hopes at present, if Thomson is to have but
2 years in England, there is no chance of its being even begun, it is so discouraging
to work without any advantages, money of course could not be an object in such an
undertaking & Tom would seek no more from the Court than what has been granted
to Falconer to prepare the mss. F[alconer]. had pecuniary assistance I believe in
some shape or other towards the publication but with Thomson the work would be so
wholly a labor of love that he would not seek that. What F[alconer]. had I believe was
Indian time & pay in England for 5 years, which would amply content Tom. He
literally cares for nothing else but Botany & works from morning till night. For the Fl.
Ind. I recommend extreme simplicity of form & mode of publication & such an
arrangement shall effectually counteract the possibility of an abrupt
[[6]] imperfect termination. If the Court are disposed to assist in any way, as to
granting service--time, or money, the safest plan would be to demand a certain
amount of mss at stated periods, the pay & time to be forfeited on their non-fulfilment. By working the natural families separately these conditions could be well
complied with & the work would always be complete, by demanding the mss instead
of the printed sheets *2
a host of causes of disappointment & delay are avoided. If it would be any
recommendation to the Court, I would most willingly tender my services as partner. I
of course expect nothing from the Court, but shall only be too glad that they took
Thomson by the hand. I see no prospect of a Flora Indica but by such an
arrangement, for there is no one who can & will work like this man, & it entails no
expense to the Court.
Lady Dalhousie has just begged me to ask you to send some seed or plants of R.
Dalhousiae to her father Lord Tweedale, pray do it & give my respects to his
Lordship & Lady.
Ever your affectionate son | Jos D Hooker [signature]
ENDNOTES
1. Annotations written in another hand.
2. The address of the recipient appears here as the letter would originally have been
folded in such a way that it formed its own 'envelope'. The address reads "
Southampton mail | To Sir W. J. Hooker | R Gardens | Kew | Nr London | with 2433
[in another hand]"
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