[[1]]
H.M.S. Erebus Simon's Bay*1
April 20th 1843.
My dear Father
This is 10pm Friday night. I have just this moment returned from dining on board
HMS "Lilly" & to my astonishment find that instead of waiting over Saturday &
Sunday & sailing on Monday morning we do really start tomorrow morning at
daylight, for St Helena.-- So I write this only to inform you that HMSM "Samarang"
arrived on the 26th, bringing your letters of Jan[uar]y 1843, which I have no time to
answer, as also Athenaeums, beautiful Illustrated London News,-- Brit Flora,
Naturalists Almanac, & admirable 8--13 of London Bot. Journal. I despatch letters
ashore this moment, to Frank [Francis Turner Palgrave] & Giffy [William Gifford
Palgrave],-- Sinclair F. Adamson, Gardner, Aunt May & Grandmother Turner -Westwood -- yourself -- R Brown -- Grandfather Turner & Mitchell all under cover to
you per Capt[ain] Beaufort. I have a half finished letter to Mother
[[2]] If we should not really sail tomorrow morning I shall write you a letter tomorrow. Such is the uncertainty of every movement of our cruize[sic].-- The boat is waiting & I
must close this & all others.
Your most affectionate Son | Jos D Hooker[signature]
Excuse great haste at Present, I doubt if we shall sail tomorrow.
[[3]] To
Sir Wm J. Hooker
Please seal & forward the concomitant[?] letters -JDH[signature]
ENDNOTES
1. The settlement formerly referred to as Simon's Bay is now called Simon's Town. It
is located in South Africa near Cape Town on the shores of False Bay.
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