[[1]]
Lachen -- a little N. of whence I last wrote
June 23 1849. *1
12000 ft.
My dear Father (mind the paging of this valuable)
I wrote you the other day from a spot a mile or two South of this, & have since
received 3 letters from you, March 19, April 19 & 25 which came all of a heap -thank you very much for them also my mother Bessy Aunt & Uncle Palgrave &
Eliz.[?], for their contributions, which I cannot respond to just now. Having crossed
the river the Bhotheas sent word that I was in Thibet [Tibet] & 140 Thibetan Soldiers
en route to turn me out, the Bhot. Soubah begging me at the same time for a
certificate that he was not to blame, for my being on this side the water. I referred
him to Dorjiling [Darjeeling] for the cert[ificate]. & believing nothing, kept quiet,
sending a dispatch to Campbell. My people however were sadly frightened -- Finding
that I would not stir, they sent a modified report about robbers, again alarming my
party, who are very timid, however I kept them together & stuck diligently to my
drawing & collecting & having
[[2]] at length pacified them moved on this morning N[orth]. up a steep gully which I
hope leads to Thibet -- I am camped on top of a great rock, amongst bushes of
Rhod[odendron]. Pyrus, a little birch & cherry, small Honeysuckles, Spiraea & willow,
with the usual alpine herbaceous plants, but I am now above the Pines my fire wood
is Rhod[odendron]. lilacinum & 6 other species grow at this elevation. The scenery is
grand & rugged in the extreme[.] A roaring river rushes through a narrow gorge a few
feet below me fed by innumerable streams from beds of snow at this level & above it,
on either hand. All is precipice, great shoots of [1 word illeg.], & Rhododendron
scrub: it is a thick fog & drizzling rain, & my tent so uncomfortable & wet that I cannot
write much or well. My collection of plants is getting on famously -- & the alpines are
flowering every day, Podophyllum, -- the great Rhubarb I sent seed of, whose
bladdery bracts imbricating downwards are make a magnificent spike concealing the
flowers; it is a superb thing. An [1 word crossed out, illeg.] Arisaema is
[[3]] common at this height, quite new. I have several more Primulas & Pedicularis
the "Chokli-bi" I daily eat is a Smilacina 4 -- 5 ft high. Some Polygonata grow as tall &
taller -- I have quite a new genus of Orobanch -- on Rhod[odendron]. roots -- has 3
placent[?] & only one bract -- Ledebouria, -- Picrorhiza -- I have begun to collect
woods for you & have billets of 7 species, two are of the Junipers, Larch, Ab[ies].Webbiana, 2
Pyri, Birch, willow which are quite distinct species, but the creeping one is certe. not
distinct. Alas one of my finest collections of Rhododendron sent today. got ruined by the
coolies falling ill & being detained on the road so I have to collect the troublesome
things afresh. If your shins were as bruised as mine with tearing through the
interminable Rhod[odendron]. scrub of 10--13000 ft. you would be as sick of the
sight of these glories as I am. The Sikkim Rajah is behaving as ill as ever & has
prohibited the sale of a grain of food to my people, but ordered that I personally am
to be supplied, this is a direct obstacle & must go to the G.G. [Governor General]
Campbell has sent me lots of food, but the roads are very bad, & I have asked for a
small party of sappers & miners to be sent out lest the
[[4]] roads be cut off by treachery or the weather.
Now to answer your letter.
I am glad you liked my fungi, I have plenty more. drawn & dried. from greater altitude
no doubt many are British -- I do not think I have any thing more to add about Borneo
& am at sea already about it. The Admiralty would be delighted that I gave it up, but I
cannot afford that & if they propose it, there should be a quid pro quo. -- I am very
glad to hear that my mother has not mooted the subject for there are practical points
to be decided by sound sense & expediency -- not feelings & wishes. Very many
thanks for all you say -- sound the Admiralty -- I can suggest nothing else, but take
care they do not cheat you, & take Mr Philipps counsel if he will kindly give it[.]
Thanks for you particulars about Gardners *2 things it is indeed a terrible blow to
Botany. -- I can give you 2 Decades more of Rhododendrons colored to which the
last are mere dandelions & as many other decades
[[5]] of fine plants as Reeve chooses to publish -- I would let him do any thing but my
journal, that should be confined to the Kew Annals -- I have no objection to
publication of fine plates & plants, but my wish is on my return that the combined
Bot[anical]. results of my expedition be laid before the Public in the very cheapest
form to be good -- like the Icones in short. Such a work (with continuous letter press)
of Himal[ayan]. plants Thomsons & my own, &c would do me far more real good than
big books render immortal[?] Service to Botany -- my Physiology &c drawings &c will
go to transactions. Tell Reeve there is absolutely scarce a shell in this country: if I go
to Chittagong with Tom Thomson I will see what is to be done. but Reeve is a scurvy
fellow & might at least send me a book now & then. However don't break with him
whatever you do. only let me have a growl at him. Peel will indeed be delighted with
Hoya &c[.] I have written Falconer the most severe letter I ever wrote, to anyone about
my things -- it must produce a dead cut or reform, I have -- see add[itional] sheet for page 7
[[6]] *3 in fact insisted on the latter, on my garden account & a cessation of all
communications. I fear the Garden is gone to the dogs. & the G.G.[Governor
General does not care a fig for science I know -- I was not aware you were obliged to
prepay overland packages. They certainly would not come free to Colvile, but I had
heavy charges on what he cleared for me before, & quite think they were not
prepaid. -- I think nothing dear from England I assure you. & the overland would be a
boon at thrice the expense. I am vexed that nothing of mine comes with the new
Museum Guide, many things are on the way now, & I am constantly adding. Have
you made any money by the Kew Guide? Surely the Commissioners will not be so
penny wise & pound foolish as to let the Rumphiae wood cabinet slip out of their
hands, tell Mr Philipps I authorise you if in time to purchase it with my money, &
Brown would take it off my hands for the Brit[ish]. Mus[eum] & be glad of it too.
I am certainly glad to hear by an accidental
[[7]] *4 allusion in my Mothers letter, that my money cannot be paid for want of a
Power of Attorney -- it is the first word I have heard of my long looked for salary. I will
send the Power on my return to Dorjiling though when that will be I cannot say, as I
am high busy here.
Tell Veitch by all means to send Lobb to Darj[eeling]., before October if possible, he
shall have every opportunity, facility & information I can afford both as to living &
collecting. May use my collection as much as he pleases in instructing himself on his
own -- I hope to return to these mts in October, for seeds, & I will (with Campbells
sanction) let Lobb accompany me, when he shall be shown every thing I can show &
have every facility I can afford subject to whatever advantage to Kew you may think
fair & communicate to me, & Veitch the duplicate thereof to Lobb. D.V. *5 I will come
here again in October & it is a chance Lobb may never get again, certainly
[[8]] *6 never so cheaply, so make your own bargain with Veitch & I will do every thing
in my power for Lobb's cheaply & comfortably remunerating Veitch. You must tell
V[eitch]. that I travel as a poor man, & Lobb must not expect great tents & serv[an]ts
-- I have but one Serv[an]t. & employ Lepcha boys for my person. A hole in the rock
or shed of leaves is very often my residence for days, & my fare is just rice & a fowl,
or kid, eggs, or what I can lay my hands upon -- no beer or luxuries[.]
Thanks for Pentlands letter. I have no end of the observations he directs my
attention to -- but they discord with his. The Horary oscillations are much less at
6000 ft than at level of sea as I can prove by months & months of obs[ervation] of 3
& 4 Barometers. There is not however a proportional decrease of oscillation at
greater elevation. Sabine has fully proved the theories he alludes to. I doubt if any
traveller under like difficulties can show such a Meteorological register as mine
[[9]] is, but don't you say that I said this. I am really working very hard.
Thomson wrote me in greatly improved health from Simla [Shimla] the other day, still
talks of joining me in Dec[embe]r.
We are agreed about Ceylon [Sri Lanka] I think. As far as likings go it would be a
very fine thing, but I ought to have prospects at home. I will of course write to Sir E.T.
& thank him & the Gov[erno]r.
Cecil Beadon Esq has just forwarded to you a set of the Opium things at my request.
I hope they will prove acceptable at the Museum.
Wright writes me very constantly & pleasantly, he is sending you a good many things
he says.: really his Icones is an excellent & most meritorious work, & deserves a
most favourable review. I have only Endlicher with me, of whose death I am very
sorry to hear. Very many thanks for your many letters & kind cares about me. I quite
long for the parcel of odds & ends you have sent: they are always
[[10]] delightful -- Tell Bessy I am very much indeed pleased with her kind thought of
knitting the purses, I will give them as she desires, & be sure a prettier thought of
show of brotherly feeling never was more welcome to myself, & will be felt as such
by both[?] Hodgson & Mr Campbell. -- I will snatch a tired hour to write to Bessy
soon. & thank her, & my mother, & Frances, to whom I owe two letters now. -- Tell the
latter the prepared Paper & rubber for impressions will be most useful, & I will send
home "Om mani Padmi om" *7 for Uncle in half a dozen crabbed characters.
I am quite well & have an enormous appetite, I am catching moths at a great rate at
night & enclosing them in a tin box of Cajeput oil which stifles them, then I pack in
folds of tissue paper -- they are very like English & I saw true P. machaon t[he].other
day do you remember Horning?
I am eating musk deer venison, it is extremely good.,-- & eating wild leeks
Ever your most aff[ectionate] son J D Hooker [signature]
Thank Jerdan & Wallich for their kind efforts. I will write to Lindley. What fine things
Fortune is piling up!
ENDNOTES
1. A note written in another hand records that the letter was: "rec'd aug 3/."
2. George Gardner: botanist died 1849.
3. This is the next page – numbered '7', to which JDH refers in his annotation above.
4. JDH has numbered this as page '8',
5. Short for Deo volente, meaning God willing.
6. Listed as page '9' by JDH
7. Sanskrit mantra "Om mani padme hum"
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