Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
JHC258
Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London,United Kingdom
JDH/2/22/2 f.96
Hodgson, Brian Houghton
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
7-2-1881
© Descendants of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
Asa Gray Correspondence
The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
English
Original MS
4 page letter over 1 folio
 

JDH sends birthday wishes to Brian Houghton Hodgson, who is his only remaining 'Indian Chum' now that Colvile is dead. JDH reports on the illnesses of [Sir Wiliam Turner] Thiselton-Dyer. JDH & his wife Hyacinth plan to go away with the Grays at the end of Feb. Gives his opinion of his father in law, [Reverend William Samuel] Symonds' novel: MALVERN CHASE, & also of [John Keat's] Endymion.

Transcript

sent to mine the other day. Now that dear old Colvile is gone I cling more than ever to my only remaining Indian chum; & look more wistfully than ever to the hope of a permanent reunion in the unknown land. God bless you my dear old friend & Susie *2 & all you love & hold dear. We are jogging on as usual, except that [William Turner Thiselton--]Dyer's *3 illness rather perturbs me -- his Doctor is a crook, but & says he must

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Athenaeum Club
Pall Mall
Fe[bruar]y 8 7/[18]81.
My dear Brian [Hodgson] *1
I am haunted with the idea that tomorrow is your birth day, & writing as I am from London I have no means of verifying the supposition
Be this as it may you will my dear old friend accept my most affectionate & most heartfelt greetings on the present occasion. I am rejoiced to hear so good an account of you as your wife

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sent to mine the other day. Now that dear old Colvile is gone I cling more than ever to my only remaining Indian chum; & look more wistfully than ever to the hope of a permanent reunion in the unknown land. God bless you my dear old friend & Susie *2 & all you love & hold dear. We are jogging on as usual, except that [William Turner Thiselton--]Dyer's *3 illness rather perturbs me -- his Doctor is a crook, but & says he must

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not be out for a week,-- whether true or no Dyer is certainly not well & has not been so for some months. He has bronchitis which the Dr says has touched one of his lungs.-- & a cut in the finger made when he was a boy. & healed ever since, has broken out again! showing that his blood is not in good order
I hope it will get away before we go, which we have arranged for the end of the month, if go we can at all! -- I really do not care to go for my own sake but Hyacinth *4 wants a change & I cannot disappoint

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the Grays.
Have you seen Padre Symond's*5 novel "Malvern Chase". What I have read of it is exceedingly good. Wonderfully full of lore as to the manners & customs of the 12th --15 centuries& put together with considerable skill & great fluency. -- I have glanced through Endymion*6 & got on very well with vol[ume]s i & ii but broke down at III & tossed it aside. The fault of its but best features is (to me) that it is neither real nor ideal but a jumble of both & you take no interest in any any figure or fact situation or occurrence.
With much love to Susie
Ever dear fri[en]d y[ou]r Affec[tionate] | JDHooker [signature]

ENDNOTES


1. Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801—1894). A pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in India and Nepal where he was a British civil servant. Joseph Hooker stayed at Hodgson’s house in Darjeeling periodically during his expedition to India and the Himalayas, 1847--1851, and named one of his sons after him.
2. Susan (Susie) Hodgson née Townshend (1844--1912). Photographer and second wife of naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801--1894), they married in 1869 or 1870.
3. Sir William Turner Thiselton--Dyer (1843--1928). British botanist and third Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He succeeded Joseph Hooker in the role after serving as his Assistant Director for ten years. He was also married to Hooker's eldest daughter Harriet.
4. Lady Hyacinth Hooker, née Symonds then Jardine (1842--1921). Joseph Hooker's second wife, they married in 1876.
5. Reverend William Samuel Symonds (1818--1887). English geologist; father of Hyacinth Hooker.
6. John Keats, 1818, Endymion: A Poetic Romance.

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