*1
To Sir W. Hooker
Bhaugulpore, S[outh]. bank of Ganges Ap[ril]. 7. 1848
My dear Father,
I had hoped to transmit from hence the copy of my Journal, but have, as yet, only been able to send off the main part of my collections. They consist of a large box of plants with miscellanea above the bundles, all well packed & camphored; but I fear many are common enough. The seeds are in a small separate parcel; about 50 specimenses & some Bulbs: they are all I could collect; except what I knew to be common at home.
On the whole, I am not satisfied with my success; & I attribute the partial disappointment to the dry season & the barrenness of the districts which I traversed. On the other hand, the country was previously unexplored; & I should have always regretted the not using so good an opportunity for investigating what hads been esteemed a very rich valley. The immense lot of sundries I retain, till I can obtain better, are hardly worth sending alone: they shall go in autumn with my dry Hill collection. Altogether I have noted about 700 specimenses; not so much amiss for 2 months work, at this season; but many are in a worthless state, others but single specimens &c; I am now in a better country than any I have yet visited, namely the Rajmahall Hills, where grow Ferns, Orchideae, Hoyas &c; & I hope to return hither next winter, when only the surrounding district is accessible to Europeans - also to revisit Paras--Nath, where Cryptogamia & Animals are to be had. Perhaps you wonder why I do not proceed thither directly: the reason is that it is an unhealthy region in the hot season, & still worse during the rains.
I have procured here some pretty articles for your Museum, in the shape of boxes of Patna wood &c. But all my goods are packed; & I shall keep them till the cold weather returns again; when I hope to overwhelm you with all kinds of vegetable products which I cannot stop to collect now, & which are to be purchased at very low price. There are 6 kinds of Bamboo grow here, all applied to different purposes,

many sorts of woods &c. I have arranged that these shall be procured, against my return, by the natives who go into the Jungles.
My passage down the Ganges was very slow; but I occupied the time with working at my plants & journals; I also made a few little sketches, & gathered plants here & there, when I could.
At Mirzapore I saw Dr. Gordon, who attended your Botanical Class in Glasgow, --at Benares a Dr. Fred. Thomson, who was also one of your students; & at Ghazeepore a Mr. Wallace enquired for me; there also I met the brother of Mr. Wollaston of Cambridge.-- Babington's friend --, who wanted to accompany me to India, & a son of Sir John Ross. I saw the celebrated Rose Garden of Ghazeepore & inspected the process of making rose water & Attar, both simple enough, & requiring no implements which I could send you. I bought a dozen Quart Bottles of the best rose--water for 20s/ & gave them to Lady Dalhousie. The Attar costs £10 for one of the very small bottles, such as you see at home. So you may guess how adulterated is all we buy, for 5s/ a similarly--sized Bottle. My host at Ghazeepore was a Mr Trench, brother of the Poet --, an excellent artist & a very good & kind fellow. At Dinapore, Gurney's old station, I enquired for Capt. Henchman, & found, to my vexation, that he had started for Calcutta *2 only the previous day. Be so kind as to mention this to his father. I also saw there a Capt. Doria, who was a former companion of Thomas Thomson, & spoke in high praise of his zeal & acquirements.
From Dinapore I sent my boat to Patna, & drove myself there, to the house of Dr. Irvine, the Civil Surgeon. This Gentleman, to whom I had not even a letter, received me with open arms; -- & behold, he again was an old Pupil of yours! He is a fair Botanist & a man of great general attainments,-- noted, too, for his hospitality. You may judge whether my time in his house was not pleasantly & profitably spent. I think you must recollect Dr. Irvine. He went to Slaffa with your party, & afterwards returned there, on purpose to gather Fucus

Batllticus for you. I botanized with him every morning & afternoon at Patna, & picked up a great deal of information. I visited the celebrated Opium--Factory, & have drawn up a short account of it for you; & I have applied for specimens of all the articles & implements employed, leaving a mem: of them. I am promised all these when I return; but some months must elapse ere the opium is collected & the different processes gone through. I also met with a a[sic] son of Adm[ira]l. Beaufort at Patna, & had a long conversation with him. He is much respected; & I need not add that he offered me every assistance. I was not aware that our friend Beaufort had a son in India: I will thank you to tell him of my meeting with his son, & how glad I was to do so; & you may add that Mr. B. has excellent health. From him I heard of Mrs. L.P.Wilson's death.
You have no idea how many people in this country have been reading Ross' work: I am better received in India for having accompanied that voyage, than ever I was on that account in England. Every individual with whom I have staid[sic], on my way up & down the Ganges, has read it -- & knows me through it! --
The news of Gurney's appointment having been confirmed to me, while I was at Patna, I wrote immediately & thanked Lord Dalhousie for his great kindness in the matter. It is considered the very best appointment by far which he can have (of course, considering his standing in the service &c). Everybody speaks of it, & says he is extraordinarily lucky.
At Monghyr I staid[sic] 24 hours, & visited the hot springs, but did not reap such a harvest of Confervae as t Sarronroukbund; for here they are collected in a Tank Temple, & worshipped! I got but one or two plants. My host was a Dr. Hastings, who married Miss Sparrow of Ipswich.
Here I am the guest of a Dr. Grant, the Civil Surgeon, a Glasgow man, & who was at the College for a year or two of the same time as myself. He has seen a great deal of service in India

& China. In the house is a young Civilian, a Mr. Raikes, nephew of Chancellor Raikes, & equally of course, of our neighbour, Lady W[illia]m. Fitz--Roy. I am going to take him with me down the river tomorrow, a littleway[sic], to Colgong, nearly opposite; whence I start north for Darjeeling, by way of Purnah & Titalyah. Close by lives a very worthy clergyman, a Mr. Vaux, who knew my mother in Jersey, & was particularly well acquainted with my Uncle & Aunt Jacobson. His wife is in very bad health; & on her account he came to India. He is much liked; & many were the kind messages of remembrance with which he charged me, to you & to my Uncle & Aunt.
A Major Napleton has made an excellent Horticultural Garden here; & I have drawn up a little account of it for your Journal of Botany. He is a fine fellow; he was Aide de Camp to Sir Jasper Nicholls, & knew my Uncle Gurney intimately. From this Gentleman I have acquired much information; & he kindly promises to get many good Jungle plants removed into his Garden, that they may be ready for me to send home when I return hither. I also saw Ross, the Curator of the Garden this morning; a clever & active man, who was under both Wallich & McClelland in the Botanic Garden at Calcutta. He is now laid up, poor fellow, by the bite of some venomous Insect, but he promises to procure Fruits & Economic products for me. A Mr. Pontel, son of the shopkeeper from whom I used to buy Cigars at Charing Cross, also resides at Bhogulpoor [Bhagalpur], holds a good appointment, cultivates flowers with much zeal, & has given me, for the museum, an excellent Bow, made of Bamboo, with the string of Banuhinia bark & the arrow of an unknown kind of Reed. This gentleman, Major Napleton, & Ross, have all engaged to have a good store of things ready for me by next autumn. I must also return to this place, that I may secure some wonderfully fine minerals, & Fossil Wood, for Sir Henry de la Beche.

In some ways I am obliged to spend a great deal of money, while in others I economize. Travelling is very expensive; so are Paper, Bottles, Spirits of Wine &c. -- As a set-off, I have just purchased material for 4 pairs of warm trouzers[sic], for 4/6d., & for 6 pairs of light ones, at 6/.-- I got a set of 2 pairs of bracelets & 2 long chains, beautifully worked, of dyed & polished horn, for 10s.-- These were for Lady Dalhousie; but the most ordinary single-- bladed penknife, made in America, & very bad, cost me nearly 4s/-- Postage is frightfully dear. To this last subject & the charge of travelling I have drawn the Governor General's attention. I have also memorialized his Lordship on the advantages that would accrue from an investigation of the Timber--trees & capabilities of the Lower Himalayah, & of this district where there are thousands of woods, in danger of being ruined. Walnut for gun--stocks may be cut & squared, within 300 miles of Calcutta for 2/. a stock; while the London Merchant offers 4s. the cubic foot for it. The Sal is destroyed over the whole face of the country; & no use is made of the Ebony. There is not a decent Materia Medica in India; &, Practical Science is altogether at the lowest ebb; though the field is inconceivably rich. Dr. Irvine offered to devote 2 years to the subject, & I have strongly urged Lord Dalhousie to employ him; but it lies with the Council, & not with his Lordship, to determine all such matters.
The weather is fast breaking up, with thunder & lightning in the Evenings.
Colgong, Saturday Ap[ril]. 8th.
My dear Father, I had to discontinue writing yesterday, that I might dine with the Judge, a Mr. Alexander, whose wife is the daughter of Gen[era]l. Doveton, Governor of St Helena, a friend of the Grevilles & of Darwin, & niece, I think of Miss Haldane. I am awaiting the Boat which brings my Palkee, having travelled

in one, which was lent me by the District Magistrate; but such a furious Easterly gale is blowing, that I doubt if the little vessel can get down the river. I am staying at an Indigo Planter's house, situated on a hill, overlooking the Ganges -- A Casuarina is sighing & whistling in the wind: below I see many Indian huts, groves of Mango, Tamarind milia & different kinds of Ficus chiefly the Peepul (Ficus religiosa). The Borassus & Phoenix rear their lofty heads in great numbers: they are almost the only green thing visible; for everywhere the grass is brown & withered. On the opposite bank of the river stretch immense sand-flats, low groves of Trees, & in the remote distance the rarely seen & now wholly invisible Himalaya. I cannot describe how glad I shall be to reach Darjeeling & to see a luxuriant vegetation once more. Since leaving Ceylon, nothing that can deserve that name has greeted my eyes. I have just received a most kind letter from Sir Lawrence Peel, regretting that I do not return now as I had originally intended to Calcutta. I can hardly find words to express my gratitude to him, Mr. Elliott & Lord Dalhousie, & Lady Dalhousie. Calcutta is in most respects, a detestable place. & its society equally so; but up-country is agreeable enough.-- I might say delightful.
T. Thomson indeed is doing remarkably well; & his plants must present much novelty. I will write to Vicary at once, or to any one else when you wish. In what capacity does Mac Ivor go to Madras? *3 You have not told me.
I can procure no bottles for specimens here, except of the flimsiest & most inconceivably thin glass; & I have broken half of them, except the English made ones; for which I paid a high price & which are so strong, that not a single one is cracked

On the table in this house lies the N. British Review, containing an article on D. Ross' Voyage, written, I suspect, by Sir D. Brewster. There is the most flaming flattery in it of my share in the book,-- especially the chapter on Cattle--Hunting. Pray tell my mother of this: (I suspect I must be a sort of Humbug, after all!)
My Journal shall be copied & sent as soon as I can get settled for I know you want it. You may easily suppose that surrounded with plants to--day, information of every kind to secure &c, a Griffin, like myself, has his hands sufficiently full of occupation. I try hard to understand everything as I go on--; but I am sorry to find the attempt is hopeless! --
I will write to Lord Morpeth & Mr. Phillippe very soon, when I have seen the Himalayah range. Two other noblemen are already on the List of my correspondents, Lords Auckland & Dalhousie, whom I should be most ungrateful to neglect. Best love to my mother & sister
your most affectionate Son. | J. D. Hooker.

Endnotes
1. This letter is a copy, written in a hand other than that of the original author, JDH. The copy was probably made by JDH's mother or sister, soon after receipt of the original so that one version could be circulated amongst friends and family.
2. The city formerly known as Calcutta is now called Kolkata.
3.The city formerly known as Madras is now called Chennai.
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