H.M.S. "Erebus" the "Down's".
September 26th 1839
My dear Father,
Day after day I have delayed writing to you believing that the following would be our last in this tiresome place & until yesterday when we left some hours earlier than was expected I have been disappointed in addressing to you what should have been my last letter, or would have been such were there not still some chance of being detained here for days by foul winds. On Thursday last we dropt[sic] down to Billingham & joined the Terror there, until yesterday we have been lying there. A steamer came down on Monday to take us down to the "Downs", the Hecate a very beautiful vessel, we however have not rejoined her as we sailed down yesterday in fine stile[sic] as far as the Manse[?] (below the Nore), the steamer following alongside the Terror. We are all now pretty nearly in order. My cabin is quite finished & looks very nice with curtains, pictures & oil cloth desk.

I received my handbox & its valuable contents including your very kind letters of introduction quite safe, for which I do thank you & all who have taken so much trouble about it very much indeed. Tell mamma that I understand her exchange & value the object more for the motive than the superior value of the article. Since writing last I have been up to Town & seen Bessy & Mary *1 at Kensington Mary was happy though she cried very much at parting with me & I had felt for them too being the last of my friends I should see & the last who would visit them for some time, they had been counting much on seeing me & an hour & a half flew very rapidly though it was spent in a room with a host of other visitors, the day was so very bad that I could not get out & altogether my visit to Town was most unpropitious, having gone up without any change I had to return that might wet through on the top of the Coast to Chatham. Gurney was the only person I called upon & he was out of Town[.] Since that he has written a most kind letter to me I wish him well poor fellow, with all my heart with all his failings he has treated me invariably with the utmost kindness hospitality & attention often putting himself out to please me in more than trifles[.]

I have had a renewed instance of kindness from Mr Lyell & a most interesting & flattering one, it is a small black profile & bust of himself by Edouard[?] You will I suppose be writing to him soon & when you do do not fail to tell him how deeply I feel his kindness. His letter was sent through & accompanied by another for Sir W[illia]m Symonds most handsomely introducing me to his two sons one at Sydney & the other in New Zealand he wrote in the most friendly manner. I have of course, answered his & Mr Lyell's letter. Mr [William Henry?] Harvey has also sent me a kind & long letter explaining to me where in the neighbourhood of the Cape I had best Botanize & where to find Wardia, Andraea, Hookeria &c accompan[ied] by a letter of introduction to the Governor & another to a Mr. Wilde a naturalist in St Helena, this latter letter I was very glad of. The last person who I bid good bye to here was my most kind friend Dr Smith he has been giving capital advice about collecting fish especially. Young Morris[?] I also bade farewell to, last night, he is under much apprehension of being ordered to the West Indies. Part of the Natural History stores have been unpacked & are very good indeed. but to show you the extreme carelessness of the admiralty, they, the day before we sailed sent us 14 cases of Natural History stores

quite forgetting that they had written to Capt[ain] Ross ordering him to supply the ships & send the bills to them, they were of course returned. Dr Beverley has been on board yesterday & today, he was Capt[ain] Parry's surgeon in two expeditions & a great friend of Mr Ward & Capt[ain] Ross' mother & sister also leave us today. I intend writing *2 short letters to Mr Children, Mr Ward, Grandpapa[,] Bessy, Dr Boott & Mrs Richardson so I must break off. I often think of William, if you can write to me at once your letter may catch me at Madeira if not then St Helena is our station, if we stay beyond a day *3 or two at the "Downs" I will write again at any rate you shall hear of me from Madeira of course. We are now in Margate roads I send forward this letter in haste by a steamer which goes to Deal to bring us a new anchor before night. We parted our best Bower [anchor] last night.
Best love to all | Your most affectionate son | Jos D Hooker [signature]