Copy *1
Hobarton, V[an] Diemen's Land *2 August 1840
To R[obert] Brown esqre,
My dear sir,
The kind interest you took in my being about to botanise in Kerguelen's Land may have made you think me neglectful of the duty I owe to such a friend, since I have not yet addressed you: but you have doubtless heard what melancholy news awaited my arrival here. My attention has been, for a time distracted from all other matters.
Madeira & Tenerife, to which we paid short visits, possess now but little interest: & the brevity of our stay at the Cape de Verd[e] islands together with the state of the weather, prevented my doing so much there I should have wished. There I first saw tropical vegetation, & I should not tell you how much it delighted me though it is confined to mere oases, in those sandy plains of which St Jago is composed. These spots, however possess a vegetation, similar, I conjecture, to what prevailed on the borders of the African Desert. The valleys, full of Palma Christi bushes, often abound in a species of Anasnaceae[?], which, in the shape of small trees, cover the ground: it is, of course, a form of the mainland, though I have not yet determined the species. --It being only in fruit & that very scarce. Ascending a peak in the Valley of San Domingo, I was surprised to find, at the elevation of about 1000 feet, a character of vegetation which is allied I suppose to that of the south of Europe. A Lotus Campanala Asphidium & several Compositae & too an Umbelliferous plant were all common. They appeared to me highly curious & I need not tell you that I secured a good stock of them.

Very probably all this may be well known to you; as you are acquainted with Christian Smith's collections, so I shall pass onto the novelty (such as it is) which Kerguelen's Land affords, & as I am sensible of my incompetency to describe properly what I have seen, you must look with a lenient eye on this attempt. We arrive at Christmas Harbor in the middle of the winter (May 12) & therefore only expected disappointment. The island is formed of some successive terraces of black volcanic rock, & the snow lying along the tops, causes the whole country to look, as if horizontally striped with black & white. Cook's view & his description are most accurate, with regard to the geographical distribution of the plants I have little to say; an elevation of 1500 feet (the highest land ascended) does not appeal to affect vegetation materially, except in comparative coexistence. I saw no variation in soil that could influence vegetation. The ground, near the sea, is always green, alternately; the brown being caused by an species of Umbelliferae & the green by Graminea & a Composite. At an elevation of 700 feet vegetation ceased to tinge the soil, the few stragglers growing only in small distant patches, on the debris of the cliffs. Among the water plants there is, one highly curious, a Chara, some Conferva, & a moss or two:- of marsh species, the Grasses, a Juncus, Halorageae & Portulacea. On the banks of hills I found growing your favourite Crucifera (of which more hereafter) & a Ranunculus.
As regards the distribution of the Natural Orders -- fungi are confined to the low ground:-- Lichens, those attached closely to order, grow are found every where; but the branching & elevate species (nobiles) are alpine & never seen at a less elevation than 700 to 1000 feet. Jungermannia & Musci are very equally distributed. One of the Andreacea Andraeaceae is confined

to the altitude of 1000 feet & a 2d grows from 200 feet up to that elevation & higher still. Lycopodiaceae near the sea. -- Of Filices there is but one an Asplenium (?), found in the same situation. Graminea-- 4 species:-- of which 2 are generally & one is always, confined to the seashore, the other two are alpines (by alpine I mean an elevation of 400 feet & more, where vegetation ceases in any abundance) -- Amaranthaceae I, which is subalpine & rare. -- Compositae 1, -- near Strongylosperma from the beach to 200 feet. -- Portulacae I,-- generally near the sea & Haloragea 1, d[itt]o, Rubiaceae -- a small Galium at 200 feet,-- Umbellifera 1, most abundant at 200 feet but common from the shore to 500 ft. -- Rosaceae 1, -- generally near the sea. -- Caryophylleae ?? -- 1, subalpine-- Ranunculaceae 1, from the shore to 300 ft, There is a lake plant, which grows at 400 ft, & an unknown species always seen near the sea (Bulliarda).
The very tops of the hills are covered with tufts of mosses & Jungermannia & the stones coated with Lichens. Very few of the former were, however in fruit.
Very much surprised was I to find everything in a tolerable state, at such a season & to observe that a heavy fall of snow had little effect even in blackening the plants. A few weeks severe frost nipped the Umbelliferae & that almost only. The little lake plant flowers & matures its fruit (in July) under 2 feet of water & 2 inches of ice, through which I had to collect it.
The average height of the thermometer on the deck of our vessel was 34°, or about it, ashore much colder. The sun is very little seen & when, at this season, it does shine forth at all, its beams are shut out, even when on the meridian, by a curious crater of a peak to the N[orth]. of the Bay. From the rapidity with which the plants dissolve the snow, they must, I should think, radiate a good deal of heat, especially the brown Umbelliferae, which is is[sic] the first of any to cast off its white garment.

H.M.S. "Erebus," Berkeley Sound, E. Falkl[an]d.
November 28. 1842.
It is some years since I first had it in my mind to address you a letter of thanks for the kind & zealous interest you have always taken in my welfare, & indeed a the half finished one, dated Aug. 1840, now lies in my desk. *3 Sent at the same time with this. & on hearing, however, from my father, that the collections I had made at St Helena did not give the satisfaction which I am sensible they ought to have done, I felt unable to overcome my repugnance to addressing a friend who expected better things from me, -- thus giving him words, instead of deeds. But now, when informed that my poor services have received met with a reception, only I fear too favourable, at your hands, not any excuse remains for my silence -- even were I desirous of framing such.
The movement of the expedition & my position in it, have no doubt, been fully explained to you by my father, who will, also tell you how far it may be considered to have suited my views. Unfortunately it has never been during the best seasons that we visited the more interesting stations, such as L[or]d. auckland's Islands, where I fear the French & Yankees may both have made collections superior to mine. The same may be said of our late trip to Hermite Island, Cape Horn; my phaenogamic plants from this place are wretched to a degree. However, I collected every thing, according to your own injunction, & such scraps as are useless for other purposes, may yet, so long as they exhibit the natural order to which they belong, prove of service in illustrating the Geography of Plants. The mosses, which I gathered there, possess, I hope some interest. Not being aware what had been done

in this department by the officer's of King's Ship & [Charles Robert] Darwin, only [Dumont] D' Urville, *4 I cannot but trust that my collections may contain better specimens of many things, which the extreme point of the continent only exhibited under very imperfect shapes[.] Thus, though the Polytrichum dendroides is not uncommon in the woods near St. Martin's Cove, but it is exceedingly rare in fructification, though at home I have seen Fuegian specimens with 20--30 capsules. More annoying by far it was to find a species of similar form quite common on the hills, generally buried up to its bushy head in earth & uniformly barren.
I often wonder whether I gathered at Kerguelen's Land all the species of "the ingenious Mr. Anderson *5." The cabbage was not in flower anywhere that I could find: the British Museum specimens are in that state. Nor was I able to determine the texture & position of the radicle as I should have wished, as it was so immature. Perhaps, however, you fully understand it.
During our stay at Hobarton, Sir John Franklin *6, always the most kind friend to all of us, frequently asked me about you, as did Mr Gunn *7, who had some bottles full of orchids for you. Of this tribe I secured every species on which I could lay my hands & deposited them in Sir Jo[seph] Bank's bottles. I did the same at New Zealand, where grow several territorial kinds, not described in Cunningham's work. A Freycinetia, is in another bottle, & I possess several other bottles of smaller size, containing what had seemed to me most curious from various countries: such as 2 species of Misidendron[sic], from Hermite Island, which, though the original Banksian species, do not agree with Poppig's generic character, as quoted in Endlicher, & which were probably taken

from Chilean species. They are most singular productions & from quite an extraordinary feature in the Fuegian landscape, especially when the bright golden yellow of the punctulation is seen growing in large bunches around the dark green foliage of the Evergreen Beech, it is then quite conspicuous from the ships.
My father tells me that there are Macquarrie Islands plants in the British Museum. I should much like to see them having often speculated in my own mind, whether they & the productions of the Royal Company's Islands, have most affinity with the growth of Australia or New Zealand: probably the latter however Emerald Isle would be a highly interesting spot to visit, more so than the Crozets & Prince Edward's Isles. I could not ascertain, from some stupid sealers, who came on board whether the cabbage grows there; though they said a large scurvy--grass was very abundant. Unfortunately, the season & exposed situation of the place, destitute, too, of good harbours, forbade our landing there. The face of the country was greener than Kerguelen's Land, with noble mountains on some of the Islands. No part of the globe is so interesting to me as that group, for it must contain much novelty. Were Enderby to offer me a 2 months cruize off them, I do not think I could resist such a tempting occasion of completing Antarctic Botany. The rocks appear red & black volcanic, with apparently beds of Scoria, very singular to behold, rocking stones &c; broad green valleys & tumbling cascades,-- such nests for mosses!
Perhaps there are not many Falkland Island plants in your possession & among mine you may find something interesting. They were the best that could be got at that harbour, for it is only now

they are coming into flower. Among them are several Kerguelen's Land species, or very similar ones. Gaudichaud's*8 list does not agree with my opinions of those plants he seems to wish to indicate. D'Urville's flora I have never seen, but with the aid of all that was done before him, it ought to be very complete.
In a few days we start again for the ice & as soon as we reach smooth water & the pack, I shall begin finishing my notes on the vegetation of the Falklands & Hermite Island. These two countries, although possessing many plants in common yet exhibit, as you are aware, a remarkable contrast: although it seems to me that the differences in botanical features is easily to be accounted for: as also the absence of wood in the former. From the ice we shall proceed to the Cape of Good Hope & stay there a few days & thence to Rio Janeiro. We hope to hear from our friends at the Cape & though I cannot trespass on your valuable time by asking you to write, I know that I may expect your counsel which my father will communicate. My present intention is to give my attention almost entirely to the Cryptogamia of the tropics & to make no collection of Phaenogamic plants further than is necessary to my learning the elements of Tropical Botany, on which subject my ignorance is unequalled.
I need not tell you that my Milligania is a Gunnera, coinciding well with the species I have seen, both here & at Hermite Island & New Zealand. You will not inform me yet to what Natural order you refer them all, & I think you might, after my sending the Kerguelen's Land plant like Callitriche; but without the horseshoe dehiscence of the anther.
If Captain Ross were on board, he would desire all kind regards

to be presented to you. I long greatly for the time when I shall call again at the British Museum.
It has vexed me a good deal to find that Mr Gunn, contrary to promise, has printed in the Tasmanian journal some very crude remarks of mine which he read, on the fossil wood of Van Dieman's Land. The circumstance has seriously annoyed me; especially as I have no idea what some parts of it can mean, about ventricles[?] of stumps & what not. I have procured fossil--woods wherever I could, & trust that Mr. Colenso will send you some from New Zealand according to my request.
When at Mr. Macleay's, I often thought of you & wished you could but see the noble gardens he is rapidly bringing to perfection & which beat those of the governor hollow, in every respect. I spent some happy days with "young Macleay" as he is called. The old gentleman is as hale & hearty as possible; his wit quite sparkling. You cannot conceive how often poor Menzies comes into my mind wherever I go, nor how much I regret his loss.
I have never yet thanked you for having proposed me & obtained my election as a F.R.S, but I now do sincerely & shall ever be proud of the mode of my introduction there for you may quite believe that no other member's nomination of me could have been half so gratifying. You are kindly prepared! I understand, to second me for the Athenaeum, a still greater proof of your goodness, for I am aware that the honor is more coveted by influential & wealthy people, who do not feel that reverence for the Linnaean Society that we do.
But it is time to break off this letter, which I must conclude with the promise of writing again, if our next affords any interesting subject matter. When I am arrived in London, nothing but the pang of an approaching separation from the comorant[sic?] will allay my pleasure in renewing the acquaintance you have kindly permitted to exist between us.
With great respect, I am truly & gratefully yours. Jos.D.Hooker.
PS. I am just closing an almost too luxuriant case of plants for my father from Cape Horn. Gunnera in flower: & the enclosed which I beg of you to determine Polytrichum dendroides & Leptost. menziesii[?] are alive in it, & Kerguelen cabbage seeds are planted among them.*9