*1
Darjeeling June 12, 1848.
My dear Wallich
You are so constantly on my mind & in my eye that I cannot resist taking a gratis opportunity of sending you a line or two. Here I am, staying with your old friend Bryian Hodgson of Nepaul [Nepal], a guest, as you once were, though at a far smaller & less ostentatious table. He talks very much & with great regard of you, & in strong terms of the Calcutta *2 snobs!, as Colvile terms some of the pseudo--naturalists of that city.
Poor Falconer is very ill, I fear, & at Spence’s for advice. This morning brought me a letter from your attached servant, Caly Comars, who often took me into a corner of the garden, to talk about you, which he did with great modesty & regard for you. He was getting a portrait of himself done for you, which, I dare say, you have received ere this. To me he was personally most kind & attentive; & indeed was the only one there who could give me any efficient aid. Should anything happen to Falconer, I must look to Caly Comar. Cantaor I saw of course a few days after my arrival; & we spent several hours together: he afterwards procured me a lot of glorious drying paper quite invaluable to me. We went together to the Metcalfe Hall & Agricultural Society Rooms, & there saw a wondrous grim bust between Dr Spy & Dwarkanath Rajah tagore & must confess the Oriental to be not the least handsome of the three. However you are in very good company.
As to the Botanical Gardens, I could only ejaculate with Falconer; "Heu quantum mutatus ab", what I cannot tell, but certainly ab what I expected to find. What you may have left undone to agitate the Chartistical Reform produced I cannot

pretend to say.-- but the best compliment I could pay you was "that it could not have been worse in Wallich’s time.” The Cycas grove, a child of long remembered association with me, is clean forgotten; & the very place which held it knows no more. Poor Caly Comar pointed out divers[sic] sites of old beauties with many a sigh. However, it is no use dwelling on these things:-- my own opinion is, that the whole affair wants remodelling; the Nepaul hill being the most creditable & all but only retainable piece of ground in its present state. The old story always was, “Wallich did not improve”; to which my response was, better let bad alone than make it worse.
I am now in your glorious country of Rhododendrons, Magnolias, & Arums; & with no other book (till' yesterday,) but Wallich's Tentamen, kindly sent me by Falconer (who is much pleased at you being the communicator of the Athenaeum intelligence) My Magnolias beat yours, however; & as to Wallichia modesta; it does dares not shew[sic] its head here, up or down. Now I have 10 Rhododendrons & as many Arums. Your A. speciosissimum[?] is common here; but not the nepenthoidaes, which is represented by a trifoliated monster with a broad head like a cobra, & caudata spadix; 2 feet long. Its leaves are so large that I use them for an umbrella. One or both Holboellias are here, Kadsura grandiflora, which Lindley improperly, I think, removes from Magnoliaceae, some of your Oaks, &c; but, generally speaking, this is different from Nepaul in Palms, Tree--Ferns fern, like (but I think not Branoriana? *3) & especially millions & millions of wild plantain.
Kinchin junga [Kanchenjunga], 24,000ft. is my mountain here,: no great one intervenes between this & Gossain than than than [Gosainthan]: your old friend

Chumalari is the next Eastward; but that is behind the great range.
I am very comfortable & happy; travelling is & much less & ergo more cheaply, contentedly & peaceably than you prognosticated I should have to. In only one thing I am deceived by all you Indians in England; & that is the cookery -- which is in every respect villainous & atrocious. Your stews, pillafs, & curries I abhor & eschew, et hoc genus omne. Wines are invariably bad, ascending in scale of inferiority with the quality & price. Thank goodness! Hodgson has good mutton & potatoes here.
Campbell is Political Resident here, a curious compound, the weakest Political Resident perhaps in the service; giving in to this imbecile & crafty Rajah in every thing. In his position the access to the snow ought to be, & easily accomplished; whereas we are no nearer it in the British protected state of Sikim [Sikkim], than in bellicose Nepaul or crafty Bootan [Bhutan]. In fact, I believe that the Nepalese Nepaulese would allow a traveller to visit Gossain--than; & I would try that had you not gleaned the country. The Niti pass is open; & I should like to attempt it another year, probably with Thomson; that I may measure the height, & get the plants of the plateau beyond, & also see the Deodar before I leave India. Strachy has been to Mansarovar, & his narrative in the last Asiatic Society Journal is daily expected. out As to this ultima Thule, Hodgson & I are going to divide the Himalayah [Himalayas] into sections by physical characters deduced from the Water--sheds, which will, I think, be satisfactory; as the waters are from the great Mountains. As it is, we have no physical distinctions: the territorials are wholly arbitrary; & this from the Mishmees to the Sutlej.

The general opinion is that the Moultan[sic] affair will blow over.
Sincere regards to all old friends, particularly to the Phil[osophical]. Club -- Brown, Bammell, Bell, Booth, Lace Dale. I hope Mrs Wallich continues well & all your family: my very kind regards:
Ever your affectionate friend | Jos. D. Hooker.
A Miss D'Aguilar at Wilby Welby Jackson's talked much of you; so do many. What plant did you name after old Barnes at Purneah?. I have been much with his son, a very nice fellow. Your Madras friends talked very much of you. Won't I call out Qui Hi *4 when I see you in Regent Street.?