Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
JHC340
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
JDH/1/2 f.221
Hooker, Mary and Elizabeth
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
20-6-1843
© Descendants of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
Correspondence from Antarctic Expedition
The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
English
Original MS
4 page letter over 1 folio
 

JDH reports to his sisters, Maria & Elizabeth 'Bessy', his arrival in Rio de Janeiro after a stop at Ascension Island. He writes of the correspondence he has recently sent & received. He explains that Captain [James Clark] Ross has not received despatches from the Admiral so their movements are uncertain. They will probably make some observations in Rio before returning home. They also need to make repairs to the ship, HMS 'Erebus'. JDH wrote to their father, Sir William Jackson Hooker, per the HMS 'Waterwitch' from St Helena & send him a parquet[sic] [parakeet?] on the ship 'Queen'. JDH was particularly glad to hear from his sisters that all their family are well. JDH writes about his sisters' trip to Hampshire, mentioning Bury Hill & Gilbert White's NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBOURNE. JDH sends his regards to Mrs Gray of the British Museum & communicates that her nephew, his messmate, Lieutenant Smith is well. JDH describes Rio de Janeiro harbour, town & scenery mentioning the Organ Mountains. He particularly mentions the abundance of churches & convents, & cheap fruit: oranges, bananas & pineapples. He notes how different Rio is to all the cooler colonies previously visited during the expedition. He also mentions the young Emperor of Brazil, newly married to the daughter of the King of Naples. JDH complains about the drums & pipes on a nearby American ship, which plays Yankee Doodle every night, drowning out the more skilled band on the Brazilian flagship. JDH was glad to hear that his sisters have seen Baxter & he got home safely.

Transcript

and arrive much sooner than we expected, or you either I think. Our stay here would probably be short indeed, had not our Bottsprit [bowsprit] been discovered only this morning to be badly damaged so that we must get a third for the old ship. Every thing[sic] proceeds with a celerity which makes me think that Ross is anxious to get away before letters can arrive, for the old bottsprit is out already.
You must thank all for the letters which are doubtless here & there scattered about the ocean, looking for the discovery ships & which I hope to receive at Kew, some two months hence.
My last letter written home, was directed to my Father & went per HMS "Waterwitch" from St Helena on the 20th May. A large parquet[sic parakeet?] went by a very fine fast sailing ship the "Queen" from the same place on the 15th May.
Thus you see how much I have to thank you for in writing, though there were no others similarly occupied to stir you on, & I flatter myself that you will share my pleasures though of your own creation. Most particularly glad I was to hear that you all were so well & happy that my Father & Grandfather had got through the winter so well & to have my mothers own assurance in writing of her wellbeing. Your trip in Hampshire must have been a very pleasant one & one which I should have enjoyed vastly. Gilbert White's N[atural] H[istory] of Selbourne is one of the first Nat[ural] Hist[ory] books I ever possessed, the gift of my Grandfather Turner. I have a smaller edition of it on board. Bury hill I only know from my father's picture of it in the big Scrap books. Mrs Gray of the Brit[ish] Mus[eum] is a very nice person indeed, to whom you must give my most respectful regards. Smith, her nephew, my quondam messmate now a lieutenant is ashore or he would send a message by me, he is quite well as usual. I have just heard that we sail on Saturday

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Rio de Janeiro --
June 20th 1843.
received Tuesday Aug 22

My dear Sisters
We anchored here on the morning of the 20th having left the Island of Ascension (where I did not write home) on the 29th of last month. Our passage has been very pleasant, we so much enjoy the fine weather sailing, but we were delayed in sight of this coast by foul wind & calms for several days. You are very good girls indeed -- had it not been for your kind joint communication of April 29th I should have been letterless on my arrival here, as it is I am almost the only one rejoicing. The packet by which you sent arrived only 2 days before we did, after an unusually long passage -- All our former letters have gone down to the Plate (Monte Video), to the Admiral, except some which only 10 days ago were dispatched by the HMS "Rodney" to the Cape of Good Hope! How this has taken place none of us can tell. The Admiralty must of course know that the Admiral & fleet are at the Plate, where they have been since October last & knowing this they cannot have sent the dispatches to the said Admiral if Capt[ain] Ross properly informed them of our arriving here. We have no idea what Capt[ain] Ross intends doing, perhaps he does not know himself -- we expected orders to make observations & keep a term day here which would employ a month or 6 weeks. HMS T.V. "Geyser or H.M.S Ripon is expected from Monte Video, which may bring dispatches sent to the Admiral for us; if she does not come very soon, or having come brings no dispatches, we shall sail for home

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and arrive much sooner than we expected, or you either I think. Our stay here would probably be short indeed, had not our Bottsprit [bowsprit] been discovered only this morning to be badly damaged so that we must get a third for the old ship. Every thing[sic] proceeds with a celerity which makes me think that Ross is anxious to get away before letters can arrive, for the old bottsprit is out already.
You must thank all for the letters which are doubtless here & there scattered about the ocean, looking for the discovery ships & which I hope to receive at Kew, some two months hence.
My last letter written home, was directed to my Father & went per HMS "Waterwitch" from St Helena on the 20th May. A large parquet[sic parakeet?] went by a very fine fast sailing ship the "Queen" from the same place on the 15th May.
Thus you see how much I have to thank you for in writing, though there were no others similarly occupied to stir you on, & I flatter myself that you will share my pleasures though of your own creation. Most particularly glad I was to hear that you all were so well & happy that my Father & Grandfather had got through the winter so well & to have my mothers own assurance in writing of her wellbeing. Your trip in Hampshire must have been a very pleasant one & one which I should have enjoyed vastly. Gilbert White's N[atural] H[istory] of Selbourne is one of the first Nat[ural] Hist[ory] books I ever possessed, the gift of my Grandfather Turner. I have a smaller edition of it on board. Bury hill I only know from my father's picture of it in the big Scrap books. Mrs Gray of the Brit[ish] Mus[eum] is a very nice person indeed, to whom you must give my most respectful regards. Smith, her nephew, my quondam messmate now a lieutenant is ashore or he would send a message by me, he is quite well as usual. I have just heard that we sail on Saturday

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if no news arrives (say Monday or Tuesday) this letter goes by the Packet on Friday, whose heels we shall hope to follow, at a respectful distance considering what hard sailors we are. This is indeed a most splendid harbor[sic] & the scenery enchanting. You would be delighted with the wooded hills & quiet little bays, studded with white houses, Palm trees and orange groves which meet the eye every where we turn, except to the N[orthwar]d & West[war]d where the splendid range of the Organ M[oun]t[ain]s shuts out the horizon. The town is very large with many churches & convents whose bells are tolling & jangling all day long: there are many hundreds of ships of all nations around us, arriving & sailing every hour, nor can you well conceive a busier place. We have more oranges for 6d than all can eat in a day, so large & delicious, such as you never saw at home, also Bananas & Pineapples, but other fruits are out of season. Everything here is tropical & foreign, very different from the uninhabited places of cool colonyies we have been accustomed to, the red Ensign alone reminds one that England must be everywhere. The Emperor is quite a boy, only 18 years old, he is just married by Proxy & his wife, a daughter of the K[ing] of Naples, is coming out to him, the Brazilian squadron is gone to escort her & what with the English Squadron having gone to Monte Video we have few men of war here & no band. The Americans have an immense 50 gun ship as Commodore ship stationed quite close to us & would you believe it the Goths have no band on board, but some huge drums & squealing pipes which they make a terrible din upon every night, beat off with Yankee Doodle at 8pm, not only is the noise horrible, but at that time a tolerable band plays on board

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the Brazilian flagship, whose music is consequently drowned out before it reaches us.
My dear Sisters I do not care about making this a long letter I so fully feel that I am only writing what I may be repeating a very few days after this arrives viva-voce. Should we be detained here I shall write by the first Vessel that sails for England & let you know. Give my best love to all & my mother in particular.
Believe me yours most affectionately | J D Hooker [signature]
You little think what satisfaction you have given by telling me that you have seen poor Baxter. I am quite an oracle now, everyone asking me about him. We are all so glad that he got home safe (though not well), he was a very good man indeed, a universal favourite. I was sure you would find him quiet & well behaved. JH [signature]

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