Hotel l'Amiral Rue Laffitte
Paris
Tuesday
Oct. 22 / [18]78
My dear Dyer*1,
We could not, after all, get into the Hotel de Famille, & our rooms, after being engaged, were let, no doubt for higher prices. In this house we have had 3 changes of apartments. The street is narrow, paving bad, & noise therefore terrific.
We spent Saturday at the Exhibition which is certainly marvellous. I was much interested in the Japan comestibles, & found Pteris aquilinain syrup, & sundry other curious things, especially a collection of many kinds of Bamboo, which I must write to Japan for. The English glass is lovely, especially the white & blue cameod vases which you told me of, & the chased glass vessells[sic]. The cut glass is superb. As to the Porcelain one gets overdone with that branch of art at last, & the masses of each ware were tiresome. I have not yet seen any of

things you indicated. The French artificial flowers are superb.
On Sunday we went to Cluny but it was too dark -- yesterday the whole day was taken up with the prize giving at the Palais d'Industrie, a very dull affair. The illuminations at night were very poor indeed & the streets at 10 nearly empty! We essayed to go to a Ball at the Ministre of Agriculture & Commerce, but after an hour in queue found so dense a crowd, & so many Ladies standing outside the doors, that we drove off at once! To day I go to a speechifying by the jurors &c to the Prince at the British Embassy at noon & then to the Exhibition again.
I met [William] Munro on Saturday & we go tomorrow together to the Jardin de Plantes to visit Decaisne*2, who I met at the Prize distribution to my surprise.
M. & Mme Ragnel, (Lady Hooker[']s aunt)

are most kind & we dine there daily. We hire a Victoria or Brougham according to the weather, which is variable. To day it rains so we shall not attempt the hall at Versailles to night.
Paris appears to me more wonderful than ever -- the number of improved houses in all the old streets is even more suggestive of improvement to me than the number of new streets. It is however fearfully noisy, and there are not a few bad smells; the streets all meet at acute angles, making broad & dangerous crossings & as often as not these carrefours are dilated, which is all very well for architectural purposes but a nuisance for pedestrians. The Palais Royal has fallen off I think in the value of its shop--wares. I see less good jewellry[?] & far more bad. The good has gone further W[est].
I have really nothing more to say. Half one's time here is of course wasted, & I am in a chronic fidget about my [Royal Society] Address. Thank you much for what you have offered to do -- pray do not take too much trouble -- a brief enumeration of the chief advances in

the more important branches of the subject will be quite enough.
Lady Hooker thanks you much for the letters -- she has caught a cold. She joins me in Kind regards & love to Harriet. I hope you are not overdone with correspondence & callers & that Smith holds up.
Ever aff[ectionate]ly Y[our]s | J.D. Hooker [signature]
We remain here till Sunday & expect to leave on that day.
Address Hotel l'Amiral
Rue Lafitte
The Duval Bouillons*3 are all so full that one cannot get near them!