I
Hotel de Londres, Rues des Petits Augustins, Paris
Sunday afternoon Feb[ruary] 2. 1845
For reading this follow the paging*1
My dear Maria*2
Wrote a letter to my mother this forenoon, which I doubt not will find its way to Kew. Every thing here is in a great bustle, by cause of a Carnival, which these people think should begin upon a Sunday, the day however is so bitterly cold, with such a wind, that I think they do not dare to show their faces. To night is to be the grand ball masque of which there is a picture in the Illustrated London News, copied no doubt from the Ill[ustrated] Paris News, a precisely similar publication, which often borrows from its English neighbour. I have seen a many great men here, but they are so swallowed up, in general, with self-conceit, that the only way to make yourself agreeable is to hold your own tongue & allow them to rattle away: each begins by telling you literally of the magnitude of their works, whilst of those of their neighbours they seem to know very little indeed. To this there are exceptions of course. There are truly a large concourse[?] of Botanists here, but they do not appear to me such sterling men as we have by any means. There are 6 Botanists at the Jardin des plants, 3 heads & 3 subs. Of the heads only one loves Botany for its own sake, who is M[onsieur] Mirbel,*3 who was out when I called. M[onsieur] de Jussieu,*4 son of the mighty Jussieu, does not really love Botany, but wears his father's shoes though they pinch him. Being clever, what he does is good, but that is not much: he is extremely kind & amicable, but close & buys no books, he took me for 5 hours round the garden in the kindest manner, but never once opened his lips to ask about Botany or English gardens or plants: he is the teacher of Botany. M[onsieur] Brongniart*5 a clever youngish man (he looks 28 & is I hear 48) is the 2nd head & his department is to name the garden plants: he is considered hardly a Botanist at all, but is fond of fossils though to these he has done nothing lately. Mirbel is the third head, who cultivates the plants & a pretty mess he makes of it I assure you, for worse grown things I never saw, in their best houses they look like our smoke stoves exactly.
II

Mirbel's health is not good. The assistants are Spach*8 (a very good botanist). Julasne who is sick & gone to the Hyères*9 being replaced by M[onsieur] Planchon's*10 friend Naudin,*11 a volatile Botanist, who thinks the science is to be taken by a royal road. The third aide is Decaisne,*12 the most rising botanist of all but whose health is also not good, as he overworks himself. M[onsieur] Montagne [Jean Pierre Franҫois Camille Montagne] is a great Cryptogamic Botanist, living close by me, he is an old soldier & served with Napoleon in Egypt: he knows mosses so extremely well but nothing else. M[onsieur] Richard [Achille Richard] is Bot[any] Prof[essor] to the school of Medicine, he is hardly a Botanist & is very ill at present. M[onsieur] Gaudichaud [Charles Gaudichaud Beaupré] is also in bad health, he is a clever Botanist & has charge of the Museum of the Jardin des plantes. Now the great aim of every French man of Science is to become a member of the Institute, of whom there are but very few & only added to by death of one of the original members: all having one aim & that being ambition, they all quarrel like cat & dog. & excepting Brongnart & Jussieu there is not one who has not many enemies, as it is said those two would have did they study Botany & were they not members already, very much because they were their fathers' sons.
I do not doubt you would like to see this place, though not to live in it at all, the people are so gay & idle, such a thoughtless chattering set as I never saw, to think is to speak with them, in fact they never sthink at all & have no time for it, they are very clever & polite, exceedingly good natured when they have their own way & think there is no place like Paris. All today the shops are open & there is no difference whatsoever between this & other days of the week. There are no X [Church] bells to disturb their consciences, & though the churches are fine, there are very few of them to what you see either in Catholic or Protestant towns. Notre Dame is the oldest & finest, I have only seen the outside, which is very imposing, more so than Westminster though not nearly so beautiful, it stands on a large Island in the Seine & there is seen towering above the houses, it is very black & old. S[ain]t Sulpice is a very enormous

modern building, of a great size, but not very grand or magnificent the inside is said to be very handsome, which is more than I can say of [the] exterior, which is heavy clumsy & unmeaning[?], neither like a church or anything else. Of these places you will see poor views in a book behind the harp called Views in Paris I think. There are of course other Xs [churches] but I have not yet seen any but the English, which is a very poor large room more than a church, they are building another for the same person a most excellent & evangelical preacher, much liked, he gives us very good sermons, though not clever ones at all, rather indeed too much the other way. The Bishop preaches in a beautiful church in the Rue St. Honoré, he is a great Puseyite*6 they say. I shall probably go on Wednesday, as I should like to see the place, it is the Ambassador's Chapel I believe. Sunday is the great visiting day, the streets are full of carriages & horses, those pilentums with one or two horses are the most common things by far here, the horses are good, perhaps altogether better than the English, there being no bad ones seen, & never on the other hand the magnificent either riding or carriage beasts so common with us. Lord Howden called on me today, & I am happy to say I was out, as I have only this dark unf[ur]nished & cold little bedroom to be seen in, as yet. I cannot tell you what the fashions are, as I see no ladies walking about, the weather is so cold. The gentlemen wear mustachios, beards & cigars, those that can afford it put on gloves, others do not. All wear red ribbons, signs of some order or other, probably the Legion of Honor, which every one gets. All D'Urville officers,*7 including my friends Hundrum & Jackanapes received it on their return, those who have it not, put the ends of their red pocket handkerchiefs through their button holes which does quite as well. I have not been to any place of amusement yet but shall go this week. M[onsieur] Delessert's brother; a member of the Chamber of Deputies, which answers to our house of Commons, is going to get me a place there on Wednesday. I shall also go to the house of Peers this week. Our houses of Parliament [1 word missing, mss damaged]
IV

beats anything that they have got here -- One of the prettiest sights here is the view of the Quays by night, from any of the numerous bridges along the whole length of the Seine, above the Islands, consists of broad terrain, as most splendid & enormous palaces & other public buildings running along these Quays, the rows of lamps being all equidistant & there being no shops for an immense distance, the sparkling lights have a most beautiful effect, running like rows of diamonds placed with the most perfect regularity*13 for miles: there being here no smoke to intercept the view. I have made a sad mess of this letter, by turning over two sheets of writing paper instead of one after the first, please excuse this. I wish you would have the kindness to copy for me, out of Backhouse's Australia, the account he gives of the size of the trees at Emu Bay V[an] D[ieman's] L[and], also of the number & dimensions of these covering a certain area, there is I think a page on that subject, you will easily find it under "Emu Bay". Also please to send by Post, as soon as convenient, a CircumPolar chart which you will find*14 [in] my Portfolio full of lithographs which stands behind grandpapa's chair said chart is full of pencil marks of the position of seaweed in the Polar Ocean which Humboldt*15 wants to see -- double it up & send it by Post; if not there (I am pretty sure it is) look in the large Portfolio standing under Jacquin's*16 works where is the folio drawing of the Daisy like Auckland Isl[an]d plant. Humboldt has just sent his big black Jager for me so I must break off.
Best love | I am your ever affectionate Brother | Jos D Hooker [signature]