Brussels
Thursday morning
27 Feb[ruary] 1845*1a
Madam Delessert would take it very kind if Mama would enquire how Miss Edgeworth is & inform her, the Beauforts know, address Madame Delessert, Rue Mont-Martre n.176.
Dear Father*1,
I arrived here yesterday afternoon after a very mismanaged passage of 30 hours from Paris, which I did not leave till two days ago owing to the difficulty of getting my passport: it appears that it would have been better to have had that signed for Belgium in England; as it has to be done by the Belgian & English Ambassadors*2 in Paris, & twice countersigned by the Prefect of Police as well: now as the Ambassadors take a day apiece for this work, & their offices are open only from 12-2, the whole job cannot be done in less than two days, further I could not get the Prefect of Police after 3 on Friday, nor do any thing on Sunday: I understand that the late bank robbery is making the police more particular than usual, which with perhaps some inexperience on my part, made the last three days of my Paris life most vexatious, for I did nothing but run from one office to another on useless errands, & had it not been for a private letter from Decaisne's brother, to the Secretary of the Belgian Embassy

I should not have got clear on Tuesday even. The Diligence arrived at Valenciennes too late for the morning train, which it professes to catch, & as there is but one line of rails, we had to wait , & then got only a luggage train so that the whole day was consumed between Val[enciennes] & Brussels. The Paris Botanists have given me 26 letters! To Belgian & Holland Botanists: in the former country (here) there is not much to see, I shall just call on Linden, Galeotti & the other Mexican man, as also on Dumortier & Drapiez[?] at the Garden. I shall not stay over tonight, except [Adolphe] Quetelet should ask me to dine,who is a very great philosopher indeed -- at Gand*3 I have only to see [Louis Benotit] Van Houtte's[?] establishment. At Anvers Amsterdam, De Vries[,] Splitberger[sic Splitgerben?] & Froelich [Frölich]. At Anvers Lomme[?], the little Bot[anical] Garden and Cathedral: at Rotterdam, Miguel, at Leyden, Blume, Korthals, Reinwardt & [Julianus Hendrik] Molkenboer, & Dr [Frans] Dozy also Siebold if I can, but all agree that he has behaved so extremely ill to Dr Blume that no one will introduce me to him, & if I see him I must call myself without a letter, I hardly know what to do, as you want the Japan plant so badly, but it appears that he has been guilty of theft & selling his stolen goods from the public garden, for large sums of money. At Haarlem I should like to hear the organ and return to the Thames from the Hague or Rotterdam.
Since I wrote last I did very little in Paris, as I was worrying for my passport & anxious to get away, but think there in Fra Franck the bookseller, we have an agent for

Lemann, who will take charge of parcels, receive & pay money for him; & if he takes the book business, will let him have them at the usual trade rate: the man bears a very high character & is considered quite sure, he is ready to undertake payment for & ready payment to Leman, for money's received in Paris, should L. wish it, ready money but our friend must write to him about commission agency, & what charge to put upon tracts[?], parcels &c, as commission money. I am sure that Webb has been at very great expense about books & parcels for us, & I am truly glad that there is now a prospect of that being taken off his hands. If FL. could get a certain number of persons to take all these French scientific periodicals through him, I think a monthly parcel would then be well worth his while, he would of course take his books from Franck at booksellers' price, & we would pay what we have hitherto to Bailliue[sic] to Leman & all brochures coming at the same time would be liable to agency & there are certainly many here at Paris who would send such things, did they know how to do so without trouble: as well as plants.
Humboldt*4 I saw very often, sometimes three times a day, for he was never tired of coming to ask me questions about my voyage, he certainly is quite a most wonderful man; with a sagacity & memory & capability for generalizing that are quite marvellous: I gave him my book, which delighted him much, he read it through the first 3 numbers,& I supposed noted down 30 or 40 things which he asked me for particulars about, I left him at the third number, & as he left paid me two visits whilst I was out, on the morning I left, he has doubtless not digested it all: I bade

him three goodbye's the day before & the next day he, said before, came twice for me in my absence; he talks in the warmest manner of Mr Brown, Murchison & yourself, also of Darwin & Herschel -- Schomburgk*5 I do not think he liked, but I should not judge -- The river in Asia running N. to S. & dividing two Bot[anical] regions is the Obi*6 in Siberia & is one of his strong arguments against the migration of plants, as large rivers do not in other cases prevent what is considered migration. He showed me 10 sheets of "Kosmos"*7 which he was correcting at once! two vols. will be published this year & the 3d some time afterwards: he wishes me to ask the if Mrs Sabine will undertake the translation of part as Humb[oldt]. will not allow of Miss Austin's doing it as Murray wishes, do not say anything about this or Kosmos at all, for I have to speak to Murray about it when I get home & I do not know how far Humboldt wishes the thing made public.
I hope Dr Graham is no worse, as I should not like to be called home until I have done all my business in this part of Europe, & then need not take France Belgium or Holland into any consideration in making a future trip to the continent. My whole sum expenses for 26 days in Paris were 160 francs, including breakfast sometimes tea & all letter postage & parcels, fire[?] &c &c & as my accommodation was exactly the same as Humboldt's I need not say it was good enough, more comfortable or well taken care of I could not be. I wish I could live thus in Edinbro', where however the accommodation of lodgings is much better than at Glasgow. I must work hard on my return but have no doubt of being ready in time as far as lecturing is concerned. Physiology & Anatomy I fear need more dwelling upon now than formerly, & that does not take at home as it does abroad. As to medical duties, I suppose it is bett to say nothing. I certainly shall reject them after I take the chair. I wro to the Admiralty for a month's more leave, but have no intention of being away that time, but it is as easy to ask a month as a day, they know & care nothing about me. You have all of the Coquilles voyage that is published, Decaisne10 wants the same plates as you do, the last numbers are irregular plates & the last letter press is the page

you have also, so Decaisne says & Fortis & Masson say the same & [Adolphe] Brongn[i]art himself says 152 is the last page published & the latter plates are irregular, I am quite sure it was some other work you saw complete and bound at Bohn's, you however want one plate out of the middle which is published long before the last number & which I left orders for but did not receive.
I have no more to say at present but to ask you to give my best love to all & kind regards to Mr Planchon.
Ever your most affectionate son | Jos. D. Hooker [signature]

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