Mooshye Khassya Mts.
Sept 24 [1850] *1
My dear Father
I am again travelling about & of course can find little time to write letters, what there was of it I have absorbed in writing to Humboldt, a task I have too long delayed, the more especially as I have lost a good many of my dispatches. -- Pray forward it & read it if you care & if Mama or Bessy [Elizabeth Hooker] would keep a copy for me I would be thankful. but not if too much trouble.
I am surprized to find how much & highly he has spoken of me in his Aspects of Nature, really it must be more good nature & encouragement than my deserts. I wish you had thought of sending me a copy it seems cheap enough. I have received your short note by last South[hampton mail?] & am glad enough

to hear that my collections have reached home safe & given satisfaction.-- Jock Smith's letter delighted me & I will answer him forthwith. I was extremely anxious to hear how my other things besides Rhododendrons were getting on. I am doing my best here with seeds for you & I have not spared you Tree--Ferns -- I have now 5 species I think 3 of Alsophila & one of a curious genus with the habit coriaceous frond pinnate of Blechnum but fruitif[ication]: of Taenitis -- I have got & send but little seed.
Falconer has been very ill Colvile writes me word but is better -- I had a short note from himself too. Poor Hodgson has been near dying -- his mind is quite out of order & has been

6 months past.-- it was so as you may have grasped at the time of my Sikkim restraint.-- Campbells account of him is very distressing but pray say nothing about this beyond his being very ill.
We are now a good way to the Eastward from China & are going further, we keep adding largely to our collections & expect Nepenthes in a day or two.-- Grasses swarm & the species are magnificent these, Ferns, & Orchideae are the mass of our collections -- Labiatae & Campositae are only now coming on[.] Yesterday we found a Plant Geniosporum smelling strong of Patchouli & today a plant so very like your Plectranthus Patchouli but not smelling of it at all! Falconer says the Kashmir shawls are not scented with Patchouli but with Kortus. If Patchouli is used at all it must be as an

adulteration, or imitation for spurious shawls at Calcutta *2. It is an age since I have seen a Kew--Annual. -- February is the last I have.
Podostemon is just coming into flower -- there are two species or more: & neither appear to be distinguishable on the rocks till September when they rapidly sprout & grow. I will put a bottle full of Each in spirits besides drying them. We got a very minute Triurideae the other day. I have not Mier's paper but find in Lindley that he & Gardner referred them to Naiads or to Smilacineae? I should have looked elsewhere for their affinities myself. -- I have ripe seed but can no where find a trace of the Embryo in the Albumen[sic]. is this Albumen Mier's "nucleus"? I think it certainly is Albumen both from its appearance texture &

development, & there are other plants in which I could never find an embryo though I doubt not its existence from analogy or my overlooking it from its minute size & being probably smaller than one of the granules of Albumen. We found a Beautiful little Nymphaea the other day at 6000ft. I have sent roots to Calcutta -- there is no fruit yet but shall look for seeds anon -- it is quite a little dwarf, yellow white & sweet.-- Griffiths Hydropeltis we could not discover, which was funny as we turned Nymphaea & 7 or 8 other plants out of the marshes where he found it, none of which are in his catalogue. His curious floating Eriocaulon we have. You say you did not expect Oaks here, that at any rate is not Griffiths fault for you will find them every where mentioned

both in Catalogue & Journal. Jung Bahadoor's brother is kept in the back ground -- as all orientals keep their brothers so for fear of accidents -- Jung was so himself till he shot his uncle through the back with his rifle in open Durbar from behind a curtain. Campbell says he is the greatest scoundrel in the Himalayah & his high caste is all fudge -- still he is a remarkably Gentlemanly oriental very inquisitive & well informed & exceedingly agreeable, in manners & conversation. Certainly they have been admirably received but I doubt whether he will be content without more personal & marked recognition by the Queen. Your Lords & Dukes they look on as their equals in all respects, they have taken such presents to the Queen as never went from their court before to any monarch & I doubt Jung's being content with a couple of receptions or so -- which is all he is entitled to[.]
Do tell me about Griffith's distribution

[part of text missing] who conducts it, also whether all Griffiths collections are gone home. I have only seen one Balanophora here hitherto, do you not mistake the 2 sexes for 2 species? -- the 3d you talk of is possibly Phaeocordylis a very large plant -- I cannot write any more at present or shall loose[sic] the mail[.]
Your ever affectionate Son | Jos D. Hooker [signature]

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