Darjeeling.
Sept[ember] 28, 1848.
My dear Bessey*1 I was very much indeed gratified by your long letter from various places during your trip; only one thing surprized me; you say nothing about poor old Grandpapa's friends at Exeter; nor does my Father -- I suppose they are all dead, or you could not find them but I assure you I hurried on in to the Exeter bit & read it twice in amazement. You certainly had a very fine and profitable cruise[sic], how much I should have liked to be with you: I hope one day we shall have some time together, as we had in Scotland: which though so distant was very delightful. My life here is sufficiently monotonous to hear of, but far from so to me, my collections increasing very fast indeed & never having a moment to spare. The rains prevent my taking long excursions but they are now inclined to be all but over. I have no incidents to amuse you with; I fear, in return for all you tell me, without you can for what is almost[?] news to me -- item Hodgson is again poorly & I have been doctoring him successfully in[?] talk of accompanying me to the Snowy Mountains[?] but I am sure he cannot bear the fatigues

of the trip. item my pony (as Hodgson*2 calls it) was lent to the Judge, who came up here to judge a case of embezzlement: to take him part of the way back to the plains & though Mr Grant keeps a stud of ponies[?] & is otherwise supposed to be a knowing jockey he has loaned[?] the brute to my great annoyance, Hodgson being ill I ride his just now, both are abominable ponys[sic] & I am sure he has strained a back sinew by careless riding down hill. Poor Bames is come back for a month & goes[?] to seem old & careless, very lame from one of his excursions with him 9[?] months ago: his constitution is far from a healthy one. I got Campbell to see him -- C. being the only one of 6 medical men here I trust much, but not liking to interfere with the practice of the others. The Dr. here was already beginning to make a mess of the thing, when C. & I interposed as I have got the credit of taming him & seem very anxious for his recovery, besides he is an exceeding amiable good fellow, very active & a great Tiger shooter -- item he’s had such a stomach 2 or 3 Sundays ago. The x[sic] is held in an immense room with a verandah about 12 yards broad & 20 long; projecting from the roof & supported on huge brick pillars. It is roofed like the

whole building with iron thickly covered with Bamboo thatch: which the rains had loaded with water: the Revd. Ev.[?] Winchester was giving a very boring discussion, & saying that our prayers were not present[?] enough to penetrate the clouds which in this [illeg.] foggy autumn[?] sounded rather odd, when the verandah gave way & fell down with a tremendous crash, the pillars flying all to pieces & the whole affair settled against the windows, darkening the room & filling it with clouds of dust lath & plaster. I was on the side close to it & watched for the walls coming in, which not being the case I stood it out, though not a little startled. The shrieks were loud enough & ladies & gentlemen fled like chickens, blocking the doors & leaving hats prayer books &c behind. When I looked round there was only Mr Winchester out the [illeg.] myself & another person in the room. Two Capt[ain]s of the Bengal army![sic] were among the first to bolt & except Campbell not one came back. Except the dents in the verandah which were crushed & an unfortunate man[?] sitting there who got his turban flattened with a good punch no hurt was done. Poor Mr. Campbell first ran without his little girl & then rushed back for her, but had not to go as Pussy[?] had wisely looked after herself. Luckily I had a cap[?] which I was busy digging for & for the very placid[?] in the rubbish which

one of the Capt[ain]s wives came back for her husband's hat. I hardly know the people but of course gave her my arm & took her with the hat to her husband, an ill favoured cadaverous looking man, as white as a ghost I told him. His wife had encased[?] his hat, which he clapped on his head (all full of lime & plaster) & tore away down the village town first to Meublecs[?] (who is a dissenter & attends another chapel) announcing the news in most awful exaggerated terms. To the other Capt[ain] I took his prayer book &c. to many of the Ladies, who were huddled together in the same antick[?]. Casinchuter[?] asked me to help him to put out the commission plate (it was Sacrament Sunday) & as I was thinking with admiration in the little man's coolness, the little gown asked me whether he should continue the service, rather a simple question, as the congregation were so much alarmed & there was only the open air & rain to react to. So you see what a great stir a little fright makes. Did I ever tell you of my new acquaintance here? Mrs. O'Shaugnessy (guess her nation) her husband is one of the most scientific men in India, a good chemist & good fellow, holds a high office in the Mint & is Secretary to the Asiatic Society. "Groves of Blarney" are nothing to Mrs O.'s tongue -- I do not like her, but in deference to O.'S. both Hodgson & myself pay all attention to his Lady. She is a

determined gossip & the Darjeeling folks seek to know something of Hudson & myself, through her. I call her[?] a insect & basabog[?] the Lady where such subjects. O.S. has been most attentive & kind to me & though gifted with too soft a tongue (like his wife), I like him: she is here for her health & O.S.. is coming out soon for a month's holiday. Campbell & I have become great friends & I am much pleased with the attention he has paid Bank's leg. Mrs Campbell is a very lady like, frank & pleasing person & great favourite of mine, & indeed the only Lady here I ever see barring the O.S. -- I always dine there whenever I feel inclined & C. is very anxious that I should eat with them, but I am too comfortable here where my time is all my own where I never see a visitor, have all my plants & papers instruments &c around me -- had C. shown me any such attention when I arrived I sh[oul]d have been only too thankful, but how he could have been so thoughtless & blind & deaf to all my wants & wishes I can still hardly understand. Hudson with whom he lived for 25 years however knows his character intimately & attributes it to mental confusion or perturbation of some sort, certainly no one could be kinder than C. has been latterly. He is a Skye man -- no out[?] Skyer but where dear Mac comes from, & his father was factor to Campbell of Isla or some such thing. Mrs C. married very young & has 4 children, the eldest, Ellen, alias "Pupy" is 6, & by the same token I had to give her a birthday present the other day; a very plain, but very clever nicely brought up little girl. The 2d a splendid boy, rejoices in the [illeg.] of Toopoo[?], whence obtained no one knows, not even his mother, his real name is Dicky. Emma the third is my pet & a most beautiful child as I ever saw & though very shy generally with strangers it[sic] took from the first to me & we are great friends. I came in late from an excursion the other day & dined at Campbell's in the evening they went to a Lecture on Astronomy by a school master here. Mr C. exerted all his eloquence to persuade me to go (but you might as well try to get me to walk in the garden that evening; first I disliked the lecturer a- Mr Grissenthwaite[?] an ignorant uppish fellow second, I grudged 8/ the price of a ticket and third I have a perfect antipathy to lectures of all sorts. So after seeing Mr C. Pussy & Toopoo[?] safe then I rode back to Hudgsons - having done my best to persuade "Pussy" to ask the learned professor to show a "rubbish on the wall" as I do. Next day I had particulars from Mrs C. - which were insufficiently amusing. My friend Lieut. Staples who I told you asked to dine with myself and Barnes when we lived at other

old place 3 months ago was there he is a good natured but far from wise man & it being after dinner he was in an ambiguous state. I suppose for first he fell asleep till the lecturing part was over, & there being stiff backs to the forms, was always, bouncing back into some body's lap. Mr G. concluded with a Camera Obscura or magic lantern & showed first the Nebula in Orion. Staples being an historian in hearing this awoke with the "Oh that Ned O'Brian is it, fine fellow Nad. - I know him very well, that very like though kept[?] the pits of the moon were shewn. "How do you know they are pits" said my friend -. "They have been measured" answered the Professor "Quite a fallacy" said Staples " who measured them? - the man in the moon I suppose" -- Then came the "Great Bear", but owing to some flaw in the glass then was a long plume stuck in the bear's neck, when Pussy to poor C's horror, called out "Pray Mr. G, why does the Great Bear carry pen & inkstand on his back" -- Poor Toopoo slept through all & being roughly awake at the end & feeling himself bound to acknowledge the efforts to gratify, did so by saying aloud "How funny" -- Mrs C who is a quiet simple person attributes Staples' eccentricities to his Irish wit, but knows better I think: & poor Pussy & Toopoo were suitably admonished. This my dear Bessy is my 3 months batch of fun: a poor stick you will say but except Hodgson's publications & other anecdotes I have no stories to tell -- I do not[?] find travelling alters[?] my habits in any one way. I got out at 6 but hate it & [first line obscured by tape] Hodgson & I were like brothers exactly [illeg.] he is a good [illeg.] I am. He is the most valuable acquisition I could have made in India, too proud & haughty, but I cannot feel that. Now dear Bessy I have not written such an unbotanical yarn for months, I am sorry it is so egotistical. Your most affectionate brother | Jos D. Hooker [signature]
Many thanks for all your kindness to Frances*3, I write to her today a long letter. The curious beasts I told you of both died, either of poison or in teething we are very sorry.*4