Aug 31 1848
Darjeeling
My dearest Mother
Your last letter (from Yarmouth &etc) made the passage to Calcutta[Kolkata] in 36 days, & I accordingly received it only a few days after that of a fortnights previous date: not the less welcome for that I assure you. The whole lot of mss drawings &c(et cetera) I sent to go by last mail arrived too late, though Falconer*1 did his best. Though wrapped in a double casing of wax-cloth they arrived soaked with water & had all to be dried individually. I shall therefore send no more down till the rains are over. Very many thanks for your long & newsy epistle. which makes me quite au fait with your movements. Frances*2 I am sure feels your kindness to her very deeply, as do I. & I am no less obliged to my grandfather, mother & aunts for their attention to her. Many thanks too for your congratulations on my birthday I believe to have recollected it before the day was out, but really I am very busy: poor Papa's I certainly quite forgot & yours too my dear mother many weeks before. I am very sorry indeed for poor Aunt Hannah & think very much of her – Darwins*3 improved health is a great comfort however & I hope he [2 words illeg] to X*4

may get Hodgson's*12 boy for a pupil about which I have written very fully to him. I am much concerned to tell you that Calcutta[Kolkata] has so disagreed with Gurney*5 that he must give up the General Hospital. This is a great blow but his parents may rest assured that it is from no restlessness or other cause but Calcutta[Kolkata] not agreeing with him. I hope he may get Pooree[Puri?] which is healthy & fairly lucrative sufficiently so to enable him to pay off his encumbrances. It is all but promised to another I know, in fact the candidate is here & his fatherin law just retiring from the Medical board has a just claim on [govt?] which I should not interfere with for my own brother's sake. Happily G.[Gurney] does not think it worth while my writing to Ld D.*6 [Lord Dalhousie] about it -- Gurney's prospects were good in Calcutta[Kolkata]; & his character excellent: & yet I am sure Pooree[Puri] is no worse for him, -- thus -- in 6or8years G. might would realise Pooree[Puri?] emoluments in Calcutta[Kolkata], & in 9 double them, as soon, but he must wait the 6 or so years to do so, whereas he comes into it at once. I am far from surprised at Calcutta[Kolkata] not agreeing with him it is a horrid place. He resigns the G.H. [General Hospital] conditionally on getting P.[Pooree] now G.H[General Hospital] is so grand a catch that I doubt Lord D's[Dalhousie] not clutching it -- Funny enough I had just read G's [Gurney's] letter at 10am went to X at 11 & then over heard

the hopeful candidate communicating his hopes to a fellow Doctor in the seat behind so I am very much puzzled about whether it is Frank*7 or Giffy*8 who has turned Romanish[?], so[illeg.] take which ever. My Father says Giffy, & Gur[ney?] says Frank; I had so little idea of eithers doing so that I am quite at a loss, as the same hint[?] from your talking tales of Franks getting an appointment & no word of Romanish[?] I presume it must be Giffy. In either case I am very much concerned about it, I intended writing to my aunt but cannot well do so till I know which it is. I am amused at your expressing your just indignation at C.*9[Cantor] especially now that we are getting on so comfortably together. I am heartily glad that I kept it so quiet. He behaved very ill I still think, perhaps unintentionally & certainly with no wish to [be] uncivil: but his total neglect of every gu desire I had expressed & of every offer of civility of any kind put my back up & bedless & supperless you may guess how I growled. For weeks I was as runty as {illegible] & it was only through Hodgson's intercessions that I came round, at last; the latter says his head was all but turned through some fracas on cast[illegible] tanks in the station: however it does not do to look back, the grudge is gone & I certainly never experienced [the sa?]me attentions from any one than I have from him lately, Mrs C[Cantor?] I liked all along

very much indeed. Reeves*10 announcement of the printing of some of my letters has been magnified by the Indian papers into my having just published a work on the plants of India the Himal.[Himalaya] & Borneo! about which I receive sundry addresses. I quite fancy you must have been worked very hard when Papa was laid up with his arm. Poor fellow I shall be glad to hear of its being well again. I hope he will send a copy of my letters with my regards to Robts Chambers in Edinbro' [.] I am terribly sensitive [of] my ricketty Edinbro reputation -- We often talk of poor Wallich*11 here, & Hodgson*12 says he never knew so industrious a man (barring myself I must add to complete his speech)- His behaviour in India was injudicious beyond all parallel, he flung his head against. [many] of their [Govts.?] & made enemies enough to [reward?] twenty better men. His friends too were bad, & I am just growling at his most dear[?] & excellent friend Cantor: who is a [illegible], dirty jobbing Jew fellow, much disliked [and of?] questionable honesty. Can you fancy anything so shabby as this -- I called on him at Wm [Earnest?] desire & request & found him a dreadful bore: he however got me some [uncleanable?] drying paper, (which I [assume?] he charged upon): & begged me to shew Lord [illegible Dalhousie?]

the rail-way map of India. This I did not at all want to bother my Lord with, but did for the sake of W's[Wallich?] very dear friend -.- I heard no more of it, till 2 days ago I received from Cantor a letter asking me to allow him to purchase another copy "at my charge for the one he lent me." I have accordingly ordered one to be purchased (it costs £3 I believe) & sent him, "in lieu" as I tell him "of the one I laid at his request before Lord D[Dalhousie]" not that that will shame him at all, but it is the most gentlemanly way of getting rid of a shabby fellow. I can think of Tell my father that I regret to say I have never heard of Thomson’s*13 collec[illeg] since I left Calcu Madras[Chennai], I suppose he would not leave that Presidency -- Falconer & Sir L Peel*14 are trying every where to get [us?] a man who will live up here & work: but I won't take a common Hindu. The last two cost me £10 & did not do a stitch of work besides frightening me out of my wits by one's being at death's door, for 4 days: I certainly should not have taken them to Tonglo[Tonglu], but wanted to pay off the hounds for their incorrigeable[incorrigible] indolence, conceit & stupidity. My Host Hodgson is considerably better & I have had him out riding for an hour twice. Colvile*15 I am sorry to say can't come up: he is just made a Judge of-- If my Father cared to see it

Lord Auckland*16 has a view of the Mossy[?][one word illegible] here which Miss Colvill[Colvile] took home with her & is now in the hands of an artist I believe to finish. I am very sorry to hear that some of my letters have been lost. I [generally?] pay all except when I send the batch in time to Falconer. My last overland cost me 24/. I am writing to Stocks & will be most happy to do what I can for him. The only plan with Lord D.[Dalhousie] is to apply when anything is open. He will make no new appointments; even when I think he ought to. His Lord D's [Dalhousie] health I hear is very poor. I hear from Fam[ily?] & Courteny[?] occasionally who say that Lady D[Dalhousie] is in robust health. I shall write to Frances tomorrow but chance[?] this today 31[st] for fear of accidents on the flooded road [three words illegible] mother[?] | JD Hooker[signature]