DARJEELING. February lst, 1849. My dearest Mother, I have just finished two long letters to my Father, and have yet plenty to say to him; but now I write to you, because I think you will like to see your own name on this sheet; though I cannot discuss personal matters so fully as I should desire. Your last account of my dear sister, dated December 3rd., is most cheering. I hope and pray that the new treatment may prove successful, and I confidently expect it will, for it falls in with my own opinion of her case. I will thank you to say this, with my kind love, to dear Elizabeth*1. The news of the fearful battle in the N. West has just reached us, but with no particulars of the fighting nor List of Killed and Wounded; I heartily pray that my cousin Gifford*2 may not have been among either; though I hope he was at the battle. I owe a letter to my Aunt and Uncle Palgrave*3, who most kindly wrote to me; as did Aunt Jacobson*4. The letters, which detail the reasons, inducing Maria's*5 husband to return to Scotland, are among those (of July and August last) which have never reached me. I do hope that Adye's*6 box of Instruments is sent, and

overland. This mode of conveyance is far the safest; and no saving of cost can make amends for the delay, trouble, anxiety and probable breakage, which accompany the transmission of such articles to India, round the Cape of Good Hope. The knowing ones continue to get enormous packages overland, and the lack of the Instruments has already involved me in a great deal of expense. I am now staying with Mr. Müller*7 and I am busy in arranging and packing my plants; before I go down to Mr. Hodgson*8 at the foot of the mountains, where I have ordered tents and elephants, Mr. Barnes kindly providing the latter, and Campbell*9 the former. We have been favoured with what I might call an Angel's*10 visit, from Mr. Tayler*11, the Post-Master General for India, brother to F. Taylor*12 the artist. He is a gentlemanly, agreeable and highly accomplished man, and a splendid sketcher; and we became friends in a very few hours. Like all the old, highly paid Civil Servants in India, Mr. T. is deep in debt, which is a matter of mere moonshine apparently to him, and generally so to others, in this country. With an income of nearly £3,000 a year, Mr. T. is obliged to turn his talents as an artist to account. He has made 6 charming views of Darjeeling, and the Snowy Range*13, perfectly good as respects the scenery, but not, I think, of high excellence as works of art, for his line is more that of a portrait, than a landscape painter. We have

persuaded him to get these sketches lithographed in colours. for sale, and I have engaged to dispose of 6 copies in England. He excels in costumes and characteristic figures, and his pictures of Lepchas*14, etc., are quite beautiful. He is making one for me, and proposes that it shall be a large picture, and represent myself and my party returning from the Snows - Lepchas, Bhoteas, self, poney, yak, dogs, etc. But I fear he may not have time to complete it. He went down to-day [today] to visit some of his Post Stations, and after a fortnight's absence returns to Darjeeling. He is lately come from Cattmandu*15, whence he brings a charming portfolio. Few people are better known in India than Mr. Taylor, and he has taken the likeness of half the residents, who are beggars enough to request him to do so, for he is a most good-natured fellow. I tell you all the more about him, because I expect we shall become great friends. The station is almost empty and I have hardly an acquaintance, but Müller and Mrs. O'Shaugnessey*16.

My money is not all expended, by, I am glad to say, nearly £100, as I believe. And I have paid all the expenses of my journey and purchased many things for the Museum. My Nepaul [Nepal] and Sikkim collections look extremely well, and 3 boxes of seeds are now about to go to England. I have ordered a boat to convey them from the foot of the Hills. There are about 100 large bundles of dried plants and a great store of sundries for the Museum, which I am sure will gratify my father. Stocks has not answered (possibly he has not received) my letter. I like his papers in the London Journal of Botany very much. There is a very large collection of Mosses and other Cryptogamia, all mixed together except the Fungi, which are taken out. Please to send the whole to Wilson, who will separate the Mosses; and let him do, whatever Papa may judge best with them in describing and naming. I shall never have time to attend to them, and as describing Botanists appear to think that a discoverer has little or no claim to the credit of the species, so he is welcome to publish them with his own names, and to his own honour. I care not a rush about the matter. The only thing to which I object is the allowing such plunderers as A. to pick for themselves. Jerdan, Editor of the Literary Gazette, is the ugliest fellow in the Trade, but a kind and good-natured one, and he

speaks well of my letters in his periodical. I have just read these said letters, and I cannot perceive that they quite deserve the slashing, they are said to have received in the Athenaeum. Everybody here knows about it. I think, however, that perhaps some rather puerile and flippant passages (which I never expected would be published) have been allowed to stand, but when I see the article, which won't break my heart, anyhow, I shall be a better judge, and will tell you more. If it be at all sharp and cutting, as I hear, it certainly is not from the pen (which my Father suspects) of L. He is a fat goose"higer, ineptus, quam maxime obesias," and quite incapable of aught but a heavy essay, such as the slighting one upon the Botanical Magazine. He is also a mere (and a very blunt) tool of M., in all that concerns reviewing - too good-natured to speak hardly of me; and influenced in what he said of the Bot. Magazine [Botanical Magazine] by what he probably considers a sacred duty, towards a Science - of which, and its requisites, he knows literally nothing. Hodgson positively will not send me the Athenaeum, which contains the article; that paper is, however, generally an excellent judge of merit. My Father's copy of Griffith's Palms was, I think, incomplete; Mr. Lelland*17 assured me he was making up a perfect set of all Griffith's works for him. I like very much the sketch of my Report, on what Mr. L. has done and is doing (as given in

the London Journal of Botany) and shall be curious to see what is said with respect to the Calcutta Gardens. The New Zealand plants had certainly better be put into the Herbarium, numbered and catalogued; as I did with those from Van Diemen's*18 Land, and would have done with the former before leaving home, but I had not time. Humboldt's*19 letter, respecting the school maps of Physical Geography, is most kind, and I will answer it as soon as I have seen Hodgson*3. I wrote to Colonel Sabine*20 and received a long and kind reply by the return of the Mail. He is very anxious that I should take some Meteorological Observations here, and I have promised to do so, if he will send me the Instrument; and if it arrives,when I am too busy or temporarily absent, Mr. Müller has kindly promised to take them for me. This latter friend is extremely hospitable and devotedly fond of Science; the only return I can make is by giving him some Instruments, for which I have written by this Mail to Newman*21, sending my letter through Wheatstone. The box will come overland and if you have anything to send by April Mail, pray remember that Newman will be preparing it, on the arrival of the Mail that takes this letter. It will be large. I will thank you to pay Newman out of the £50 from T., and Mr. Müller will settle with me for such of the instruments, as are not my present to him. Lobb (a Plant Collector for Nurserymen) would do extremely

well here, but for the difficulty which attends the transmission of articles to Calcutta. The roads are in a shameful condition, and the bankrupt Government cannot mend them, nor many other matters. I have exchanged with Dr. Wight a copy of my Antarctic Flora for one of his Icones. Have the kindness to desire Reeve, who has some of my copies, to send an uncoloured one to Bailliere for Dr. Wight. The Icones are excellent, especially the later plates, and the book itself is invaluable. By this Mail I have written to F.H. and two letters to my Father - also to Sabine, Wheatstone, Stephen Ward, Mr. Phillipps, Reeks, and our good old friend Mr. Lyell. I hope also to address Sir C. Lyell and Mr. Darwin.

My Essay on the Coat Fossils looks charmingly, thanks, my dear Mother, to your scrupulous attention to my wishes, and to the careful correcting of the Press. I am extremely pleased with it, and much obliged to you. February 2nd. Post hour is come. I am writing to Lyell and Darwin; but their letters cannot go till to-morrow [tomorrow], when I hope they will still catch the steamer from Calcutta. My best love to my Father and Bessy, and kind remembrances to other friends and relations. Your most affectionate son, (Signed) JOSEPH D. HOOKER.