JDH & [Archibald] Campbell [AC] are on route to Lachen Pass [Kongra Lama]. He asks WJH or J.[John] Smith to keep a list of all the fruits & seeds he sends. Jatamansi [Paom peu Bhot] has ripened. JDH sends [Hugh] Falconer duplicates of all his seeds. He describes AC’s altitude sickness & his temperament.
No summary available.
JDH writes to WJH, informing him that he & [Archibald] Campbell [AC] are prisoners of the Sikkim Rajah, but JDH does not fear for their safety. He describes their imprisonment & speculates as to the reasons for it. JDH has been copying out AC’s dispatches to Government & sends a copy of his journal for [Brian Houghton] Hodgson to forward to WJH. His friend Meepo remains loyal & will hopefully get this to Darjeeling so the military can bring about their release. JDH reassures WJH about his situation, & asks him to write to France Henslow & Aunt Palgrave. He has letters for Bentham, Berkeley & Darwin. He sympathises with AC’s wife. JDH asks if his Meconopsis have grown. He adds that Thomson will be at Darjeeling on the 20th.
JDH & Brian [Houghton Hodgson] [BHH] have both written to WJH about his situation. He explains the reason for [Archibald's] Campbell’s [AC] imprisonment: the Tartars & Bhothias believed that by capturing an authority they can bend him to their will. When this did not work, they invented offences in order to hold AC, but the Government have now intervened. The accusations are now of trespassing on the Thibet [Tibet] frontier. JDH & AC went there with the assent of the Chinese Lepchas & the Lachen Peppin who is the Sikkim authority. JDH’s Sirdars are in chains & his party disbanded, only Hopenar[?] remains. He discusses his seed collections & botanical matters, including Balanophora polyandra. The Nepal Terai is impassable until 15 Nov due to malaria & JDH will not travel to Calcutta [Kolkata] or Bombay [Mumbai] any earlier. [Nathaniel] Wallich will verify this. Lord Dalhousie will assist JDH & [Thomas] Thomson [TT] in applying to the Nepal Durbar. BHH is looking out for TT who has not yet arrived. JDH is glad Lindley liked his letter & thinks Klotzsch will make a mess of the collections of Prince Vladmier [Vladimir?]. With Wallich, Don & Hamilton working at cross-purposes, the whole Himalayan Flora is in the hands of JDH & TT. It can only be elucidated with Bogden & Wallich’s herbaria. JDH is sorry to hear of the Bishop of Norwich’s death & suggests Owen, if Brown will not take the position. Lord Derby was useless in the role. Bentham will offer sound advice. JDH discusses the wisdom of the Geological & Geographical Society in selecting men such as Hamilton, Lyle & Murchison.
No summary available.
“We now have now several hundred [plant] specimens dried and drying”; sowed seeds of palms and fruit trees; have flowers including orchids. In September hope to send my collections to England and then go upriver, will explore Montalegre [sic] and north shores of Amazon. Ferns abundant here, especially Hepaticae. Enclose a note for Mr. Smith about his plants from Kew. Bringing assistant from London was a mistake, as he is drained of energy in this hot climate; cannot keep up with blacks, who are also “expert at climbing trees” with a rope and work for half the pay. Has seen ARW, who has “quarreled [sic] & separated long ago from Bates, who is now at mouth of the Tocantins. ARW has gone to Monte Alegre.