JDH met Mrs [Archibald] Campbell and her children on their way from Monghyr on the Ganges to Darjeeling. He describes the way the family was travelling in Palkee's carried by bearers with their female attendants conveyed in suspended cages or chairs and the men running on foot. Along the road they rest at Bungalows erected for travellers by the government and at settlements it is customary for strangers to stay in the residents' homes and receive hospitality. Food in India is cheap, as are servants, but they are prone to breaking things. JDH enumerates all the servants [Brian Houghton] Hodgson has: over 20 for various purposes in his household and garden as well as a village full of people who cultivate the land badly but still get a wage. JDH discusses the health, appearance and affectionate nature of Mrs C's children. They gave JDH a palm wood walking stick which he will send to the [RBG Kew] museum. JDH has many letters & an account of his travels for the Asiatic Society to write.
The Joseph Dalton Hooker Collection
The Joseph Dalton Hooker Correspondence Project at Kew is making available online the personal and scientific correspondence of the botanist and explorer Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911), Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Kew from 1865-1885. The project was conceived by staff of The University of Sussex and Kew's Library, Art and Archive department and began as a partnership between Kew and the University of Sussex's Centre for World Environmental History. It has been made possible by support from the Stevenson Family Charitable Trust. Letter summaries can be searched through Ɛpsilon, with links to images and transcriptions at the project site at Kew (https://www.kew.org/explore-our-collections/correspondence-collections/joseph-hooker-collections).