From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Robert Fitch
Date:
3 Dec [1849]
Source of text:
Norwich Castle
Summary:
Asks to borrow specimen of Pollicipes from the Chalk.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
Asks to borrow specimen of Pollicipes from the Chalk.
No summary available.
Thanks TM for double star observations. Refers to convict incident in South Africa.
JDH knows that the Rajah spread news that he & [Archibald] Campbell [AC] were dead & wants to know if the misinformation reached England. He believes they will soon be released. He will then go to Nepal, where the Rajah is more honourable & has given Lord Dalhousie his consent for JDH to explore the region. He shall go once [Thomas] Thomson joins him & he has sent his collections to Darjeeling. JDH describes their imprisonment & the Bhotia authorities; the Lepcha people sympathise with them. The Lamas are now supporting them too. The Rajah is in a difficult situation; the Superintendent of Darjeeling will continue his course of action. JDH describes AC’s character & health. Their only contact with the Durbar [Court] is through a 'spy', Toba Singh, who misrepresents them to the Rajah. [Brian Houghton] Hodgson remains at Darjeeling to aid their communications & comfort Mrs AC. After Nepal, JDH hopes to visit Calcutta [Kolkata] or Bombay [Mumbai] before returning home in November.