JDH is sending WJH part of Niger Flora to be proofed by his mother, Jules Émile Planchon & George Bentham. Since last writing JDH has been over Darjeeling border into Sikkim, against orders of the Rajah, & to the border of Bootan [Bhutan]. He found: Cycas, India rubber tree, & Phoenix. As route descended, European genera such as: Oak, Maple, Birch, Alder Hydrangea, Violet, Hypericum & Rubiaceae became: Araliaceae, Alsophila, Urticae & scandent Leguminosa & at still lower altitude: Shorea robusta, Cedrela toona, Dalbergia sissoo, Alstonia, Pinus longifolia, Saccharum, Sterculia Fici, Rubiaceae, Gnetum etc which continue to the plains. JDH is drawing interesting plants, incl: Paris sp, Stauntonia, Convallaria, Chrysosplenium, Coptis, Sanicula, Magnolia & 3 Rhododendrons incl. a beautiful one with sweet scented white blooms. Palms are limited, Arums superb, one flowered in his tent & gave off significant stench & heat. Plans to go to Nepaul [Nepal] border & a hill only previously climbed by Captain Waugh of the Trigonometric Survey. Describes weather. Is sketching Himalayan landscape. Has found wild banana & orange. Is collecting woods & implements incl. cups made from knots of trees, a silver dagger from a Tibetan Lama, & a rosary made from amber, Cornelian, agate & vegetable beads. Not yet season for grains. Bamboo is staple product. Describes hard working Lepcha collectors & compares to lazy Bengalis. Discusses money affairs incl. salary & dealing with Barclay & with Findlay's house: McVicar Smith & Coy of Calcutta [Kolkata]. Will stay with Brian Houghton Hodgson; oriental scholar & zoologist. If allowed JDH will travel to Sikkim snows, if not to the Barrampoota [Brahmaputra], Assam & Sadiya & ascend Dapha Bum mountain. Will visit Jenkins at Gowahatty [Guwahati] & the Tea districts, Mopling fir forest, Cossya [Khasi] hills, Cherra Poonjee [Cherrapunjee] & Munneepore [Manipur] in Ava. Once back from Tongolo JDH will send live plants via Hugh Falconer at Calcutta.

JDH recounts his excursion to Tonglo Mountain, the plants observed & the collections made. Explains that cold, wet weather made many of his servants sick & unable to work. The most hard working were his Christian servant Clemanze & the Lepchas. Describes habits of Lepchas. Tonglo is 1000ft higher than JDH has been before, this was reflected in vegetation: Iris, Unciniae, 2 Arums, 2 dwarf Panax, Anagallis, Rannunculus, Aconite, Rhubarb, Thalictrum, Convallaria, above them the dwarf Bamboo forming a little jungle, Rosa, Lonicera, Holboellea, Vacciniae, Arbutus, Currant, Rubus, Daphne & Balanophora. Describes 3 new Rhododendrons & promises drawings & plants sent via Calcutta [Kolkata]. He is very keen to get them to Kew. Also collected: a Yew, scarlet Crategus, Rosa, Pyrus, Prunus, Pyrus, 3 Berberis, Wallich's Kadsura grandiflora & an epiphytic orchid. Describes new purple Magnolia. There was no grass & few ferns, lichens & mosses: Cryptogams poor in general. Got no seeds but will return. Has temperature readings for Lindley. Describes sojourn in Lama village, he stayed in the temple & observed the priests' rituals, then ate fermented barley from a woven bamboo bowl. Mentions types of bamboo grown & many useful items made from it, which he is getting for the Kew museum. Also has samples of cloth dyed with Mungeet, indigo & Elaeocarpus. Collectors have returned from Nepal, beyond the snows, where the flora is very different despite the proximity. Most of their collection is rotten, a Frittilaria & a Primrose may survive. JDH will send more collectors, relationships with China & border powers mean he may not be able to go himself despite the efforts of his political friends: Colville, Dalhousie, Elliott & Falconer. Has Carices for Boott & fungi to draw for Berkeley. Mentions: progress on the NIGER FLORA, Rose of Jericho, news of Tussack grass, observations for Humboldt, constant rain, general features of Himalayan botany & adds the letter shld be sent to Darwin at Down.