JDH summarises the collection he has sent home. Now in Rajmahal Hills amongst Ferns, Orchids & Hoyas. In winter he will return to Rajmahal & Parasnath for Cryptogamia & animals. He has boxes of Patna wood for the Kew museum & will get more items. JDH met Dr Gordon at Mirzapore, Fred Thomson at Benare & Wallace, Trench & others at Ghazeepore, where he saw rose garden & manufacture of rose water & Attar. At Dinapore [Danapur] missed Captain Hemchman but met Captain Doria. At Patna stayed with Irvine who went with WJH to Slaffa & collected Fucus balticus; visited the opium factory & got a set of their tools; met a son of Admiral Beaufort & through him heard of Mrs L.P. Wilson’s death. In India JDH is known from James Clark Ross's account of their voyage. Thanked Lord Dalhousie for appointing Gurney. At Morghyr he & Dr Hastings visited hot springs where they worship the Confervae, could not collect them as at Sarroukbund. At Bhungalpore [Bhagalpur] staying with Grant & Raikes, has met Clergyman Vaux & written account of Major Napleton's horticultural garden for JOURNAL OF BOTANY, the curator is named Ross. Mr Pontel cultivates flowers & has given JDH a bamboo & Bauhinia bark bow with reed arrows. JDH will return for mineral & fossil woods for Henry de la Beche. Will travel via Purnah & Titalyah. Enumerates his expenses. He has recommended the Governor protect timber trees like Walnut & Sal. Mentions poor state of materia medica & science in India. Writing from Colgong [Kahalgaon] 8 Apr adds he met Mr Alexander & is staying at an Indigo planter's house overlooking the Ganges & a landscape of Casuarina, mango groves, Tamarind milia, Ficus religiosa or 'Peepul', Borassus, Phoenix, sand flats & distant Himalayas. He anticipates luxuriant flora at Darjeeling. JDH prefers up-country India to Calcutta [Kolkata]. Mentions Thomas Thomson, Vicary, MacIvor in Madras [Chennai], Brewster's article in the N. BRITISH REVIEW, Lord Morpeth, Mr Phillippe, Lord Auckland, Lawrence Peel.

An account of the geology & vegetation in Indian Plains JDH traversed with Mr Williams' Geological Survey. Area covered was south of the Ganges along the Grand Trunk Road & Soane River encompassing Rotas Ghur & Bidjegur [Bijaigarh] hill forts, the Kymore [Kumaon] & Vindhya hills, Parasnath, Hooghly, Burdwan, Taldangah, Dunwar Pass, Bind Hills, Sultanganje & Calgong, Chunar Rock, table lands of Berbhoom [Birbhum] & Behar, Mirzapur & Bhangulpore [Bhagalpur]. Describes the topography of the landscape & common rocks incl: granite, Hornblende schist, sandstone, quartz, coal nurseries & limestone. He travelled through plains & wooded hills. Comments on extent of mountain ranges in India, one immense range comprising the Rajmahals & Sylhet hills, another the Kymaon [Kumaon] & Vindhya hills, which bounds the Soane & Nerbudda & stretches to the Arabian Sea. The positions of these ranges influence vegetation. The alluvium & kunker which covers everything, the uniform dry climate & flat land exposed to desert winds from Hindustan & solar radiation also determine vegetation. Vegetation lacks variety because of these factors, which override the influences of altitude & latitude; forms are found indicative of altitude in the Nilgherries [Nilgiris] & Ceylon. Flora is less luxuriant beyond the Ganges delta with fewer palms & grasses & more thorny shrubs. The richest areas: Parasnath & upper valleys of the Soane have only a few spp of tree, unadorned with moss or lichen. Bamboo & Ramin replace the Urticae & ferns of moister areas. Timber trees higher up are: Terminalias, Bassia & Diospyros. Lower down are mangos, Tamarind, Figs & Acacias. Soil sterility & aridity limit species of tree: Boswellia, Stercutis, Euphorbiae, & Cochlospermum gossypium will grow in rocky places, some flourish better than others but not depending on rock type. Moister climate nearer Bengal means more luxuriant flora marked by coconuts at Patna & reduction of Acacia arabica at mouth of the Soane.

Extract of letter to Miss Henslow from JDH. JDH had been waiting for three days at foot of mountains for baggage to arrive before going on to Darjeeling. Baggage secured he describes the onward steep ascent & landscape of fog & forests. Detained at Punkabarrie [Pankhabari] he botanised amongst the rich flora but was plagued by persistent leeches. [Pankhabari]. Vegetation changes from palmy groves at the mountain base to oak & Rhododendron forests with violets, Geraniums, yellow raspberries & red brambles. Night arrival at Pacheem, which is horrible and desolate. Describes dilapidated Swiss style bungalow he stayed in & it's Hindu housekeeper. Batch of letters arrived from Calcutta [Kolkata] enclosing all those from Jan from England. JDH must write to Miss Henslow’s father [John Stevens Henslow] about complicated subject of cultivation in the Himalaya. Wants to tell him also of a Paris found there which has a varying number of flower parts, a subject they once discussed in connection with P. quadrifolia. It is now spring in India & it reminds JDH of an English spring. The early flowers are violets, Paris, Convallaria. The climate of the place is desolate but it is laden with botanical treasures.