JDH is staying with Brian Houghton Hodgson[BHH], former political resident at the Nepalese court who was forced from that position by Lord Ellenborough but continues his zoological & ethnological work & has made significant donation to the British Museum, as catalogued by [John Edward] Gray. Describes very wet climate. Praises his Lepcha servants. Discusses prospect of being allowed to travel to snows in Sikkim Rajah's kingdom given the current political situation with Bootan [Bhutan], China, Thibet [Tibet], Nepal & the Rajah's past dealings with the British, including Colonel Waugh the Surveyor General. JDH is being assisted in negotiations by Lord Dalhousie & Dr [Archibald] Campbell but cannot go now until Oct because of the season. Major Jenkins invited JDH to Bootan & the Mishmee hills of upper Assam. Will go to the Mishmees tea districts incl. plantation under Jameson at Kumaon, also to get the vegetable products & implements of the Mishmee tribes & determine the true course of the Burrampooter [Brahmaputra]. Will meet Thomas Thomson[TT] in Assam & go into Thibet towards Mansarovar Lake. The Chinese mission has broken up, Captain Cunningham recalled, Strachey in Thibet & TT to continue his researches with help of Sir Fred Currie. Falconer is ill which has delayed the transmission of the first part of the Niger Flora to WJH. JDH now working on copying out the Leguminosae for the Niger Flora. Has received various books from WJH incl. Lindley's which JDH needed to refer to for order Helwingiae. Found Balanophora at 8000 ft. Is sending live plants to Kew via Calcutta [Kolkata] incl.: Rhododendrons, Arums, Palms & Magnolias. Frederick Drummond, son of Lord Stratheden, has died of Jungle Fever caught on a tiger shooting trip & many of his servants died of Cholera. JDH is busy with his collections, making drawings & notes incl. a Journal & 'carte geognostique'. Will send WJH Ceylon [Sri Lanka] notes & Frances [Henslow's] father notes on Himalayan agriculture.

JDH staying with Nathaniel Wallich’s [NW] old friend Brian Hodgson [BHH] of Nepal who talks much of NW & the Calcutta [Kolkata] ‘snobs’ as Colvile [JC] terms the pseudo-naturalists. Falconer [HF] very ill & at Spence’s. JDH received letter today from NW’s attached servant Caly Comar [CC] who is getting a portrait of himself done for NW. CC very kind and attentive towards JDH. Should anything happen to HF he must look to CC. JDH spent several hours with [Theodor Edward] Cantor [TEC] who has obtained drying paper for him, they went to Metcalfe Hall & the Agricultural Society rooms where they saw busts of Dr Spy, Dwarkanath Tagore, and NW. Discusses changes at the Calcutta Botanic Garden. JDH thinks whole should be remodelled. Had no other book till yesterday except NW’s TENTAMEN [FLORAE NEPALENSIS ILLUSTRATAE] sent by HF. Mentions Rhododendrons, Magnolias, Arums, Wallichia, Holboellias, Kadsura grandiflora, & wild plantain. NW’s Arum speciosum common but not A. nepenthoides. Flora generally different from Nepaul [Nepal]. Mentions ‘his’ mountain Kinchin junga [Kangchenjunga], Gossain Than [Gosainthan], & Chumalari. JDH feels happy & comfortable except he does not like Indian food. Discusses the Political Resident Campbell [AC] & obtaining access to travel to the snow. Thinks Nepaul would allow access to Gossain Than & would visit had NW not done so. Niti pass is open & JDH would like to visit another year with Thomson [TT] to measure height of plateau, collect plants, & see the Deodar. Strachy has been to Mansarovar, his narrative in the last ASIATIC SOCIETY JOURNAL is expected daily. JDH & BHH will divide the Himalaya into sections by physical characters deduced from watersheds. Currently territorials are arbitrary from the Mishmees [Mishmi?] to the Sutlej. JDH sends regards to old friends particularly Philosophical Club. Miss D’Aguilar spoke much of NW at Jackson’s. Asks NW what plant he named after old Barnes, JDH has spent a lot of time with Barne’s son.

JDH reports progress on NIGER FLORA. He thinks Napoleona is close to Gustavia, it resembles an Indian Lecythis. [Nathaniel] Wallich sends JDH news. Ava trip postponed in favour of Darjeeling. Spring flora incl.: Convallariae, Apris, viola, Oak, Chestnut, Magnoliae, Arums, Fragaria, Rhododendrons, Prunus, Pyrus & Rosa with Clematis, Gentiana, Umbelliferae, Begonias, Saniculas & autumn vegetation to follow. Insects incl. Cocinillae & Grylli. Political relations with Bootan [Bhutan] & China mean JDH probably cannot go to Thibet [Tibet] via Kumaon or any other route. At Darjeeling it is not possible to see the different flora of the low valleys during the rains. Sir F. Currie sanctioned [Thomas] Thomson's [TT] continued work. JDH hopes TT measured the height of Gilgit. JDH is collecting for the museum & Jenkins at Goalpara has some things. Discusses the palm-like plants at Darjeeling, the rattan is used to make bridges & wild Musa leaves to carry things. Explains what collections, incl. from Borneo, he has promised to share with the Calcutta Garden. [Hugh] Falconer's [HF] health is improving, he will forward JDH's Bhangulpore [Bhagalpur] plants to Kew along with first shipment of roots incl. Balsams & Gesnerioids. JDH now likes HF but still has a low opinion of Royle. The collectors JDH sent to Tonglo were stopped at the border, they should be allowed to cross but Campbell the political resident does not enforce such rights. Further discusses British relations with the Rajah of Sikkim, position of Lord Dalhousie & permission to visit the snows. Mentions native people of Sikkim: Tartars, Lepchas, Tibetans, Murinis, Limbos & Bhutanese. JDH travelled to Darjeeling via Benares from hence he will go to Assam via Gowahatty & visit Sadiya in the Mishmee [Mishmi] Hills, the tea plantations & Ava. Would like to go to Tibetan passes. Comments that Madden is a good botanist. JDH is doing sketches & writing up his journal & geographical & botanical observations of the Himalayas.