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JDH thanks George Bentham for taking over from [Jules Émile] 'Citoyen' Planchon on Niger Flora. At Darjeeling JDH enjoys assistance from Brian Houghton Hodgson[BHH] & Müller; the latter is a Calcutta [Kolkata] Mint accountant. Pending approval from the Rajah JDH will travel more. JDH describes his daily routine whilst travelling & collecting with his Lepcha assistants, also describes his camp, challenges of difficult terrain, the scenery & his curiosity about the old roads. You cannot stray from the road as in the Alps & Andes. Bhutan & Upper Assam are closed to travellers & the low areas are unhealthy. JDH describes an unknown Sonneratia tree & mentions new Michelia & Cucurbitacea. JDH has published papers for the Asiatic Society. He wants to study the geography & natural history of eastern Himalaya as it has been ignored except by BHH. Botanically it can be divided into tropical, temperate & arctic areas. He describes the vegetation in Sikkim province: the area bounded by Kinchin [Kanchenjunga] & Teesta River, & compares it to that of Bhutan & Nepal. The description discusses: tropical jungle, conifers, Taxus, Pinus longifoli, P.deodara, P.pindrow, P.excelsa, P.smithiana, wild Cupressus, Brunonia, larch, palms, Cycas, Pandanus, Cruciferae, Ranunculus, Saxifraga, Primula, Oak, Magnolia, Lauri, Abies brunoniana, A. webbiana, Rhododendron, dwarf Juniper, tropical genera at unusual heights, pepper, Ficus, Calamus, Licualia, Wallichia, India-rubber fig, lack of open sward & European genera, pine forests, lack of legumes except Parochetus, Erythrina & different elevations at which characteristic vegetation appears. JDH discusses the climate of Sikkim & its influencing factors: the South East Monsoons & the Khasya & Behar Hills. Enmann’s Travels make JDH want to see Siberia & Chinese Tartary [Soongaria]. JDH also mentions: Edgeworth; Falconer going to Moulmein; Thompson, the deputy opium examiner at Patna; Crawford; Winterbotham in Tibet, Wallich & an Irish lady.

JDH writes about his Bhotea mastiffs. He describes their physical appearance & savagery before being tamed, which he calls as bad as Bruno. JDH also has a puppy: a cross between Thibet [Tibet] mastiff & Lepcha hunting dog. He carried the puppy up Kinchin [Kanchenjunga] & named him after the mountain. JDH had to clean Kinchin daily with mustard oil & wood ashes, he likes bones like Skye but not the cook or rice, he is clever & steals cheese & JDH’s dinner. JDH jokes that Kinchin learnt English & that he was teaching the dog to write. Kinchin is now six months old & collects plants for JDH. Illustrated.

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JDH is at Calcutta [Kolkata] with [Hugh] Falconer. He has failed regarding Nepal so will travel towards Sylhet & Khassya [Khasi]. Uncomfortable terms with Commander in Chief Sir Charles Napier, mean Lord Dalhousie has refused permission for [Thomas] Thomson to spend a year with JDH on duty so he will take it as furlough. JDH discusses Calcutta Society & his friends & acquaintances there, who include: the Colviles; Colonel Thornsby, the British Resident at the Court of Nepal; the Taylers, including Miss T who will do JDH’s portrait better than her father; Jung Bahadur; Gurney’s friend Reverend Street; & the old Bishop of Calcutta. He describes the Nepalese Princes currently in Calcutta, they will visit RBG Kew having paid penance for crossing the water at the temple of Juggernauth. Mr Tayler gave JDH a picture of Kinchin-Junga [Kanchenjunga] as seen from [Brian Houghton] Hodgson’s window JDH will have [Walter Hood] Fitch copy & return the painting & ask Reeves to publish the copy in lithograph with sales profits going to the Linnean Society. JDH is sending sandalwood boxes for his mother & the RBG Kew museum. It is not worth sending unauthentic, overpriced gold jewellery & trinkets. JDH describes his time at Government House with Lord Dalhousie, Metcalfe & Bowie, the latter was prisoner to Shere Singh with the Lawrences during the battles of Chillianwallah, Ramnagar & Goojaret [Gujerat]. He mentions that Courtenay sings at the grand parties & that horses in Calcutta are expensive. JDH will leave for Darjeeling on 9 Apr. He mentions Isabella’s gossip concerning Dr [Archibald] Campbell, Willy, Glasgow College, a Dr C. of Largs & Dr McGilvray.

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JDH describes the portrait Mr Tayler is painting of him. The scene is JDH’s camp in a forest after a supposed day of collecting in the snowy Himalaya mountains & features: JDH’s Lepcha Sirdar presenting him with a bunch of Dendrobium nobile; the Ghorkha [Gurkha], Havildar & Lepchas in their uniforms; JDH’s Bhotea dog; bamboos, ferns &rhododendrons. JDH also describes the combination of Thibetan [Tibetan]& English clothes he is wearing for the portrait, including a hat mounted with a silver pebble & peacock feather as marks of rank. Illustrated with a sketch of the hat.

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By this mail JDH has already written to WJH, Frances [Henslow], Colonel Sabine & Humboldt & is sending specimens of cloths for the RBG Kew museum. He has no news of his servant Clamanze reaching Calcutta [Kolkata] with his collections. He comments on the health & employment of [Thomas]Thomson[TT]. Illness caused TT to give up on his reports at Ferozepore [Firozpur]& go to Simla [Shimla], leaving his collections at Calcutta. Lord Dalhousie & the Court of Directors have refused to let TT join JDH. TT intends to join his regiment in the Punjab next Nov & then take leave to join JDH. Before leaving India TT will visit his cousin Sconce at Chittagong via the Cossya & Tiphera &JDH wants to go too. TT has been effected by the deaths of Professor Thompson & [George] Gardener. TT recommends WJH buy GG's collections through the agency of JDH & the Colonial Office. This would interfere with Borneo but JDH does not care where he is employed & leaves the decision to his father. JDH gives Bessy a message about his dog.