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JDH writes to his wife Frances Hooker nee Henslow about his recent travels in Morocco. He describes the celebrations of the last day of Passover, which he spent with a Jewish family in Tetuan. He describes the journey by mule across flat plains from Tetuan to Ceuta & notes that the vegetation included Tamarix Africana, mulberry & Juniperus phoenicea. He describes the view approaching Ceuta, the agriculture around the Spanish town, the people he observed including Riffians, & the character of the fortified town. They stayed at the Fonda Italiana then went by Felucca to Algericas where they botanised in the hills & observed the differences in vegetation with the opposite coast. The Algericas vegetation included cork oak trees festooned with the fern Davalia canariensis, undergrowth of bracken, brambles, Genista, Ulex, Cistus & heaths as in Morocco. Algerica plants not found in Morocco were Rhododendron ponticum, Erica ciliaris & Sibthorpia europeana [europaea], several grasses & a Helianthemum. The flora was more advanced than in the Marrakech area, the habitat being drier, & the scenery prettier. They travelled on to Gibraltar, where presently stuck waiting for a boat to Tangiers, all their luggage having gone ahead to Tangier. Whilst waiting visited the Governor of Gibraltar, Sir William Williams of Kars, who had been informed of their travels by the Secretary of War, Mr Cardwell. The Governor's house is a new building on the site of an old convent with some fine trees: Norfolk Island Pine, Date Palm & Dracaena draco or 'Dragon's blood tree'. In the hills the vegetation included: Cerastium gibraltaricum, Linaria tristis, Phytolacca trees. They stayed at Fonda Españole near to the offices of the hospitable Mr Cowell. Under date Apr 18 he continues; they arrived late at Tangier & had to pay to have the gates opened. They met with [George] Maw who had travelled South & found the beautiful Iris Sir John Hay Drummond Hay made them aware of.