JDH writes to his mother regarding letters exchanged with & news about friends, family & acquaintances: sister Elizabeth, whose health is improving; cousin Gifford, who may have been in a battle in the North West; the Palgraves; Aunt Jacobson; Humboldt; Maria's husband; Frances Henslow; Wheatstone; Stephan Ward; Phillipps; Mrs & Sir C. Lyell; & Darwin. JDH has also written to Reeks regarding the destitute family of Geological Survey Officer Williams. JDH hopes the box of instruments from Adye [Alexander Adie?] has been sent overland not round the Cape of Good Hope. JDH mentions numerous friends in Darjeeling & elsewhere in India: Müller, who he is staying with & for whom he has ordered some instruments from Newman; Hodgson; Barnes, who has supplied him with elephants; Campbell, who has supplied tents; O'Shaugnessy; Sabine, who wants him to make meteorological observations; & Lobb, a plant collector for nurserymen. JDH has also befriended [William] Tayler, Post Master General of India, brother to artist F. Taylor. WT is an artist himself & has painted landscapes & portraits in Darjeeling & Cattmandu [Kathmandu] & intends to paint JDH's expedition party including Lepchas, Bhoteas & animals. JDH describes his new Bhotea dog, a Tibet Mastiff. JDH is sending home his Nepal & Sikkim collections inc. seeds, dried plants, museum items for WJH, & Cryptogamia for Wilson to name & publish as he desires. JDH discusses the publication of his letters in the LITERARY GAZETTE, editor Jordan, he does not think the criticism of them in the ATHENAEUM comes from the same 'L' who denigrated the BOTANICAL MAGAZINE. JDH Also mentions: Stocks' papers in LONDON JOURNAL OF BOTANY; Griffith's PALMS [OF BRITISH EAST INDIA]; a sketch in the LONDON JOURNAL OF BOTANY of his report on McLelland's activities, anticipated comments on the Calcutta Gardens, JDH's coal-fossil essay & the exchange of his Antarctic Flora for Wight's ICONES.

Discusses the death of his Uncle Gurney who was well respected in Calcutta [Kolkata], & the death of Williams in unhealthy jungle. Urges his father not to worry, JDH avoiding unhealthy places with the advice of [Brian Houghton] Hodgson [BHH]. Assam is unhealthy at this time of year & tensions with Nepal on the NW frontier will hamper travel to Cattmandu [Kathmandu] so Hooker will stay at Darjeeling & the Himalayas. Wants to make more geological, geographical & meteorological observations of Kinchin [Kanchenjunga] as well as collect its botany. Whilst in Darjeeling he will continue to collect specimens, draw plants, prepare his flora 'Cibaria & Economira' & send roots to Kew. He hopes to visit 'the snows' again at least as far as Jongri. JDH has received letters from home with news of Bessy's [Elizabeth Hooker] illness & recovery & Planchon's contemptible conduct. Also received instruments from Newman & Jacket & books forwarded through Colvile. Discusses publication of new Rhododendrons & the identification, characteristics & proposed names for different Rhodo. species: macrophyllum, campbelliae, wallichii or setosum, argentuem or arboretum & falconeri. Mentions Reeves & the LONDON JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Discusses the likelihood of Thomson joining him from Ferozepore [Firozpur]. Mentions Madden, Wallich & the [Calcutta Botanic] Garden, Falconer being sent to Moulmain [Mawlamyine] to report on Teak & Macrae taking over. Soane river collections not yet sent home, will be shared with the East India Company, Linnean Society & Calcutta Gardens. Bentham has taken up Vogel. Discusses running of the [RBG Kew] herbarium, including outgrowing Aiton House & needing an assistant, he suggests Mitten, not Spruce. JDH ordering instruments for Muller. Brown has been staying at Kew & JDH is willing to make amends. There is no Zallacca at Darjeeling, only Wallichia. Speculates on the future of ANNALS OF KEW & the Linnean Society incl. possibility of WJH being chair.

JDH writes to Darwin about his travels in Sikkim, specifically Kinchin [Kanchenjunga]. Account of other parts of travels, incl. Nepal, were set to Lyell. Discusses the geography of the region, comprised of many mountain spurs & two great rives, one the Teesta. Native villages built on terraces, not usually found above 5000 ft. Valleys are steep & clad in forest to 12000 ft. Discusses effect in varying mean elevation on vegetation e.g. tropical flora advances further North in Nepal. There is geological evidence of a larger body of water than the current rivers once covering the land, notably deposit of red clay to 12000 ft. Makes further detailed geological observations including notable lack of feldspar. Notes that holy lakes have no outlet but drain away underneath, describes visiting the largest of the lakes & rite performed there. Letter includes diagrams showing cross sections of the mountain ridges. Mentions a Bhothea temple: Catsuperri Goompa. Describes meeting [Archibald] Campbell & Sikkim Rajah at Teesta River & climbing a Mt with the former as high as an abandoned Buddhist Temple with an impressive view towards Bhutan & Nepal. Descended to the Great Rungeet River. Visited Pemiongchi convents with impressive paintings. Describes Yoksun [Yoksom] village, notable for being on rare flat ground, & ascent of Ratong Valley. Observes that abandoned salt trading post, Jongri, 13000 ft, is on a spur unusually covered with gravel mounds, granite boulders & little lake beds with shingle deposits, the formation of which is a mystery. Observes typical glacial & snow bed features appear in great number in Ratong Valley. Compares the forming spurs here to those in Nepal. Describes the peak of Pundim: made from Gneiss & veins of plutonic rock capped with white rock. Ends with some observations on quartz, mica schist & stratified rocks & absence of Hornblends augite or volcanic minerals. Sends regards to Wedgewoods & Bell.

JDH received letter of Oct 6, concerning poor health of Darwin. Requests that his own letters containing speculations are kept or recorded for future discussion at Down. Congratulates Lyell on his Knighthood, & Mrs Lyell. Pamphlets by Hodgson sent Oct 2. He exclaims what have Barnacles to do with ornamental poultry. He refers to his unacknowledged account of the cattle hunt in Ross’ VOYAGE [OF DISCOVERY AND RESEARCH IN THE SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC REGIONS]. He regrets the unfavourable review of his letters by the ATHENAEUM, for his father’s sake. He refers to his father’s & Bessy’s [Elizabeth Hooker]poor health. Requests that extracts from his letters to Darwin or Lyell concerning the highest mountain in the world [Kanchenjunga] be sent to the ATHENAEUM to re-establish his credit. He compares his own industry with Humboldt’s natural talents. Lightheartedly compares Barnacle behaviour with polygamy of Bothea [Bhotia] women & refers to work on Cirripedes. He urges Darwin not to fight for the perpetuity of names, referring to the pride & conflicting interests amongst naturalists, & to the fields of mineralogy & chemistry, & to Humboldt & Henslow. He discusses the presidential post [of the Asiatic Society] & dispute between Colevile & Falconer & the correspondence with them. Falconer has gone to Moulmain [Mawlamyine] to report on the Teak Timber & JDH has not heard from him in 6 months whilst a 'nobody' has been put in charge of the [Calcutta Botanic] garden. He describes the altitude sickness he suffered at 1500 feet in the 'snowy passes' & doubts he could climb beyond 1800 feet.