Item 52 - Letter from Thomas Thomson to Brian Houghton Hodgson

M------
11th May 1850

My dear Hodgson

In the hurry and bustle and excitement of leaving Dorjiling [?] I had not, or rather did not avail myself of an opportunity of saying what I felt at the time very strongly how much I was indebted to you for your kindness during the many pleasant days which I spent in your house I trust therefore you will excuse my putting on paper what I neglected to say at the time. I shall long look back with pleasure to the happy months I spent at Dorjiling and to the extreme kindness of every one there. Joe and I only arrived at this place last evening, and have been most kindly received by Dr. Lamb we have had a good deal of heat and our progress has been very tedious. Our morning walks have however been very productive botanically but we are not anxious to linger with the thermometer at 97 for a longer period than is absolutely necessary and are already longing for the time when we shall commence the ascent towards Churra. We have given up our contemplated visit to [G] Dr Lamb assures us that several days would be required to see the place at all - and we have not time to spare, and a hurried look is not worth while, we go on at once after breakfast towards [B] which we hope to reach on the fourth day at the furthest. I do not think that the ten days of our journey have produced any event very worthy of record beyond the usual porpoises and alligators of a Bengal Nullah. Many parts of the Mahanuddy are very narrow quite equal like, very deep, sluggish and peculiar. Here it is a fine wide river with an [?] population on both banks.

Believe me ever
Yrs very truly

Thomas Thomson