Affichage de 49 résultats

Camp Samdong
July 19/49

My dear B

Your long and kind letter of the 30th June has this day arrived with the much acceptable brands of Tea. It would have been well had I given up the cutting and hewing line, as you (too late) wisely advise, but really I was at a loss what to do and did, do feel sure that to give up here, is to expose myself to a quadruple amount of annoyance elsewhere - If I give this pass up, I may as well give up Lachoong too, for to find, or cut one's way is equally impossible - Meepo knows neither way, and the Quaber I still as all along suspect - It is all and ever part of it the Rajah's doing and as I have said over and over again this 10 months, except under fear or coercion there is no place for me. After all I did get something for my cutting and tearing. The Th'londe and [Genui?] the former running W to Kinchin, and cutting off the great Mt chain from the long spurs of the Thibetan table land and the sources of the Genui, amongst the low (comparatively) hills of the latter, are points of moment and besides this I can now connect the geog, of that frontier - W to Kinchin with this (I hope) East to Powhunry true it cost a month of such a life as I hope never to spend again, but my curiosity to know the features of that quarter, (behind the visible ranges) and the course of so large a stream as the T'hlonok must ever have been an aching void - Especially when I should have found how singularly anomalous this quarter is. Again, I am in no hurry to reach Lachoong even were my prospects there better than here, for I may be weeks and never see the length of my hands so perpetual are the fogs of this region. I am clearly out for all the rains and August has no rain, September with heavier rain has clearer weather a great deal. Lastly I think I have made out a point of exceeding interest - that Kongra Lama. the frontier [by] this route is bona fide the water shed! the true frontier of bare table land, and grass and [?] low thought it be as also, that what I may see from Lachoong will be inexplicable without this bit. Look you dear B - The Singtam Soubah called on me this morning, and as usual I talked him into the most delightful humor, told him tales of my younger days, of all the Bens in Scotland and Papa's pulling me up precipices after plants and such like when he volunteered to give me a geography of N. Sikkim and Thibet, called for paper, rice and charcoal and squatting on the wet ground (which has given me a touch of lumbago) he knocked off really an excellent chart, making the Mts. of heaps of rice and drawing the routes and rivers - I send you a copy you will remark that he cannot tell N and S well amongst Mts and that I take it his Lachoong pass ridge should run [E and W?] not N and S [Kancheng jow?] Is my great Mt (alias Choyarribo) it is very holy and Poojahs offered annually to it. Cholamoo is undoubtedly a table land, declining West and North - Kongra Paber he assures me is continuous with the plateaux and the boundary of the bare mountains and grassy ones. All the Lachen waters come from South of it, - from Cholamoo to [East[ or low hills like these to the West. He forgets the name of the great Mt he places North of the Lachoong Pass - I presume it should be East and that it is Waugh's Powhunry he says it is a little higher than Kanchen jow. Immediately N of Kongra Lama is [Genoo/Geroo?] a large Thibetan village, and no doubt the reason why they visit by progress in this direction - Waters flow North from thereabouts, or rather N.W. to the Y. Tsampoo, but is tortuous amongst ranges of hills in Thibet, that it is difficult to guess their direction the [?] (of Campbell's [?]) is the largest - At the back of Kinchin the country is very mountainous and uninhabited K is visible from Dobtah, but no further the country is altogether so mountainous that neither Kanchen jow, Doubia lah or Chumulari are seen from any distance at all - Hence doubt Turner's silence about all this stupendous and superior range west of Chumulari the Soubah thinks probably the head of the Yarron! but is not sure, at any rate great water flow thence to the Yarron. From the back of Kanchenjunga and he thinks from N.E. of it even, the [Arun] waters rise. He knows of no stream from Kamchang to the Yarron. Now you see the probability even, of Kongra P alias Kongra Lama being the water shed, renders me extremely anxious to visit it. Everyone says it is a low spur, never snowed till late in the season. Not a mt. ridge at all, and as perhaps the lowerst Himal Pass I do long to see it - If you did not know how weary I am of [?] after Mt. views you would not wonder at me heart's not bounding at the prospect of the Lachoong view. I know what it will be over and over again I shall climb the Pass to see nothing I Soubahs worrying me and wearying my people - Even granting I get this length. But is all comes of Sikkim this halfway between the two great Mt groups is the most curious, and I shall leave it thus unexplained, if such is my doom with hearty sorrow. Every additional bullying and obstacle makes me more cautious and guarded and for God's sake dear B don't advise my leaving this route - If Lachoong is really to be more practicable - Amen there's lots of time for that too. I do hope C. will write to the Rajah before he gives this Kongra Lama (alias Kongra Paber) it is promised me and let me stick here here till the answer comes. Do consider it is 1 1/2 march N. of this and with these Macadamized roads. What a distance that is north of my now remote position north too of my dearly beloved Kancheng jow do look out for it and "pensee a moi" If the apparent obstacles have induced Campbell to recall me home, recall the recall I beseech you - fool that I was in my ignorance to say "I personally did not care 6d for such a p" it is of all points the most interesting and be that as it may - any [?] in the quarter is fatal to my prospects in another I ascended an average Mt of this district yesterday it was 14,000ft about and I had not a particle of jungle in

Singtam November 1 [18]49

My dear Brian
Thanks many for yours of the 24th now received from [Sleeman/Sherman?] which is very kind and leaves no room to doubt of my Nepal reception on the British [Resid.] account. What Lord D has to say remains to be [read?] we are delayed a day or two here with rain and my plants but move tomorrow [Tumloong?] wards whither the Rajah denies us not to come and sends us to his [congees?] and directions to go hence as we came, insufferable impudence I call it. The Lama has been awfully threatened and punished dismally but we have bolstered up his courage successfully and he is up to [?] scratch. Meepo too appears to be on our side and in the Lama's confidence. I think Campbell will do it this time and meanwhile we are at loggerheads on the question of Capt. Baines and the Austrians which I upheld through thick and thing and [glory?] in the 2 headed Eagle having to receive a Middy's [crew?] with a salute and its own band playing God save the queen nay I would have held out for Rule Brittania I tell Campbell and he will get it out of the Rajah yet. Jubilate for your improved health. We shall be in about 12th I hope. For God's sake send that black [?] off [incontinent?] [Hoffman/Hopman?] wants no bad examples and I fear may want to do down with [Gomes?] Let Bhaggui give him what he likes remembering that as he coluntarily demands dismissal on Oct 6th his wages cease Sept 6th (so says Campbell) I think he cheated En Route up to [Bhaupilpure?] but cannot tell without reference to Calcutta. I have just read [Queen Koock Dhimal?] and with great admiration. The religious bit extremely interested me and it is written with [?] [?] clearness and good style - true or no n'importe to me. I doubt not it is as accurate as good. What a miserable affair is [Andrew Fleming's?] (son of the Zoologist of ?] bad English and miserably poor in details - Cunningham's paper is very clear and good but I still cannot clearly see my way about the atmosphere being varied at all - You may be quite right but I do not penetrate it on these grounds.
1/ The density is no different at special elevations on an isolated Peak rising from the [sea?] and on a plateau,
2/ The constitution does not differ in these elevations nor in either from that of level of [sea?]
3/ The mean temp of the year is not greater in one that the other Any one of these postulates granted I do not see how we can talk of the "atmosphere being carried up" - We cannot exaggerate the amount and rapidity of evaporation. Even I could hardly believe as I saw the thick hoar frost of night go by magic.
The height of P S is not a mere element of mean Temp - The reverberated heat of the Thibetan plateau which is very great does not imply and increased Mean Temp for the cold by [?] radiation is equally great in [?]. I appears to me that the diminished fall of snow, and the rapid evaporation of what does fall and powers enough to raise the snow line - If you raise the atmosphere with the elevation i.e. place on the plateau an atmosphere where normal [position?] related to the surface of the [globe?] is elsewhere beneath the level of the plateau - that much betrays itself in one or all of the three attributes. Density, Composition and Temperature, of these the Density is the most conspicuous and the most accurately and easily measured but I can positively affirm that the density of the atmosphere [?] [?] on 10,000 in Thibet is within 100ft of what prevails over all equal elevations in that Latitude - and as the mean temp. of the said for 3 days was below 30o we cannot suppose the second attribute (Temperature) that of an inferior level, as referred either to the general state of the atmosphere or to that floating round an isolated peak of said elevation placed in the ocean. I hope that I mean is clear to you, if not I can explain it i.e. demonstrate it (right or wrong) on paper when we meet. Thibet is certainly a huge plateau but not [?], it is truly awfully rugged and mountainous and very many of the mountains in sight from where we were much reach 20,000ft and not a few 22,000 how very curious that none should be higher materially whilst the mean level is so great and peaks so high. Cunningham uses the same Expression that I did "Douses" for the [?] [?] and these I learn are very confined few and far between in this quarter. Cholamoo is the great one and perhaps 10 miles every way, but on it the quantity of surface 1000ft above the mean is very great. Old Muller has quite against my orders sent a Barometer out to me - A new one and it arrives smashed. I told him that I did not want it and on no account to send it out - 2nd to accept it himself as he asked me for a Barometer - this is not all he forgot to send me the sheath and case with the tube sent before and so entailed the smashing of another Barom. the original one I brought from England - Five broken Bars. in one year is a [?] allowance - not one being my fault in any way! worst of all I have now to buy a new one again for old Muller. Cunningham's paper on the Embankments is highly philosophical and good, he must be a man of great attainments. What he says [illustrates?] my noticed of the river bed between the Ganges and Terai exactly. He does not apply the word "table land" to Thibet probably from restricting it's meaning in a [?] I do not - but we had better look up the [?] if it means a surface on the whole [?] plain or [?] than mountainous I cannot admit it for this part of Thibet but if as I suppose the term implies a mass of land greatly elevated and continuously so above the mean level of the [?] - however rugged a surface - then that will do for their part of the world. Humboldt applied the term to the centre of Spain which is no plain if I remember right. Campbell denies [?] [?] [?]
from
Yr ever affectionate
J.D. Hooker

Govt. House

Mar [22nd?] (Supp)

My dear Brian

I hasten to inform you by way of supplement to my this days despatched that I have seen [Jessie?] a very nice looking lady-like and agreeable girl all [bloom?] and draws remarkably well [?] especially far better than Papa, with expression and better flesh tints! She has just finished one of [Francis?] Buchanan for his intended a remarkably [?] water colour portrait. Mrs/Miss Taylor is certainly a most agreeable [swell?] looking person but probably much altered since you saw her. She has magnificent eyes but rather larger hollow [?] and her tints are sallow In manners she is remarkably pleasing, quite engaging [?] [?]. I saw [B?] on the course but only at a distance. Miss [Colvile] rides a great deal and always in a very tasteful costume, she dressed really simply and elegantly and is certainly as lady-like a person as any in Calcutta in manners, dress and appearance. Someone remarked yesterday that she had grown quite pretty. The tide of [?] and gaity has ebbed only for the season at Calcutta and from all you can hear and see we would not suppose money was scarce. All are unanimous that this season has been unparalleled for gaity. Taylor had the prettiest turnout on the course but poor fellow I fear it often causes an aching heart - He certainly does [?] and [?] [?] ship but only because his time for promotion is all but up and he cannot and he cannot hold the P. Office much longer. He would still prefer a Calcutta appt. for his families sake but supposes that he will be obliged to take on [?]. He things of the [?] if, as is probable that is to be brought down to 2500 but unfortunately however good his character was, as a magistrate it is now so low as a man of business that I should doubt his standing a ghost of a chance and further a barrister is [?] of for it amongst whom there is plenty of choice. [?] Taylor expects a [?] judgeship and hopes the station may be a healthy one. I am to see Thornley/Thoresby tomorrow morning. He is at Spence's. Taylor has just received the picture back from [?] together with his copy of the Rhod. book. Dr [Falconer?] looks fit and well but pale and is reported sickly and unable to retain the garden. I only saw him at the college for a minute. He reports the Rhod. seeds to be springing up as a "[?] of green" Calcutta Garden and the Lawn is also sprouting - all are in [?] [?] Bethune's Hindu Girls School bears a [?] [?] character. He [?] [?] one of the most uncouth looking [?] I ever set eyes upon. Falconer says that Strachey's Himalayan work was the most suspect he ever set eyes upon, and that all his operations Geometrical, Meteorological and Botanical are [?]. His cross sections from the Snow to the Plains are both panoramic and exact with details of Elevation, Temperature, Geology, Plants, Animals and all else. He went a long way into Thibet over [Niti] and spent the whole season upon other work. He and Madden publish together and at once on their reaching England. So tell Thuman/Thurman we must look to our points.
[?] 23rd I have just had a long talk with Thornley/Thoresby he says the Nepaul Durbar is firm and sure that the Rajah [?] and Jung Bahadur brother (now supreme) very inferior. Erskine not likely to get on. His own doubts are whether J.B. would like introducing an Englishman to [?] travelling during his absence when the said traveller would be under the care of others - when the general feeling of the people might be against the measure, and when he himself could not be present to give confidence. The best plan by far he says is to wait till November when Jung Bahadur will be back again and when everything is certain to go on well and when he is certain to promote [ad libitum?] intercourse with us. I however guess the present opportunity and he will undertake it on J.B.'s return from Jaggernath for which I [?] [?]

Ever yr. affectionate
J.D. Hooker

To B.H. Hodgson
From J.E. Gray

25th Dec 1844
British Museum

My Dear Sir

This will be delivered to your by Mr. Gerard who will pack the specimens and give you an account of them. I have [desired?] him to bring the Thibet items with him by rail and to learn from Mr Masters the best ways of sending of the others.
As soon as I have received the specimens and been able to sort them into kinds I will as once proceed to make the short descriptions you desire of the hitherto undescribed specimens which are marked as not having yet been characterized in the list of your birds which you have promised to send to me and send their descriptions for mention in Taylors Annals of Natural History. It would be more satisfactory if you transmitted with the list the descriptions you have already made on these species that my additions may only be the filling up of any [?] that may be necessary as I consider everything that van be [?] from your own hands so very much more valuable thats what is to be desired from the study of the dry skins and bones and at the same time more satisfactory. As soon as the collection is sorted out and the duplicates distributed into sets for the different Museums according to your letters we will set to work to form the catalogue of them and of the drawings but it would greatly facilitate this affair if you will give me a complete list of your various Papers and the Books in which they have appeared that I may search for them in the India House and other libraries for the local magazines of India very rarely find their way to this country and are even more rare in perfect sets. Hence the great difficulty we experience in knowing when the Indian species are described. This catalogue may be made in 3 or 4 months so as to appear in the Spring. I consider this catalogue of the greatest use as making known where your numerous and very interesting descriptions are to be found for if the works which contains them are rare in London their existence are quite unknown on the Continent and if the Specimens were sent without being accompanied by such work the names would almost all be considered as mere {Mss.?] one and therefore little or not at all recorded. You have more than once accused me of being anxious to grasp at your Collections, in this you quite misunderstand me, my anxiety to have the specimens is more on your own account than any mere wish to increase the Museum Collection which has been increasing at the rate of 20,000 specimens a year for the last 2 or 3 years and will have added more than 27,000 specimens this year. But by your sending a series of specimens to the British Museum there can be no [cavilling?] in time to come your discoveries and the type of your species and you will have them to refer to any time that your Nepal fauna may appear, at the same time it must be owned and nobody can be more willing to allow it than I am that your collection is a most magnificent contribution to the National collections and Science in general. I will use my utmost endeavour to induce some artist to undertake the publication of a selection of your drawings [figuring?] especially the more interesting of the numerous new species which you have discovered for I don't think that it is possible that I could ever find any one to Engrave or purchasers to support the entire series. I say artist for large publishers will never undertake such publications and I believe it is only a person who will devote himself to the work and to getting it into circulation as Mr. Gould does that could make a work of the hands pay its expenses. Should such an artist be found I will give him any assistance in my [?] power as I did to Mr. Howard when he was engaged upon it. If you were going to remain here I should have recommended you to have at once set to work to collect together [reports?] in a systematic form all the very interesting and strikingly novel [research?] and observations with which the backs of your Drawings and Notes Books are filled and to proceed to print them for I believe they would form a work which many publishers would be glad to undertake and which would be a most valuable contribution to [natural?] knowledge, but as your are going back to nearly the same neighbourhood I think it better the work should be delayed for a few years that you may add to it any fresh observations which you may be enabled to make and read it over when it is collected together into an acceptable form to take from it any [repetitions] and add to it the facts that must recur to your memory on such a perusal. When you have your materials together I will peruse and give you any friendly assistance that may occur to a [closet?] and systematic naturalise like myself but I am convinced/concerned from what I have seen of the notes that very little assistance will be wanted from me as I should not recommend you to over[burden?[ the work with dry systematic descriptions taken from the dry skins or measurements which are comparatively of so much less importance than the notes on the structure and habits of an animal or Birds made on the spot by an enlightened and accurate observer like yourself but what ever friendly assistance my numerous and laborious occupations here will allow me to give to the work I shall be most happy to afford though at the same I must decline to take on myself any responsible part in either the publication of the plates of letter press descriptions
Believe me my Dear Sir
Yours Truly
J. E. Gray

To B.H, Hodgson Esq.

To Brian Houghton Hodgson

British Museum
26 Dec 1844

My Dear Sir

Herewith as you wished I send you the following abstract of my letter to the Secretary of the British Museum respecting your collection
"Mr Hodgson wishes the museum to prepare at once "a short description of the new species to appear in one" of the Monthly scientific Journals and then to print a short "catalogue of the specimens and drawings presented by Mr. Hodgson to the Museum referring to where he has described them that he may have the credit of his discoveries which have been very numerous" "The collection of Specimens and Drawings are certainly the most extensive and complete materials which have ever been collected together for the Fauna of any country and of Europe (excepting perhaps those made by Mr Gould in New Holland) and it is very desirable that Mr. Hodgson should have every credit for the very great exertions he has used to make us acquainted with the Natural History and habits of the Mammalia and Birds of the provinces of India and Thibet "with the patronage of the India Company and the list of subscribers which Mr Hodgson informs me he has in India. I think it is very probable that before the end of the two years specified by Mr Hodgson (during which he has reserved to himself the exclusive privilege of using his [figures[ as specimens) It is very probable that some artist with the consent of Mr Hodgson may be induced to undertake the publication of a selection of them. If this should be the case I have promised Mr. Hodgson that every facility and assistance which it can be in the power of the Zoological department (consistent with their other duties) to afford him shall be given to him to forward his wishes.

Yrs very truly
John Edw. Gray

[Written on outside of letter]
1844
Gray's pledges
and report to the Trustees

He promises
1st describe new species within a month
2nd to make catalogue in 3 or 4 months
3rd to exert himself touching publications of Drawings

N.B. Catalogue to be distributed with each set of duplicated forwarded to the following by Brit. Mus. Paris, Leiden, India House, Canterbury, Newcastle, Plymouth, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinbro., Dublin
Their address?

To B.H. Hodgson

British Museum
Feb 6th 1845

My dear Sir

I saw in looking over the list of Birds that the Tibetan Pheasant that the 2 [Grandalleus[em] Caldeola?] has not been marked, it was at the stuffers when the list was being prepared, so it escaped, we did not retrieve any specimens of the Ganges Pelican but only a head. Besides the [587?] Birds distributed according to the list there are numerous specimens in so bad a state as not to be of any use to any person. What shall be done with them?
The catalogue we are preparing will contain a detailed list of every specimen we have received from you between 1840 and now. I send herewith a list of the Mammalia shewing how they and their bones have been distributed. If you let me have the list of Birds for a day the distribution of the Birds since should be added to it.
I should recommend the Bird Bones to be sent

1. To Coleges of Surgeons
2. To Museum Haslar Hospital the second best anatomical hospital in England
3. Leyden
4. Paris
   2, 3 and [?] will be very small in number. Mr. Strickland has written to say he's very much obliged to you for having given him some of your birds. I saw his note
   Yrs very truly
   J.E. Gray

My brother desires me to inform you the Sun Birds stuffed they come to 1. 5. 0 case and all. Shall they be sent to Canterbury or where. I here from Mr. Rees that they have found 50 drawings of Birds at the Zoological Society but they say they are waiting for your instruction to deliver them. Pray write to them.

London February 5 1845

The Trustees of the Leyden
{Paris and etc} Museum

Gentleman

I have the honor to present to the Leyden Museum a series of Specimens illustrative of the Zoology of Nepal with Catalogues annexed. The Specimens amount to five hundred and thirty six Birds and sixty-nine Mammals [written above this figure is an amended pencilled figure of seventy]. In the Catalogue transmitted the whole of the Birds and Mammals discovered by me in Nepal are set down for the information of the Trustees and I may add that the complete series is deposited in the British Museum and amounts to
Mammals of Nepal 126 species
Mammals of Tibet 47 species
Birds of Nepal and Tibet 657 species
Frogs, Fishes, Snakes and Tortoises 80 species
The species now transmitted to Paris [Leyden] are transmitted through the obliging mediation to the British Museum and are distinguished in the annexed Catalogues by a cross prefixed.

I have the honor to be
Gentleman
Your most obt. Servant
B.H. Hodgson
Late British Minister at
the Court of Nepal

[OVERLEAF]
The same to Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Edinbro, Dublin, Newcastle, Canterbury, Manchester, Earl of Derby with the number of specimens altered as follows

                                                                        SKINS
                                      Birds                       Mammals                Bones

3 Paris 462 48
4 Berlin 411 41
5 Frankfurt 352 7
6 Edinbro 321
7 Dublin 290
8 Newcastle 259
9 Canterbury 237
10 Manchester 213
11 Earl of Derby 205
12 Hugh Strickland 169

                                             ADD                                               Bones

British Museum 1753 170 195

1. India House 655 162 45
2. Leyden 536 78
3. Paris 462 48
4. etc. as above
   add College of Surgeons
   Haslar Institute

Not enumerated in the list in Gray's Zool. Misc.

Darjeeling Feby 10 1849

My dear H
I am still toiling away at these plans and getting every day more and more dreadfully tired of the standing on my legs from morning to night. Writing to you is a good excuse for leaving off a little and with that mention of the [?] I go so far as to address you when I have nothing worth your reading to communicate. 5 great Banghy boxes of seed are just sent away and I shall have I suppose 20 coolie loads of plants to go by boat to Calcutta with my serot Yangma village is 13,700ft - permanently inhabited growing wheats and radishes in Summer. Do you know of any [?] Himalayan villages higher, or any Thibetan ones carefully measured. What an expose is poor Strachey's boiling point altitudes I have no wish to drive height measuring further than to within the nearest hundred feet, that I think is necessary and enough but Strachey may be out 1000 or even more thus 1o of boiling temp is equal to 500ft at his elevations - his instrument had the scale very small only reading to 2o further it was a common therm and not intended for boiling temps at all. Such instruments are often 3o or even 4o out. Again I find that any [?] will not do for this method. Nor any thermometer and with every advantage I cannot get the boiling point to within 1/2 a degree. Again the water used will affect the result to as much as 500ft, the best Darjeeling water making the height of this [?] more than that lower than it should be by more than 600ft. Lastly I find the connection for Sp, grav, if air makes a diff. of 700 feet om the Wallanchoon Pass and of this element he takes I think no account at all. How far these may connect one another it is impossible to say. Muller says he can't trust Strachey to 2000ft. I say 1 or 1500 I am extremely sorry for it for I had expected to look on [?] as a fixed point and to know the [?] of the Thibet Highland from that I suppose the [culminant?] point W. to where Thomas has been. I am all in confusion about the Stracheys - another brother seems to have been to the Lakes since the long [?] [?] and writes a most confused letter to Thomson which you have no doubt seen. As from N.23 to 578 and which is printed without date and without locality. There is a great deal of mystery about the gentleman or I am very stupid (or both). What on earth the latter letter writer means I can't divine. A volcanic eruption raining a bed of gravel [6-800ft?] between two lakes! The depth of ground on the plains (800-1000ft) is a grand fact and I hope good [Muller] has just been over to [Mrs O's] and returns with the bad news that he will be recalled to Calcutta ere long as since Mr [McDonald?] is going home on leave. The mail is in with letter from home for me. My sister very considerably better. You kindly asked about her in your last; she is my unmarried sister, younger a good deal than myself and has long been subject to chest or throat attacks which alarm us all exceedingly and are most tedious. My only other sister (who married the Scottish Parson) is also my junior and the same mail brings me an account of my being doubly an Uncle through her. Her husband who rejoices in the name McGilvray is a genuine Celt and not a favourite of mine - said to be a monstrous clever fellow and "powerful preacher". How he managed to captivate my sister, a most charming girl I can't conceive. I was abroad at the time. I believe the free kirk persecution had a good deal to do with it. I occurred in Glasgow when my F and M were nursing a 3rd sister in Jersey where the latter died of consumption and where also was my now ailing sister. I was at sea and Maria left to keep house in Glasgow where she fell in the with Revd McH. The match was opposed for 5 years but as in all like cases, opposition was only temporary - they are very happy together and that is the great decider in most unequal [?] (However I weary you with family details). They were no sooner spliced that the Revd. Dr MacG received a pressing call from the [Braitheren?] in both Americas to unite the bond of the Free Kirk from New York to the Polar Ocean, which he obeyed, taking Maria with him, when they were wrecked in the Great Western (of "Britain" which was it?) on the coast of Iceland after travelling in Canada for 2 winters they returned to Glasgow where Mr McG resumed his duties of renouncing the Devil himself and denouncing all who don't do the like - at least such as the work with the followers of rank Presbytarians when I was at college with Scotch Divinity Students in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Mr Mcrae of [Rob?] Gardens answers my letter promptly and writes very civilly and kindly. Falconer has just arrived at Maulmain and was starting for the jungles, with the T at 88o he will not be in Calcutta before May. My Father says he has sent me an Aneroid Barometer a new invention strongly recommended. There have been more rows at the R.S. about a secretary. Brown supported our friend Bell against [Grove?] who carried it. Grove is a good man but not very agreeable in manner. I think his wife is a nice person and that is a great deal in giving a tone to Scientific Society. Even to half the battle with unscientific lookers on.
This is a [regular?] [?]
So goodbye for the present
Ever your affectionate
J. D. Hooker