<p>[[1]]</p><p>Lebong (Judge Cathcart)</p><p>February -- /[18]50 *1</p><p>My dear Father</p><p>You will be rejoiced to hear that the advance into Sikkim has been postponed sine die & I of course free of the plague & detention. Thomson is still attached to the force, which is an excellent arrangement pending the settlement of our plans, as his pay & time goes on. I had two days ago the most kind & flattering letter from Lord Dalhousie & another from Courtenay. Lord D[alhousie] says that he has such full reliance in my prudence & that he will not believe me at all to blame & that he sees no obstacle to the Nepal Expedition, he writes from Bombay [Mumbai]</p><p>[[2]] but the affair cannot be settled till he returns to Calcutta [Kolkata] in the beginning of March. Then he will meet the Nepal Embassy (to England) & all will be easily settled. I hope.</p><p>The reports about Thibetan [Tibetan] interference with Sikkim are now definitely settled negatived, as I said the Rajah has no alliance of any kind with Thibet & except as a renter of two properties in that county no relations with it[.] Being himself Thibetan by birth education & he has always adopted the policy of the Chinese as to exclusion of foreigners, in spite of his Treaty with us which binds him to us alone & in the face of which the Chinese would</p><p>[[3]] not be foolish as to interfere covertly or otherwise. What Mr Lushington & the General have been about I cannot say, being far too busy to attend. They have got a wigging from Gov[ernmen]t. for proposing or rather, threatening to march into Tumloong, if the Rajah did not deliver himself up. which he has not done. Lushington is or rather was a judicial not a political officer & appears profoundly ignorant of how to go to work is giving offence to the military & I fear making a mess of it: but really I speak only from hear say & have had no time to investigate the matter. All I know (or care to know) is that we do not march to Tumloong. Thomson's party who</p><p>[[4]] marched across the river were released two days ago -- I went down & came up with Tom thus far (Lebong) last night -- botanizing upwards.</p><p>We have had good success in botanizing considering the explored nature of the county -- viz -- a new Calamus, very pretty & the male flower of the Cycas -- two most magnificent cones, worth five guineas a--piece superb things really. The species is I believe pectinata -- we looked three days in vain for the female & indeed the trees are so few that it is not likely to be found, I also got more another large trunk trichotomous & better whole specimens of some of the Palms, a new road [[5]] being just cut through the heart of the jungle in the lowest valley, wherein areca Caryota, three or four Calami & Wallichia grow. No sight signs of Chamaerops whatever in Sikkim. Up to three days ago I was packing my collections at Dorjiling incessantly, they are very numerous & good but terribly bulky & unwieldy. Palms, woods Bamboos Tree--ferns & Cycas will cost a lot of money to get down to Calcutta, whither I am despatching all as soon as possible.</p><p>I stay here (with Tom[?]) for a few days to complete my collections of Palms & woods &c.</p><p>I had a long letter from Madden yesterday, now at Calcutta en route for England in March, with a</p><p>[[6]] small collection of plants for you. he appears an extremely nice fellow from all I hear & read. very clever but like all Indians knocked about in constitution a good deal. He hints privately to me that a private application on your part might secure Strachey's collections (lately made in Thibet) for Kew.</p><p>Hodgson is quite well, but. I am sorry to say very cranky & has been so ever after my unlucky capture, you know that the poor fellow took a most strange & unnatural view of the case, distracted by affection for Campbell & myself. & with</p><p>[[7]] an always exciteable[sic] brain & extravagantly personality temperament. He conjured up all sorts of phantasms to amount for the affair, accepted every Bhothea lie for truth & without waiting for our report bewildered both gov[ernmen]ts, sued for us as if we were malefactors, & made such an uproar as has brought him the most tremendous denunciations from gov[ernmen]t. The poor fellow Byng, who has not one idea to cap another with; he misled & utterly confounded. You I doubt not he frightened out of all measure of need, & altogether he has made so thorough a mess as a politician man of sense or friend to any, partly that he feels terribly depressed but is far too proud to confess that, or his errors. Between</p><p>[[8]] ourselves his brain is a little turned. Now the Rajah avows that the passes are & always should have been free to us, that Thibet was his bugbear to us illegitimately in that neither he nor the Chinese have taken offence at Campbells or my proceedings, & that his own violence was first to coerce Campbell into political measures, & latterly by maltreating me & my party to deter other Europeans from entering the county & Lepchas from assisting them.</p><p>All I can say is that precarious as my position was for one month I all along thought it better than Borneo. Cathcart desires his best compliments his collection of drawings is invaluable, admirable, all are for my use! -- Ever your most affectionate son</p><p>Jos D. Hooker [signature] *2 Enquire if you please, who a Mr Middleship is, who professes to have property in Richmond lane, next to Lady Shaftesburys, -- Do ask as he is very much suspected & the people here do not know what to make of him</p><p>ENDNOTES</p><p>1. Annotated in different hand "recd Apl. 1.st"</p><p>2. Text from here until the end of the paragraph is written vertically in the left hand margin and across the text on page 1.</p><p>Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study electronic image(s) of this document where possible.</p>