113 
Extracts from the Private Letters of Dr. J. D. HooKER, written 
during a Botanical Mission to INDIA. 
Continued from p. 89. 
CALCUTTA TO DARJEELING IN StKKIM-HIMALAYA. 
Here, at the foot of the cliffs, which towered imposingly above our 
heads, and were seen through the tree-tops, are several small seams of 
coaly matter in the sandstone, with abundance of Pyrites, sulphur, and 
nauseous efflorescences of salts of iron, but no real coal. Som 
springs from the cliffs above are charged with lime, of which enormous 
tuff-beds are deposited on the sandstone, full of impressions of the leaves 
and stems of the surrounding vegetation. In some parts of their course, 
the streams take up quantities of inflorescences which are spattered 
over the sandstones in a singular manner. 
. At Akbarpore I had sunk two thermometers, one to the depth of 
4 feet 6 inches, the other 5 feet 6 inches, which both indicated 76° 
during the whole time of my stay, the air varying at the surface from 
56° to 79° 5’. Dew has been formed every night, on the plains, since 
leaving the hills at Dunwah, the grass being here cooled 12° below 
the temperature of the air 
b. 19th.—We marched up the Soane to Tura, passing some low 
hills of limestone, between the cliffs of the Kymaor and the river. 
I collected Ulmus integrifolia, a small Clerodendron, and a pretty bell- 
flowered Asclepias crawling over the hedges, and botanized by the banks 
of the river, which is lined with small trees of Ficus, Terminalia, Phyl- 
lanthus, Trophis, and various shrubs, one a very sweet-scented Vitex, 
with clusters of white flowers, also V. Agnus-castus (?) or Negundo. 
On the shaded banks grew abundance of a Myosotis like Cynoglossum, 
Veronica, Potentilla, Ranunculus sceleratus, Rumex, several herbaceous 
Composite and Labiate: Tamarix was plentiful on rocky hillocks in 
the bed of the river, and in pools grew several aquatic plants, Zanni- 
chellie, Naias, Chara, a pretty little Vallisneria, and a 
with filiform leaves: Riccia was very abundant in damp places. The 
Brahminee goose was common here, and we occasionally saw immense 
flocks of wild geese over-head, flying north. 
Here I tried again the effects of solar and terrestrial radiation, on 
the sand at different depths, not Wk able to do so on the alluvium : 
VOL. I. 
