216 THE GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY 



publications and a big travel book in two volumes, ' Journals 

 of a Naturalist on the Erebus and Terror, 1 which the John 

 Murray of that day, meeting Sir William at dinner, declared 

 his readiness to publish as a companion to Darwin's famous 

 1 Voyage of the Beagle.' But a year botanising abroad was 

 worth five of study at home. The Admiralty were planning 

 a scientific voyage to Borneo, and might appoint him as 

 naturalist ; again, ' If I could only get the W. and F. to pay 

 expenses and Admiralty to give leave, I would go to India and 

 collect fruits, woods, and seeds, &c. &c. The E.I.C. superin- 

 tendent of W. and F., Dr. Gibson, 1 in the Indian Peninsula 

 offers me a cruise with him to province of Cannar (S. of Goa) 

 at a very cheap rate, and I have a huge yearning that way ; 

 his is only a four or five months' trip or tour of inspection. 

 I wish I had a private fortune.' Again, in July, he writes 

 to his grandfather : 



I shall be ready to make any sacrifice to get to the tropics 

 for a year, so convinced am I that it will give me the lift 

 I want, in acquiring a knowledge of exotic Botany. My 

 friend, Falconer, goes out on December 20, to the charge 

 of Calcutta Bot. Gard., and I hope to be ready to share 

 his cabin. I shall then spend some months at Calcutta 

 and the neighbourhood (Gurney, 2 &c., &c.), get up to the 

 Himalaya betimes, and return the following winter via 

 Bombay. 



He had strong hope of joining the Tibet mission, which 

 'was to go from Ladak to Yarkand and Kashgar over wholly 

 unexplored country north of the Himalaya, and in September 

 1847 was in active correspondence about this. The work 

 already in hand would not suffer, for as he wrote to Boss : 



Kew : September 7, 1847. 



MY DEAR CAPT. Boss, I have delayed answering your 

 letter till I should know something more definite regard- 



1 Alexander Gibson (1800-67), went to India in the medical service of the 

 Company, and became superintendent of the Botanical Garden of Dapuri in 

 1838, and Conservator of Forests in Bombay 1847-60. 



* Gurney Turner, his cousin, in the medical service of the E.I.C. 



