232 THE VOYAGE TO INDIA 



Lord Dalhousie's friendship, which was built up on the 

 voyage, and in India showed itself in unstinted support to 

 Hooker and to any friend he recommended, was a personal 

 appreciation of the man rather than of the scientific investi- 

 gator. Hooker, who was no less attached to him, as a man, 

 during the too few years that he still had to live, wrote very 

 frankly of his lack of scientific interests. 



I find Lord Dalhousie an extremely agreeable and 

 intelligent man in everything but Natural History and 

 Science, of which he has a lamentably low opinion, I fear. 

 He is a perfect specimen of the miserable system of education 

 pursued at Oxford, and as ignorant of the origin and working 

 of our most common manufacturing products and arts as he 

 is well informed on all matters of finance, policy, &c. I very 

 carefully drop a little knowledge into him now and then ; 

 but I cannot awaken an interest or any sympathy in my 

 pursuits : he is much pleased at my being busy, and especially 

 with my carrying on my Meteorological register three times 

 a day. Lady Dalhousie shares her husband's apathy, but 

 is otherwise a kind-hearted creature. In the Desert I brought 

 them the Gum Arabic Acacia, which I thought must interest 

 the late president of the Board of Trade ; but he chucked 

 it out of the carriage window : and the Kose of Jericho, 

 with an interest about it of a totally different character, met 

 no better fate. 



The thought arises that ' he has so much Scotch caution 

 that he does not like to broach a subject he cannot talk upon ' ; 

 however this might be, the efforts to interest him in the veget- 

 able products of the East seemed to bear fruit, and later : 



The Governor-General hints to me that he would like 

 reports on the Tea district of India ; so that I shall hope 

 to be made useful by him and to have an opportunity of 

 returning all his kindness. I need not say that I shall lay 

 myself out to attend to his wishes in India. Assam, how- 

 ever, did not enter into my calculations. 



And at Point de Galle he took care to present to the 

 Governor- General his friend Gardner, Sir William's protege, 



