108 TASMANIA AND THE ANTAKCTIC 



the only persons I have had to take leave of in Hobart Town. 

 Except the officers of the 51st I know no other persons 

 here, and they appreciate me much more than if I had been 

 gay, they are a set of excellent fellows, — ^the best regiment 

 I ever saw. 



In the same letter comes a reference to one Jorgen Jorgen- 

 sen, about whom Sir William had bidden him make enquiry. 

 Jorgensen's special connection with the Hookers began with the 

 fact that on the way back from a famous journey to Iceland, 

 an account of which is given later, he had saved Sir William 

 from perishing on a burning ship. 



Jorgen Jorgensen had nearly slipped my mind. I have 

 seen him once or twice, but he is quite incorrigible ; his 

 drunken wife has died and left a more drunken widower ; 

 he was always in that state when I saw him, and used 

 to cry about you. I have consulted several persons, who 

 have shown him kindness, about him, and have offered 

 money and everything, but he is irreclaimable ; telling the 

 truth with him is quite an effort. When once openly 

 employed by his friends against some bush-rangers, he was 

 at the same time betraying his employers. He wrote to 

 me asking me to lend him your ' Tour in Iceland ' ; Mr. 

 Gunn was luckily present and told me that he had had a 

 copy lent him many months ago and still not returned. 

 He lives entirely at the Tap, where he picks up a liveli- 

 hood by practising as a sort of Hedge lawyer, drawing out 

 petitions, etc. 



It would be unpardonable to withhold an account of this 

 meteoric personage, which is to be found in Appendix A. 



All were sorry to leave Hobart Town, where, as Hooker 

 tells his cousin, ]\Irs. Fleming (Jane Palgrave), 



we were treated with the utmost kindness by the inhabitants, 

 who received us like brothers and gave us balls and parties 

 innumerable ; indeed nothing could exceed the attentions 

 paid to us ; they rivalled one another in loading us with 

 their favours. The Governor's house was open to us, and 

 he gave all the ship's company vegetables from his garden 

 every day, with fruit for the officers. ... All this was, 



