viii Obituary Notice of Fellow deceased. 



fact that Hooker had demonstrated to him " the discovery of spores in an 

 admitted species of Zepidostrobus." His most masterly achievement was the 

 detection (1854-5) of the true nature of Trigonocarpon, a seed-like hody 

 not infrequent in the Coal Measures. This is now recognised as the seed 

 of a Pteridosperm. The resemblance which it bears to the seed of 

 Salisburia and of Cycads, pointed out by Hooker, has been confirmed by 

 recent research. 



In 1854 Hooker wrote to Darwin, " From my earliest childhood I 

 nourished and cherished the desire to make a creditable journey in a new 

 country, and write such a respectable account of its natural features as 

 should give me a niche amongst the scientific explorers of the globe I 

 inhabit, and hand my name down as a useful contributor of original matter " 

 (M.L., vol. 1, p. 70). It must seldom happen that the wish of childhood is so 

 completely and admirably realised in after life. It was a fortunate circum- 

 stance that the Earl of Carlisle was Chief Commissioner of the Department of 

 Woods and Forests, to which both Kew and the Geological Survey were 

 attached, and that both the Hookers were known to him. Dr. Falconer, 

 Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, had suggested the 

 exploration of the Central and Eastern Himalayas, and Humboldt warmly 

 supported it. Lord Carlisle, on the ground of securing the prospective 

 collections for Kew, obtained Hooker a grant from the Treasury of £400 per 

 annum for two years, and the expedition assumed the character of a Govern- 

 ment mission. Lord Auckland, the First Lord of the Admiralty, wished him 

 after India to go to Borneo at the Government expense " for the purpose 

 of reporting on the capabilities of Labuan," and he received a commission 

 in the Navy. With Lord Auckland's death the project fell through, but 

 he was allowed £300 for a third year in India. The Admiralty sent him 

 out on H.M.S. Sidon, which conveyed to Egypt Lord Dalhousie, the 

 Governor-General of India, who from this point attached Hooker to his suite 

 and subsequently procured him admission into Sikkim. While resident 

 there he was for some time the guest of Brian Hodgson, the Buddhist 

 scholar and naturalist, to whom he was indebted for much assistance and 

 information. Hooker, with Dr. Campbell, the Governor-General's agent, was 

 imprisoned by the Sikkim Court in the hope of bringing some influence to 

 bear in a dispute with the Indian Government ; but he fortunately escaped 

 the ill-treatment to which his friend was subjected. He was able to explore 

 part of Eastern Nepal in which no traveller has since succeeded in 

 following him. 



The expedition was rich in results, and not least remarkable for the 

 versatility which Hooker displayed in obtaining them. He surveyed the 

 passes into Tibet, a task of no small difficulty, seeing that it was accomplished 

 single-handed and in a mountainous region of extreme complexity. Later 

 travellers have only confirmed the accuracy of his work. The Lhasa Mission 

 in 1903 derived such aid from its use that, having reached Khambajong, 

 where it was no longer available, Sir Frank Younghusband sent Hooker a 



