108 TASMANIA AND THE ANTARCTIC 
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 sHpped 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 cr'y about you. I have consulted several persons, who 
have shown him kindness, about him, and have offered 
money and everything, but he is irreclaimable ; teUing the 
truth with him is quite an effort. When once openly 
employed by h s 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, 
