INDIAN PLANS AND OUEEENT WOEK 217 
ing my plans. The Woods and Forests seem very desirous 
of sending me out, and as I do not see any other prospect 
of my doing better, and being extremely anxious to under- 
take any exploratory expedition, I need hardly say that 
I do hope they will employ me. 
The last J sheet of the Flora Ant. is in the press, and 
it contains a vast amount more matter than I had ever con- 
templated bringing in ; it has cost me out of 'pocket upwards 
of £100, and Lord Auckland has not yet had his copy, which 
will cost me £8 10s. I feel it to be now quite time that I 
were looking out for a liveHhood, and as my future hopes 
and prospects all will be with the Woods and Forests I feel 
that in justice to myself I ought not to throw away the 
present opportunity of improving myself, and the science 
to which I am attached, and of establishing a claim upon 
them in the proper quarter. 
Neither the Flora of New Zealand nor of Van Diemen's 
Land will suffer by the delay, as Mr. Gunn and Colenso are 
still employed in making collections in all parts of these 
islands and are paid by my Father and self for doing so, 
from our private pockets. Under any circumstances I 
did not think of beginning the publication of either Flora 
before some months, when their latest collections shall have 
arrived. 
Failing anything else, he was even ready to go out and 
report on the nature of the Island of Ascension, a barren rock, 
in connexion with the Admiralty plan of improving the vege- 
tation there. Unexpected encom^agement of the Indian plan 
came from De la Beche, who desired to retain him on the 
Survey staff, while taking the fossils he might collect for the 
Geological Museum, and letting the plants go to Kew. 
The first point then was to secure a Government grant for 
the Indian expedition, and the support of the East India Com- 
pany. The latter was easier to win than the former, finance 
at the moment being unpropitious. The Admiralty, moreover, 
to whom Hooker owed allegiance, thought * India out of their 
proper sphere, and suggested that if he wanted botanical travel 
he should join the official expedition to the Malay Islands, 
planned for 1848, though this would not be a very well paid 
