Miscellanea. 
397 
tueuse consideration. Mes amities k votre spirituel ami Mr. 
Darwin dont tous les travaux me charment. 
“Alexandre Humboldt. 
“ a Berlin le 30 Sept. 1847. 
“ Je n’ai pas le terns de relire mon griffonage : je vais examiner 
jusqu’it quel No. je poss&de votre belle Flore.’’ 
The most important assistance, in exploring the botany of 
Northern India, is promised to our traveller by Ilis Excellency 
the Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, and by the Court of 
Directors of the Honourable India Company. After spending 
about twelve months in this undertaking, Dr. Hooker’s instruc¬ 
tions are to return in 1849 to Calcutta, and thence proceed to 
Singapore and Borneo. 
At the latter island, the valuable aid of His Excellency, Mr. 
Brooke, and the protection afforded by H. M.S. Meander (com¬ 
manded by the Hon. Capt. Keppel, to which ship Dr. Hooker will 
be attached as supernumerary medical officer), will enable Dr. 
Hooker to fulfil the designs of the noble and enlightened First 
Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Auckland, who directs that he shall 
pursue his botanical researches and draw up a report on the vege¬ 
table productions of the British settlement of Labuan, and such 
parts of Borneo as can safely be explored. It is especially his 
object to ascend, if possible, the great mountain of Keeny Baloo, 
supposed to be 14,000 feet in height. Dr. Hooker embarked at 
Portsmouth, on the 11th of November, in H. M. steam-frigate 
Sidon, which conveys His Excellency Lord Dalhousie, to Alex¬ 
andria, en route for Calcutta, and he may be expected to arrive 
there towards the latter end of this month (December). Two or 
three months will probably be devoted to investigating the plains 
of Bengal, and particularly the fossil vegetable remains in the coal 
formations of Burdwan ; and then Dr. Hooker will journey north¬ 
ward, perhaps to Sikkim ; but his exact route must considerably 
depend upon circumstances which it is impossible yet to foresee.— 
London Journal of Botany, Dec. 1847. 
