My dear Hooker

I am really grateful to you for your two very long letters, which must have cost you much time.² I will just allude to the first; the several facts you give me are very valuable, especially the marvellous one on Primrose & cowslip.— At some future time, I sh^d. be particularly obliged for Drege,, ie if it be not in Linnean Soc^y.—³ By the way what a noble interest you take in Linnean: I was extremely glad to hear at Council of R. Soc. that the Linnean will get rooms in B.H.⁴ (By the way I feel pretty certain of medal for Sir J. Richardson, though he has not yet been proposed.)⁵

(Many thanks for Forbes map, which I shall pick up when next in London.).—⁶

I have written to M^r Crowe & repeated what you say.

In regard to Huxley; I sh^d. think his chance was so good if Owen is not on Committee (& his real claims I have not for a moment ever doubted about), that I will call when next in London on L^d. Overstone & speak about it: if you can interest Murchison I sh^d. think he w^d. be invaluable.⁷ I would, also, with pleasure write to M^r Crawfurd, if you think fit & I do not meet him soon.— I will, also, speak to Sir P. Egerton, when I see him next at Council of R. Soc^y.—⁸

Now for a more important! subject, viz my own self: I am extremely glad you think well of a separate “Preliminary Essay” i.e. if anything whatever is published; for Lyell seemed rather to doubt on this head; but I cannot bear the idea of begging some Editor & Council to publish & then perhaps to have to apologise humbly for having led them into a scrape. In this one respect I am in the state, which according to a very wise saying of my Father’s, is the only fit state for asking advice, viz with my mind firmly made up, & then, as my Father used to say, good advice was very comfortable & it was easy to reject bad advice.— But Heaven knows I am not in this state with respect to publishing at all any preliminary essay. It yet strikes me as quite unphilosophical to publish results without the full details which have led to such results.

It is a melancholy, & I hope not quite true view of your’s that facts will prove anything, & are therefore superfluous! But I have rather exaggerated,, I see, your doctrine. I do not fear being tied down to error, i.e. I feel pretty sure I should give up anything false published in the preliminary essay, in my larger work; but I may thus, it is very true, do mischief by spreading error, which as I have often heard you say is much easier spread than corrected. I confess I lean more & more to at least making the attempt & drawing up a sketch & trying to keep my judgment whether to publish open. But I always return to my fixed idea that it is dreadfully unphilosophical to publish without full details. I certainly think my future work in full would profit by hearing what my friends or critics (if reviewed) thought of the outline.—

To anyone but you I sh^d. apologise for such long discussion on so personal an affair; but I believe, & indeed you have proved it by the trouble you have taken, that this would be superfluous.

Your’s truly obliged | Ch. Darwin

Pray thank M^rs. Hooker for her little note about M^r Gosse’s book.—⁹

P.S | What you say (for I have just reread your letter) that the Essay might supersede & take away all novelty & value from my future larger Book, is very true; & that would grieve me beyond everything. On the other hand, (again from Lyell’s urgent advice) I published a preliminary sketch of Coral Theory & this did neither good nor harm.—¹⁰ I begin most heartily to wish that Lyell had never put this idea of an Essay into my head.¹¹