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To J. D. Hooker   22 [March 1862]1

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22d

My dear Hooker

This is the last time, I fully believe, that I shall trouble you to correct names of two Calanthes.—2 I wrote to you at Ld. Powis’.3 I suppose you forwarded to me this morning a note from Asa Gray:4 it contained nothing, but ends “Yours cordially” so I hope to Heaven I am forgiven.—

My Catasetum paper is to be read by me on April 3d. I have had some diagrams made.—5

I am so consumedly sick of correcting my orchid Book.— | Farewell. C. Darwin

The plants & seeds arrived all safe & will be of greatest use; especially Lythrum, which seems from Vaucher a grand case of Trimorphism.—6 What sort of man is Vaucher? I have just got 4 awful vols.— phys. Hist. of Plants of Europe.—7

Footnotes

1
The date is established by the reference to Hooker’s visit to the home of Lord Powis (see n. 3, below) and by CD’s references to his publications (see nn. 2 and 5, below).
2
For Hooker’s reply, see the letter from J. D. Hooker, [23–5 March 1862]. CD was checking the species names of orchids in the process of correcting proofs of Orchids. See also letter to J. D. Hooker, [1 March – 15 May 1862].
3
Letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 March [1862]. Hooker was staying at Walcot Hall in Shropshire as the guest of Edward James Herbert, third earl of Powis (see letter from J. D. Hooker, 17 March 1862).
5
See letters to Richard Kippist, 18 March [1862].
6
Vaucher 1841, 2: 370–1.
7
There is an annotated copy of Vaucher 1841 in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: 812–15).

Bibliography

Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.

Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.

Vaucher, Jean Pierre Etienne. 1841. Histoire physiologique des plantes d’Europe ou exposition des phénomènes qu’elles présentent dans les diverses périodes de leur développement. 4 vols. Paris: Marc Aurel Frères.

Summary

Asks JDH to correct names of two species of Calanthe.

Note from Asa Gray ends "Yours cordially", so CD hopes he is forgiven.

His Catasetum paper will be read 3 Apr [Collected papers 2: 63–70].

Plants and seeds sent will be of great use, especially Lythrum, which according to J. P. E. Vaucher seems grand case of trimorphism. Asks what sort of man Vaucher is.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-3481
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sent from
Down
Source of text
DAR 115: 146
Physical description
ALS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3481,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3481.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10

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