Dear old Darwin

Your letter gladdened me as your hand writing always does, though the account of your state is anything but gladsome¹   Thank M^rs Darwin very much for her part.² This is just the place for my wife who gains ground rapidly, but loses it, or much of it, every now & then & is bloodless for a time. nevertheless, when weak,³ Neuralgia does not attack her here, as at Kew, & she walks several miles, & eats like a Trojan.

This is a wonderfully pretty place, especially the banks of the river. the moors are loathsome & the hills low broad rockless treeless & contemptible.⁴ I am studying the moraines all day long with as much enthusiasm as I am capable of after laying in bed till 9 eating heavy breakfasts & looking forward to dinner as the summum bonum of existence.⁵

I am reading Lubbock very carefully, it is excellent; most excellent, so well written sagacious & discriminating.⁶ How well & wisely he treats C. Lewis’ blunder & hastyness & the errors of others too.⁷ The Savage chapters are tantalizing for their brevity & incompleteness.⁸ Why did you not mention Lyells apologetic pages in your letter—to me—⁹ I suppose because the subject was most distressing— reason enough, for so it is— I am not satisfied with his apology at all— it is not handsome at all, & from an old Prince of science to a young aspirant, is not liberal I think. I am not surprised at Lubbock having been riled up originally: but cannot alter my opinion of the note,¹⁰ 1. that the accusation is too broad & loose (exaggerated I fear), & 2. the latter paragraph is a bitter sarcasm though wholly unintentionally so I quite believe— Do consider it. he first accuses Lyell of extracting whole sentences without acknowlegdment & then attributes the denial of the robbery to a regretted inadvertence! i.e. Lyell first robs, then prearranges a fib to hide it, before he is accused mind you—& lastly when accused regrets his wilful uncalled for fib, as an inadvertence! by Jove if this is not a climax of villainy what is? all an ignorant bye-stander could say is, that his conscience is of a piece with his conduct. I am taking an ignorant byestanders view of the case— of course I know well that Lyells conduct has in justice no such interpretation.— I hope Lubbock will take no more notice of the affair, it is not worth it, & never was. worth anything beyond a mere assurance that he was first, though apparently second in the field.¹¹

I know a little of Tylors brother— he is an FGS. & FLS. that Edward Forbes’ big heart embraced. The family are gas fitters &c &c, hardware tradesmen most wealthy & respectable, once quakers if not now quakers.¹² I never saw this author. I am so glad you like the book.¹³ it is to me the most interesting since your orchid work¹⁴ that I have read, & like it I can always dip back with gusto, & be refreshed.

I have read vol: 2 of Leckie (not vol 1 yet) & am extremely interested & instructed.¹⁵ The next holiday I get I must read Buckle,¹⁶ of which I have only read part of vol 2. I am also reading Tom Payne who I think has been pretty largely plundered by Grey & Colenso.¹⁷

We have the Benthams here & my cousin Inglis Palgrave.¹⁸ I have not begun Giffords book¹⁹ regularly, but dipped here & there. it seems awfully conceited, vague & meagre of accurate topographical or scientific information, & very diffuse, but wonderfully clever as a literary composition. & no doubt full of valuable historical matter— he is a queer fellow, eccentric like all his Grandfather’s grandchildren; with brains enough for us all if he would put them to work systematically.²⁰

I had the most enjoyable dinner I ever sat down to out your home or perhaps Lubbocks at Frank Palgraves the other day, the guests being Jowett Maurice & Gifford.— Browning & Stanley came afterwards.²¹

Can you afford to subscribe to the Palestine Exploration fund.²² I am deeply interested in the proper expenditure of the money & with Spottiswood Grove & some other good men I hope to see it well worked.²³ I have given £3.3 (annually) for 3 years.

Herbert Spencer observations on umbellifer are utterly wrong—his reasoning partially right.²⁴ How very odd, that the Antirrhinum case occurred to me as to you; I think that part of his reasoning, all or in great part wrong.²⁵ he makes too little of Insect agency in shaping flowers, & of hereditary influence— too much of light air & unconquerable love of symmetry in the plant— still there is much in the line of argument. He sends me the proof sheets to comment on.²⁶ I have not seen them since— he did not know that you had taken up the modifying effects of insect agency in impregnation   as a general law, that is.²⁷

I have not seen Nat Hist. Review which will not pay, is all but defunct I hear! & cannot go on beyond the year.²⁸

Oliver is working at African plants & his lectures²⁹

Ever yrs affec | J D Hooker

My Charlie has taken hooping cough at school, he returns on 19^th. which puts all our arrangements out as we must keep him apart, which is difficult during Willys holidays.³⁰