To, C. Darwin Esq.

Sir,

I would have written you long ago in answer to yours of March 11^th.¹ but I have always deferred doing so in hopes of having something or other of scientific interest to communicate. Disappointed in this—as I have never got fairly settled to work since I arrived in India²—I will write a few notes by way of informing you, to whom I owe all—how it fares with me here.

I left Rungbee—as I think I mentioned in my last letter I had hopes of doing—in the latter end of May for Calcutta.³ Dr. Anderson kindly giving me the choice of remaining in charge of the Cinchona, or going down as Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Calcutta.⁴ I accepted the latter, glad to embrace the opportunity of being again in a situation where I might advantageously follow out those subjects—in my spare moments—which had previously engaged much of my time & attention:⁵ though with a free conscience I think I may justly say that certain of the Edinburgh folk falsely charged me with allowing these subjects to engage my time to the sacrifice of my proper work. I think M^r. M^c.Nab, innerly at least—will be inclined now to give me this much credit—as I know that much more work has devolved upon him since I left the gardens, & further the person who succeeded me though not having all the duties to attend to that I had; has nevertheless failed to perform even these as he has been dismissed … I will not trouble you however with further details on these matters, and I have merely noticed them by way of vindicating myself to you, my best benefactor.⁶

I see plainly that my Verbascum paper is wholly unfit in its present state for publication⁷   I was afraid of this when I sent it you, as I stated in a letter** which I had posted in time for the same mail as that by which I despatched the registered papers of Verbascum.⁸ I would not have posted these latter so hurriedly, as I was fully aware that they would require much correction, having drawn them up from my notes in the course of my voyage, and while suffering almost unremittingly from sea-sickness. I really thought that I was never going to get free it—the slightest breeze was sufficient to upset me, & I did not get fairly free of this sensation until we had a second time crossed the line & were getting well up for the Sunderbunds.⁹ As I said on this account I would not have posted the papers until I had time to examine them—though I can’t understand how I have made such singular blunderings in my calculations. I am truly sorry and ashamed that I should have taken up your valuable time with such, as also that of D^rs. Hooker & Thomson¹⁰—but as I had D^r. Andersons orders to get ready at once to go to Rungbee, I thought that it might be long ere I had time to look over it, & correct it, so I sent it thinking that should it be unfit for publication you might extract any matter from it you thought fit for your own use. As you had often said you were anxious to see results of further experimentation amongst varieties of Verbascums .....¹¹ Just now I will not attempt to do anything with it: but whenever I have time to spare I will commence work a fresh on these subjects as well as on that of the other kinds of dimorphism manifested in the vegetable Kingdom & perhaps I will get material worthy of publication.¹²

In talking of this matter, might I take the liberty of asking, if you could spare me a few seeds of Leersia oryzoides.¹³ I should like to make experiments on fertilisation in closed flowers.¹⁴ We have here one Leersia—aristata— I have not seen it flower yet, so I am not aware whether it presents the above phenomena.

I was somewhat astonished to find that all the plants of Lagerstroemia, elegans; Indica & var alba, are what may be termed long-styled, this organ projecting beyond the longest stamen— the number of the latter organs are very variable especially in the first named species .... All the plants of both species in the gardens are sterile.¹⁵ I have by way of experimenting tried a few flowers by artificial fertilisation on L. Indica, & var alba but with no success— As for L. elegans, I have never found good pollen on it— from deformity of anthers, conjoined with its sterility, I am inclined to regard it as a hybrid. When I have time however, I will have a little work on these. You will be interested to hear that the L. Regineæ, though I have seen only one form in the garden—a long-styled also—produces an abundance of fruit, the capsules well filled with good seed.¹⁶

In your last letter you say that though still weak your health was improving,¹⁷ earnestly do I wish that you have since had no relapse, and are now enjoying an ordinary share at least, of that, perhaps one of the most desirable of Nature’s boons.

I remain | Sir | Very respectfully yours | John Scott

**This letter seems never to have come to hand. I had it posted by one of the hotel servants— But this I understand now is an insecure mode. As these beings often take the stamps from the letter & destroy the latter.