My dear Hooker

I have been wishing for some time to write,, but have refrained from expressing my indignation at that accursed malignant hypocrite Owen. How odious that attack was on you, with its flummery at first & hints that you would accept payment for acting as President.² I did not know what to think about our Secretaries receiving payment, & much feared that it w^d. greatly annoy Huxley.— I saw, however, that he was no more concerned that any of the old Secretaries. I was, therefore, so rejoiced to read in Nature a history of the Secretaryship.—³

Hurrah for old Sir Isaac.⁴ The publication of the extracts was the best & most dignified answer to Owen. What an odious character he is.—

Huxley told me that you got on splendidly in your speeches at the Anniversary, & that it was an excellent meeting: this was good news, for I knew that you were frightened; it makes me uncomfortable even in imagination to put myself in such a position.—

As for myself I have little to say: I am not very well, & fear diet will not do much for me, but am working hard at a new Edit. of the Descent, which turns out a truly awful job, from the innumerable criticisms, letters, & new facts which I have to compare & judge of.—⁵

I find that it is no use going on with my experiments on the evil effects of water on bloom-divested leaves. Either I erred in the early autumn & summer in some incomprehensible manner, or,, as I suspect to be the case, water is only injurious to leaves when there is a good supply of actinic rays.—⁶ I cannot believe that I am all in the wrong about the movements of the leaves to shoot off water. The upshot of all this is that I want to keep all the plants from Kew until the Spring or early summer; as it is mere waste of time going on at present.—⁷

I hope that you are not much overworked.

Your’s affectionately | Ch. Darwin