To J. D. Hooker 5 April [1864]1
Down Bromley | Kent.
Ap. 5
My dear Hooker
I see my scheme for Scott has invincible difficulties & I am very much obliged to you for explaining them at such length.2 If ever I get decently well & Scott is free & willing I will have him here for a couple of years to work out several problems which otherwise will never be done. I cannot see what will become of the poor fellow. I enclose a little pamphlet from him3 which I suppose is not of much scientific value, but is surprizing as the work of a gardener if you have time do just glance over it. I never heard any thing so extraordinary as what you say about poisoning plants &c.4
Very many thanks for the glacial discussion, which I shall preserve.5 I thot Frankland was infinitely in his assertions6 Will you give Oliver my particular thanks for all his references about tendrils &c—7 It gives me the horrors to see how much I ought to read on the subject
I can never admit Lyell’s view on glacial climate & to make all fit you will have to out do the great master of wriggling.8
The post has just come in yr. interest about Scott is extraordinarily kind & I thank you cordially.9 It seems absurd to say so, but I suspect that Balfour is prejudiced against Scott because he partially supports my views.10 We will let Godfrey Wedgwood know that you wd like to see him & I am sure he wd enjoy coming out to Kew to you when next in London.11 It pleases me much that you wish to come here to see me but at present my health is so doubtful that it really wd not be worth while unless you were staying at the Lubbocks12—for, on many days I cd only shake hands with you, & on my better days, cd only talk ten minutes— you may be sure I will let you know when I get really at all better.
Apropos to glacial action I can remember no instance of fiords except in the North or South—13 I agree to what you say about Prestwich.14
Please look to climbing of Nepenthes. I am the more curious because I remember that the tips of the leaves of N. ampullacea (which I bought) were hooked— The 2 little plants which you gave me, tho’ treated with maternal care, both died.15
You must not trust my former letter about Clematis I worked on too old a plant & blundered.16 I have now gone over the work again It is really curious that the stiff peduncles are acted on by a bit of thread weighing .062 of a grain.17
Clematis glandulosa was a valuable present to me.18 My gardener shewed it to me & said this is what they call a Clematis evidently disbelieving it.19 So I put a little twig to the peduncle & the next day my gardener said “you see it is a Clem. for it feels” That’s the way we make out plants at Down—20
yours affectionately | C Darwin
My dear old friend | God Bless you.—
Have you read the article on History of Heat in Reader: it is interesting.21
I have got new nor of N. Hist. Review.— I have not had it read, but I see much honour is done me, I suppose by Oliver—22
We have laughed over your astonishing injustice to the I. of Wight.!23
How curious all that you tell me about Veitch.24 What interesting letters you write.—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Alefeld, Friedrich. 1863. Ueber Linum. Botanische Zeitung, 18 September 1863, pp. 281–2.
‘Climbing plants’: On the movements and habits of climbing plants. By Charles Darwin. [Read 2 February 1865.] Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany) 9 (1867): 1–118.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon. Edited by Ágnes Kenyeres. 3 vols. and supplement. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. 1967–94.
Mohl, Hugo von. 1863. Einige Beobachtungen über dimorphe Blüthen. Botanische Zeitung 21: 309–15, 321–8.
[Oliver, Daniel.] 1864a. Dimorphic flowers. Natural History Review n.s. 4: 243–8.
Trimen, Roland. 1863. On the fertilization of Disa grandiflora, Linn.... drawn up from notes and drawings sent to C. Darwin, Esq., FLS, &c. [Read 4 June 1863.] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society (Botany) 7 (1864): 144–7.
Summary
Sees difficulty of placing Scott at Kew. Suspects Balfour is prejudiced because Scott is a Darwinian.
CD’s former letter on Clematis [4403] blundered; work now being revised.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4450
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 115: 227a–c
- Physical description
- L(S)(A) 10pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4450,” accessed on 17 August 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4450.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12