From J. D. Hooker [23 September 1873]1
British Association, | Bradford
Tuesday
Dear Darwin
Thanks for Nortons address2 I wanted it to introduce a friend who I think Nortons would like to know.
I am distressed to hear of your continued badness.3
I shall be delighted to go to Down by usual train on Saturday week— Earlier if you like.4
Mimosa albida I will see to on my return— meanwhile I hope for seeds of more sensitive kind.5
Tyndalls answer has surprized & disappointed me greatly & much vexed all his friends here He quotes at the end a passage in a letter from me in which deplored such correspondence & blamed “Nature” for inserting them! my letter was addressed to him under the idea that he was on the continent & was intended to sooth any irritation that might lead to a counter-explosion—& miserably I have failed.6 It required great tact in announcing his Election as Pres. Elect yesterday— & prevented my seconding it as was prepared to do, with a special allusion to Tyndall’s appreciation of his predecessors labor— Of course this became impossible—& the proposal by Henry Smith & seconding (by Spottiswode) were pronounced by all to be unusually [tame] & heartless— yet both I am sure did their very best. H. Smith dilated on his popularity—7 There was a counter propostion by the Mayor of Cork, for Dr Andrews to be President, on purely local grounds—8 but it fell to the ground, unsupported by any one but a Belfast Man, who like the Mayor was wholly unscientific— The Cork Scientifics repudiated the attempt with some indignation— but I am not sure but that Tyndall will throw up the Presidency—9 Spottiswode & I concocted a letter to him at once, telling him the facts.
This is a very poor meeting indeed. Williamsons address was very poor & badly put together I think.10 Dr. Williamsons lecture on Coal fossils was popular, well done & very suitable to non scientifics— but void of any philsophical treatment & wrong in points of Botanical detail11
Clark Maxwells lecture on Molecules last night was simply dull dry & singularly unintellagable as delivered— without a point or significance to the outside world.12
Ferriers brain work was intensely interesting but I think that he proves far too much.13
Burdon Sandersons paper was capital— it is a grand discovery14 Allman’s address was splendidly done15
We are very jolly here— in a quiet lodging, (Strachey, Dyer, Lawson) We go tomorrow to Sir J. K. Shuttleworth near Kirby Lonsdale till Saturday—then back to Kew—16 I have just heard that Huxley is back “quite well”17 & that Sharpy18 has had an apoplectic attack but is better— Strachey says that Georges paper comes off today.19
Ever yours affec | J D Hooker
Footnotes
Bibliography
Selleck, R. J. W. 1994. James Kay-Shuttleworth: journey of an outsider. Ilford, Essex, and Portland, Oreg.: Woburn Press.
Summary
Thanks for C. E. Norton’s address.
Tyndall’s answer [Nature 8 (1873): 399] has surprised and disappointed him;
great trouble in announcing Tyndall’s election as President Elect [of BAAS] yesterday. Tyndall may throw up the Presidency. Spottiswoode and JDH have concocted a letter telling him the facts.
A very poor dull meeting. Comments on papers by W. C. Williamson, Clerk Maxwell, David Ferrier, Burdon Sanderson [Rep. BAAS 43: lxx–xci, 23–32,126–7, 131–3].
Has heard Huxley is back quite well.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9063
- From
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- BAAS, Bradford
- Source of text
- DAR 103: 173–4
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9063,” accessed on 21 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9063.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21