My dear Hooker

There is no peace for the wicked in this world & if it goes in proportion you must be very wicked.— Here goes then,—Did D Sinclair bite at all about Clover & Bees:¹ if so, & you w^d. give me his address, I would write & ask him if he can find a gardener who was in any part of N. Z. before Bees were introduced & ask whether Kidney Beans &c set their pods well.—² Though I fully believe that Bees are favourable to fertilisation of Leguminosæ; I do not believe that the extreme view of their necessity will hold good.

I have been enquiring about what Bees there are in N.Z. There are plenty of Andrænidæ, but F. Smith (nor I) ever saw them visit Leguminosæ.³ There are no known species of Apis or Bombus or Antherophoras known from N. Zealand, & these are only genera which F. Smith (or I) have ever seen visiting Leguminosæ. But F. Smith thinks that last genus probably does inhabit N. Zealand, though not so known.—

Would you give me deliberate answer to enclosed question on Classification & permit me, if I sh^d. require it, to quote your answer.— You can write it at tail of query.—

Lastly I am not at all easy about the biggest genera & their varieties: could you spare once again & for short time, vols. 10, 11. & 12 with Scroph: Labiat: & Acanthaceæ: I know I am unreasonable in this to give trouble of packing up & loss of use; but I cannot be easy without trying the sections.⁴ Yet if really inconvenient to spare them, I know you will say so, as that w^d. be far pleasantest to me: if you do send them, send by enclosed address.—

I was not much struck with the great Buckle & I admired the way you stuck up about deduction & induction.—⁵ I heard that the other day that he met L^d. Lansdowne for first time in party, & fairly silenced the old man with his harangues!⁶ I am reading his Book, which with much sophistry as it seems to me, is wonderfully clever & original & with astounding knowledge.—⁷

I saw that you admired M^rs Farrers Questo tomba of Beethoven thoroughily; there is something grand in her sweet tones.⁸ My Brother, by the way, simply thinks Buckle the most infernal bore he ever met!⁹

Farewell, I have partly written this note to drive Bees-cells out of my head; for I am half mad on subject to try to make out some simple steps from which all the wondrous angles may result.—

I was very glad to see M^rs. Hooker on Friday; how well she appears to be & looks.¹⁰

Forgive your intolerable but affectionate friend | C. Darwin