My dear Hooker

I am so glad to hear that your interview passed over amicably with Murchison.² I had never heard of his having treated the Botanists unfairly. I imagine from what I hear from Henslow that he was furious with us all. I had become very uneasy in my conscience & my old doubts had arisen very strong, whether the whole memorial was not a great mistake;³ so that hearing that the Prince & other Trustees &c &c are in earnest about the removal has removed every doubt I had about the wisdom of the Memorial, & I am proud to have signed it, though very little otherwise concerned with it. I think it will very likely prove that you have all done a great service to Natural History. How like Murchison to suppose that you had acted from selfish motives!⁴

What you say about the Cape Flora’s direct relation to Australia is a great trouble to me. Does not Abyssinia high-land, & the mountain on W. coast in some degree connect the extratropical floras of Cape & Australia? To my mind the enormous importance of Glacial Period rises daily stronger & stronger. I am very glad to hear about SE. & SW. Australia: I suspected after my letter was gone that the case must be as it is. You know of course that nearly same rule holds with Birds & Mammals.— Several years ago I reviewed in Annals of N. H. Waterhouses Mammalia, & speculated that these 2 corners, now separated by Gulfs & low land, must have existed as two large islands;⁵ but it is odd their productions have not become more mingled: but it accords with, I think, a very general rule in the spreading of organic beings.

I agree with what you say about Lyell; he learns more by word of mouth than by reading.—

Henslow has just gone, & has left me in a fit of enthusiastic admiration of his character.⁶ He is a really noble & good man

My dear Hooker | Yours affectionately | C. Darwin