My dear Hooker.—

As you say you like to see Asa Gray’s letter, I send enclosed de rebus omnibus:² it is atrociously written. The coolness of the poor dear man about England & U. States in the last two pages beats anything— Please return letter sometime.—

John Scott of Edinburgh is very grateful for your most kind letter of advice.³ He says Balfour is offended with him for refusing the Darjeeling offer.⁴ He tells me that he is sure that he has never lost any time over his experiments, & that it is not on this account that M^r. Macnab is offended with him & he cannot conjecture what the cause is.⁵ He takes my preachment very well & declares he will do all he can to please him.— I send a slip containing some of his experiments, but it is very badly arranged & difficult to make out, & the poor fellow sees it now I have told him very plainly.⁶

I have told him to send me his paper on Primula crosses & if it seems good, I will communicate it to Linn. Soc; for such an abstract as this does not do justice to his work.⁷

As I have bothered you thus far, I will bother you a little more by enclosing a M.S. note of Scott’s about closing of stigma in orchids, dependent on affinity of pollen & independent of protrusion of pollen-tubes.⁸ This is not noticed in abstract, & he tells me he believes the Bot. Soc. will publish only the enclosed abstract.⁹

Forgive me | Yours affect | C. Darwin