My dear Sir

I thank you cordially for your very kind expressions towards me & for your letter which has deeply interested me.² I had not heard of your account of Glacial action in Australia:³ had I heard of it, I should have alluded to the case in different terms.⁴ But I saw an account in a short paper by a man, whose name I had never heard.⁵ I have the reference somewhere, but I could not find it without a long search. Your name has of course been familiar to me for years.⁶ When I come to the subject again, I will refer to your account, for the subject interests me extremely.⁷ Indeed but a few months ago I wrote to M^r Gould in Tasmania to enquire.⁸ There are great difficulties in believing in a mundane cooler period; but it would throw a flood of light on Geographical Distribution. I have only just sketched the subject in the Origin & have a long M.S. discussion drawn out, but Heaven knows whether I shall ever live to publish half my M.S.—⁹ I should very much like to see the Granite striated. Also would you be so very kind as to take the trouble to tell me whether you refer to the penal settlement, Norfolk Is^d, where there were so many greenstone boulders, & are you sure that there was no greenstone close by?— Were the boulders angular?¹⁰ This would be a very extraordinary case.— No subject interests me more than the Glacial period.

Many thanks for the Photograph which has pleased me much; for it has vividly recalled to my mind the views from the Blue Mountains—¹¹

I had heard a little about New Zealand; & from what I saw there I always expected old rocks to be there discovered: in my own mind I excluded N. Zealand from the term oceanic Isl^d, as being connected by a Bank; but I ought to have been more guarded: I looked at it as at Madagascar & the Falkland Islands. Bear Is^d is a real exception.— I am very glad to hear of your new discoveries of Secondary fossils in N. S. Wales.¹² I have for some time thought, that the geology of distant countries would help on the progress of the Science more than anything else; & in this, you have been an earnest worker.— Most cordially do I wish you all success.—

When you next see my old ship-mate M^r Martens pray remember me very kindly to him;¹³ I have two of his sketches now hanging up in one of my rooms.—¹⁴ You have attended to so many branches of Nat. History, that I daresay you are a Botanist. There is one little experiment, which would be of great use to me, if you would be so very kind as to try it; namely to cover up any species of the Goodeniaceæ under a net, just before the flowers open, so as to prevent any Bee or other insect visiting it, & observe whether it sets seeds as well as an unprotected plant. I have made experiments on plants of this Order in my greenhouse, & I am very curious on this head.— M^r Drummond writes to me from Swan River that he has seen Bees open the indusium & extract pollen.—¹⁵ It is unreasonable to even hint it but I am also very curious to know whether Eucalyptus & Mimosa seed well when insects are excluded. It is a subject which I have worked at much.— I wrote to D^r. Müller, but he seems to be too busy to help me.—¹⁶ I know that you are very busy, but then I fancy, that you have indomitable energy.—

You will see a short discussion on dioicous Trees in Origin, which will show one reason, why I want to know whether they are not crossed naturally by insects, & thus rendered more fertile.—¹⁷ I am now preparing for press a little Book on this subject on Orchids. But I must apologise for scribbling on about my hobby-horses, & remain with much respect—

Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

P.S. | Can you tell me whether the introduction of the Hive-bee has lessened the numbers of a small native-bee? Do you know of any papers on the effect of introduced animals or plants on the native productions.— This seems to me a most interesting subject generally neglected.