My dear Hooker

I was astonished to see Kew at the head of your letter, for I did not doubt that you were enjoying yourself over the hills & far away. Your sister has cause to scold, though Heaven knows you have excuse enough in all you have been doing. I am delighted to hear that your prospects are showing some signs of falling into order & that your Indian scheme flourishes.¹ I cannot say that I have ever felt very cordially over that scheme; always excepting the Thibet part, which would be worth going through fire & water for. I suppose, however, that you are quite right about plain India, considering how young you are & have such indomitable powers of work: it will certainly have been a grand thing to have seen all the chief types of vegetation in their native homes. November 20^th,² sounds awfully close & I shall miss you terribly. My small plans have been changed a little since I saw you; I was to have gone to Shrewsbury this month, but now it is deferred till next, as it suited my Father best.³ I presume I shall go early in Oct. & in the latter part, I do hope, busy as you will be, that you will spare a little time for here.— I enjoyed my two days at Kew much⁴ (whilst the horse was baiting at Dulwich, I saw & admired very much the beautiful picture gallery⁵ ) & it did me a great deal of good: but I have been bad enough for these few last days, having had to think & write too much about Glen Roy (an audacious son of dog (M^r Milne,) having attacked my theory) which made me horribly sick.—

Do you ever write to Thompson⁶ in India; if you do, urge him to attend to the presence of far transported erratic boulders; it is highly desirable to know the eastern & southern range of these old evidences of a much colder climate.

I will return all your books by the Thursday Kew boat: if they do not arrive, you had better let me know; if I do not hear, I shall understand they are safe; I did not find much for me in them: I am now reading the 3^d series of the Ann. des Sci: Nat: & wonderfully full of good matter the Zoology is.—

Pray give my compliments & kind remembrances to Lady Hooker⁷ | & believe me | Ever yours | C. Darwin

What an excellent thing it is, that your sister has lost that cough.