skip to content
Home

Darwin Correspondence Project

To John Lindley   25 October [1861]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Oct. 25th

My dear Lindley

I am infinitely obliged for your letter, answering everything so clearly & so fully.—2

Do not read enclosed without you like, I send it on mere chance of being new to you.—

I shd. be most grateful for any orchids (especially Dendrobium) in flower & bud : if it be a small parcel tin cannister best way by Post, & you must let me repay postage: if too large, address.

C. Darwin | care of Down Postman | Bromley | Kent per Railway

I terribly want any one of your “Arethuseæ.”3

Mr James Veitch has been most generous;4 I did not know that you had spoken to him: if you see him pray say I am truly grateful. I dare not write to a live Bishop or a Lady;5 but if I knew the address of “Rucker”?? & might use your name as introduction I would write.6 I am half mad on subject.— Hooker has sent me many exotics; but I stopped him, for I thought I shd. make a fool of myself; but since I have determined to publish, I much regret it.

I will not trouble you for the Books, for systematic works are out of my line.—

Hooker is trying to buy Reichenbach on the pollen & if he gets it will lend me, for it is in no public Library & I do not suppose would be worth my buying.7

With cordial thanks for your great kindness.—

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

1
The year is given by the reference to Reichenbach 1852 (see n. 7, below).
2
The letter from Lindley has not been found. It was presumably a response to the letter to John Lindley, 18 October [1861].
3
Of the seven tribes of orchids described in Lindley 1853, the Arethuseae was the only tribe members of which CD was unable to examine.
4
James Veitch, a Chelsea nurseryman, supplied CD with many species of exotic orchids.
6
Sigismund Rucker, West Hill, Wandsworth, is acknowledged several times in Orchids for having ‘repeatedly’ sent CD valuable orchids (see especially Orchids, p. 158 n.).
7
CD refers to Reichenbach 1852 (see letters to J. D. Hooker, 15 [October 1861], 18 October [1861], and 23 October [1861]).

Bibliography

Lindley, John. 1853. The vegetable kingdom; or, the structure, classification, and uses of plants, illustrated upon the natural system. 3d edition with corrections and additional genera. London: Bradbury & Evans.

Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.

Reichenbach, Heinrich Gustav. 1852. De pollinis orchidearum genesi ac structura et de orchideis in artem ac systema redigendis. Leipzig: F. Hofmeister.

Summary

Sends thanks for an informative letter;

would be grateful for any orchids; names some he would particularly like.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-3299
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
John Lindley
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Lindley letters, A–K: 194)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3299,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3299.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9

letter

Darwin Correspondence Project
darwin@lib.cam.ac.uk

© University of Cambridge 2022

Copyright declaration

Privacy policy

Website by Surface Impression

 

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge