From J. D. Hooker 14 January 1875
Kew
Jany 14th/75.
Dear Darwin
Have you seen the pamphlets I send herewith I fear that they are hardly worth your attention—1
I have for a fortnight past been on the eve of another official row. Lord Henry Lennox has burked my official application for assistance.—after encouraging me to send it in!— and Galton or I must go— I have told the Treasury that I would prefer retirement to another row, & that I can stand it no longer.2
Mr W. R. Smith, the financial Secretary of the T., who I saw on the subject—told me* that L. S. Northcote, & indeed all the Lords of the T., wished me to know, that they had only indirectly heard from other quarters (of course Farrer) of my great need of an assistant, & that I had officially applied for one.— that my application had never been forwarded from the office of Works,— that if it had it would have been instantly attended to, & that it would have received the most favorable consideration—& he proceeded to talk of Dyer’s appt. & so forth—3 In fact, in so far as the T. is concerned, that matter is as good as granted; & no doubt the T. will send to Lord H., & insist on his forwarding my official application. He spoke in Sir S. Northcote’s & Mr Disraeli’s4 names.
Then I proceeded to open my grievance about Galton & he said that if I would write to him privately a brief account of his conduct, he would lay it before Sir S. Northcote & Mr D’Israeli—5 this he hinted might “help them much”—for that “the O. of W. was a public scandal that could not be tolerated”.
I cannot doubt but that some action is determined on, & that I am not to be the sufferer: & I feel satisfied that I have to thank Farrer for this.
I must ask you not to breathe a syllable of it to any one. I shall hear more soon & let you know. Meanwhile I ask myself “Why shoulds’t thou be disquieted Oh my soul”—6 but I am very weary, & begin to look forward to a holiday at Easter as a necessity, with Harriet7 if possible.
We have put Reginald to a very nice school at Wimbledon (Miss Palmer’s.)— Charlie will live at home for 6 months, preparing for Prely. Scientific Examination of L.U.—8
I have 15 Committees of the R.S. to attend to—9 I cannot tell you what a relief they are to me—matters are so quietly & ably conducted by Stokes Huxley & Spottiswoode—that to me they are the same sort of relaxation that Metaphysics are to Huxley.—10 I have no sense of wearyness after them— of course I must expect some rows & difficulties in the Society, & they will come when least expected you will say—but meanwhile let me enjoy my illusions.—
Ever yr affecte growler | J D Hooker
*On entering his room,—he did not know that I was come upon these matters it was a volunteered statement.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Allan, Mea. 1967. The Hookers of Kew, 1785–1911. London: Michael Joseph.
Brown, Alan Willard. 1947. The Metaphysical Society; Victorian minds in crisis, 1869–1880. New York: Columbia University Press.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Endersby, Jim. 2008. Imperial nature: Joseph Hooker and the practices of Victorian science. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.
Post Office London suburban directory: The Post Office London suburban directory. Kelly’s London suburban directory. London: Kelly & Co. 1860–1903.
Summary
Is on the eve of another row with the Office of Works about his application for assistance.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9815
- From
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Kew
- Source of text
- DAR 104: 6–8
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9815,” accessed on 16 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9815.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 23