From J. D. Hooker 4 December 1866
Summary
Lyell’s volume [Principles, 10th ed.] received.
"We must now keep him straight anent origin and development."
Some of Spencer’s new part is interesting but much is dull and ponderous.
Huxley’s Elementary physiology [1866].
Has finished his New Zealand manual [Handbook of New Zealand flora (1864–7)]. New Zealand flora [and past geological conditions] suggest islands were once connected.
Speculates on the total amount of living organised matter on the globe, and whether it varies.
Balfour Stewart on sunspots.
| Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 4 Dec 1866 |
| Classmark: | DAR 102: 114–17 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5294 |
From J. D. Hooker 14 December 1866
Summary
Scarlet seed is Adenanthera pavonina. JDH’s suggestion on how disseminated.
On Herbert Spencer, "all oil no bone – a thinking pump", but his paper on sap and wood [Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 25 (1866): 405–30] is good science. His refusal to bring a specimen for analysis when confronted by JDH.
Bentham and Martin disagreement.
Speculations on New Zealand flora.
Albert Günther’s paper on fishes on each side of Isthmus of Panama [Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1866): 600–4].
On the quantity (bulk and weight) of organic life [matter].
| Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 Dec 1866 |
| Classmark: | DAR 102: 121–6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5305 |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Hooker, J. D. |
