Summary

Will visit Kew on Tuesday [27 Nov].

Summary

Queries for John Smith [Kew curator] on crossing a cucumber variety.

Summary

Needs Annales de la Société d’horticulture de Paris 7 (1830).

Asks that Oliver provide a reference for microscopical appearance and structure of a bud.

Was very well on first part of London visit.

Summary

Thanks for facts about New Zealand flora.

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Requests roots of two species of Mirabilis for "a curious experiment in crossing".

Has subscribed £10 to Jamaica committee to prosecute Governor Eyre.

Summary

Comments on JDH’s list – very good, but Orchids and Primula paper have too indirect a bearing to be worth mentioning. The Eozoon is a very important fact and to a much lesser degree the Archaeopteryx. Müller’s Für Darwin [1864] perhaps the most important contribution.

CD has forgotten to mention Bates on variation and JDH’s Arctic paper ["Distribution of Arctic plants", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23 (1862): 251–348] in new edition of Origin.

Now finds that Owen claims to be originator of natural selection.

Summary

Caspary wants to visit Down. CD would like to see him but dreads the exertion.

Pleased that JDH will get D.C.L. at Oxford.

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Asks how many plants are proper to New Zealand for new edition [4th] of Origin.

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Susan Darwin still lives, but is dying.

Requests an Erica massoni to compare with Drosera.

On L. Agassiz’s "astonishing" view that Amazon Valley was filled with gigantic glacier. Asa Gray says LA is determined to cover the globe with glaciers in order to destroy "Darwinian views".

Excellent review of A. Murray [The geographical distribution of mammals] in Gardeners’ Chronicle [(1866): 902].

Frankland’s Royal Institution lecture ["On the source of muscular power" Not. Proc. R. Inst. G. B. 4 (1862–6): 661–85].

Wallace’s paper.

Summary

Glad to see Asa Gray’s letter.

Asks whether he may insert a sentence about Cape Verde alpine plants in new edition [4th] of Origin.

Fears "twaddle" may also be the word for his two chapters on cultivated plants. Asks for Crawfurd’s paper.

Summary

Introduces Ernst Haeckel.

Lyell sent same chapters to CD, who thinks them very good but is not convinced that changes of land and water will do all he thinks.

Summary

Sad about Oliver’s loss.

JDH’s reference to odd Begonia at same time as an article about it came out in Gardeners’ Chronicle [(1866): 313–14].

Is astonished that Pangenesis seems perplexing to JDH. Pleads guilty to its being "wildly abominably speculative (worthy even of Herbert Spencer)".

Summary

In despair: has lost his copy of Verlot’s memoir on variations of flowers [Sur la production et la fixation des variétés (1866)]. Has JDH borrowed it?

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Refers to part of JDH letter on glacial period sent on to Lyell. CD will not yield. Cannot think how JDH attaches so much attention to physicists. Has "come not to care at all for general beliefs without the special facts".

His health is improved but not so good as JDH supposes.

Summary

Requests water-lily pods to count, weigh, and to germinate some of the seeds of the crossed and uncrossed pods.

Hopes Haeckel did not bore him.

Summary

Has finished Variation. May insert a chapter on man.

Still puzzled by seeds of Adenanthera.

New Zealand and Borneo flora problems continued.

Fritz Müller found six genera of dimorphic plants in one day.

Summary

Extensive discussion of Pangenesis in reply to JDH’s comments.

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Pleased by JDH’s success. JDH gives argument for occasional transport with perfect fairness.

W. R. Grove’s address [see 5201] good, but is disappointed that species part was so general.

Summary

Has found Verlot.

His sister [Emily Catherine Langton] is dying [d. 2 Feb 1866].

His stomach still very bad. Writes one or two hours and reads a little.

JDH is a wretch to remind CD of his coal-plant prophecy.

Glad JDH will give Nottingham lecture.