Summary

Asks whether he ought to write to CD while he is ill.

Wonders if he might use Haast’s notes on introduced animals for a notice he is preparing ["Note on the replacement of species in the colonies and elsewhere", Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 4 (1864): 123–7].

Summary

Charles Landseer would like to know whether dogs have orbicular muscles.

Summary

Asks Emma to write to Erasmus [E. A. Darwin] in support of Miss Elizabeth Garrett as Professor of Physiology at Bedford College for girls.

Summary

On an elephant’s crying when foot was operated on.

Summary

Reports on Anne’s health throughout the night and from 8 a.m. through to 4.30 p.m.

Summary

Mainly news of the three children.

Summary

Information [for CD] on old, sloping, ridged fields.

Summary

News of the children and books he is reading.

Summary

CD’s Copley Medal. The numbers were ten to eight in CD’s favour but the Cambridge men mustered strongly for Sedgwick.

Summary

Trying to persuade CD to visit JL.

Summary

His dinner with the Carlyles. "He is the best worth listening to of any man" – but CD cannot get up much admiration for Mrs C, partly because of her Scots accent, which makes her difficult to understand.

Summary

Last night had tremendous thunderstorm. Will ask Goebel about proshelismus. Describes experiments on beans. Please send Bessy’s address. Has got to know nice Englishman named Purdy and his wife. Bathes nearly every night with the Finlander.

Summary

An amusing description of his railway journey to Shrewsbury.

Summary

CD’s sudden temporary failure of memory and his eczema are not serious and would be relieved by rest and good diet.

Summary

Recounts his misadventures on the train journey back to London. Tells of a visit to the FitzRoys and a friendly letter from Lyell. Whether CD and Emma should live in central London or in the suburbs is a perplexing problem, much discussed by relatives and friends.

Summary

Possible quotations about shame for CD.

Summary

Encloses letters from two owners [W. Corbett and C. Randell] of large farms concerning fields with ridges and furrows in the direction of the slope. All local men agree the ridges do not change shape.

Summary

His mother very ill.

Mrs Hooker back from Bavaria.

Hopes marriage [of Henrietta] went well. Is accused of saying he would rather go to two burials than one marriage.

Has heard from Huxley who is threatening to "thin out" Mivart. Huxley is reading Francisco Suarez and finds Mivart misquotes or misunderstands him.

Summary

Has been with the Lyells doing geology.

Is reading a biography of Sir W. Scott [J. G. Lockhart, Memoirs of the life of Sir Walter Scott (1837–8)]; also Mungo Park’s book [Travels (1799)].

Has hired a cook at fourteen guineas a year with tea and sugar.

Summary

His search for a London house. He visits the Lyells, who give solemn advice to choose their London acquaintances carefully.