To J. D. Hooker 7 January [1865]
Summary
Has finished long paper on "Climbing plants". Prefers sending it to Linnean Society if Bentham does not think it too long.
For New Zealand flora [1864–7] CD suggests JDH count plants with irregular corollas and compare with England.
Does not quite agree about Reader.
Is Tyndall author of piece on spiritualism?
CD’s illness diagnosed as "suppressed gout".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 7 Jan [1865] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 257a–c |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4742 |
To J. D. Hooker 19 January [1865]
Summary
"Climbing plants" sent off.
Encourages JDH to include notes on gradation of important characters in Genera plantarum or to write a paper on the subject. Has given prominence to gradation of unimportant characters in climbing plants. Believes that it is common for the same part in an individual plant to be in different states. Same may be true of important parts – for example position of ovule may differ.
Two articles in last Natural History Review interested him; "Colonial floras" [n.s. 5 (1865): 46–63]
and "Sexuality of cryptogams" [n.s. 5 (1865): 64–79].
Fact of similarity of orders in tropics is extremely curious. Thinks it may be connected with glacial destruction.
Leo Lesquereux says he is a convert for the curious reason that CD’s books make birth of Christ and redemption by grace so clear to him!
"Not one question [for JDH] in this letter!"
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 19 Jan [1865] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 258a–c |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4748 |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (2) |
