Summary

JS has now taken post of Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta.

Wishes to vindicate himself of the charge that he pursued his experiments at Edinburgh to the detriment of his work.

Apologises for poor quality of his Verbascum paper, which was written from his notes during the passage to India [J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 36 (1865) pt 2: 145–74].

Summary

Asks CD for memorandum giving his opinion on a proposal to move the site of the Calcutta Botanic Garden. Gives details of the position, the physical character and the climate of the present site to show how desirable a move would be.

Summary

Supports relocating the Calcutta Botanic Garden to a site near the Himalayas.

Summary

Position as Curator allows no time for experiment.

Describes plans for vast new layout of Calcutta Botanic Garden according to natural orders.

Himalayan and Scottish plants are doing well.

Hopes to experiment on temperate plants in tropics, to test CD’s views of migration during glacial periods.

Sends observations on acclimatisation of English cultivated plants.

Leersia CD sent are growing and fertile.

Summary

Sends seeds of Viola roxburghiana which produces perfect flowers in the cold season and imperfect ones in the rains, all perfectly fertile.

Leersia has not produced a single perfect flower though it grows freely.

Discusses cockatoos eating various seeds. Finds it difficult to make exact and satisfactory observations.

Appends list of Vandellia species which have perfect flowers.

Summary

Replies to CD’s query on expression of emotions.

Summary

As JS’s powers of observation seem to exist in all lines, CD begs further information from him and [H. N. B.] Erskine about the natives’ expressions of indignation, affirmation, and negation. The movements of the eyebrows and forehead of a girl in violent grief are of particular interest.

Do sub-breeds of pigeons exist in India as in Europe, but not in England? If so, what is the colour of the plumage in males and females at different stages of development?

Summary

Observations on expression and colour of beard and hair in natives of India.

Summary

Observations on expression and variation in Asian peoples: when colour of beard and hair differ, beard is always lighter. Differences in swimming strokes. Polydactylism.

Has just sent Hooker a paper on Sikkim tree-ferns [Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 30 (1875): 1–44, read 1870].

Has had fever since the end of the rains.

Summary

JS should not consider repaying CD; the money was a gift, not a loan.

JS’s information on expression is the best he has received.

Summary

Is resuming the study of worm-casts as he believes they will bear on the denudation of land. Requests specific information on the relative number, size, and manner of deterioration of worm-casts in India.

Summary

Describes habits of worms.

Discusses Leersia experiments.

Summary

JS’s valuable observations on worms in India along with Asa Gray’s in the United States confirm CD’s opinion that worms work in the same way all over the world. Requests further information on the subject.

Summary

Acknowledges a box of worm-casts from India and a bottle of worms in spirits. There is no memorandum.

His book on expression is finished and includes valuable information from JS.

Summary

Acting as Superintendent of Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta.

Observations on worm-castings in India.

Summary

Acknowledges JS’s excellent letter of 25 September. May CD assume that the gigantic worm-casts were nearly circular when measured before the rain?

That a medical man should always have the place of superintendent seems a piece of jobbery.

Mentions [George] King.

JS’s thin paper renders some words on other side almost illegible.

Summary

Thanks Hooker and Darwin for the money to emigrate to India to work.