From Asa Gray 3 February 1878
Herbarium of Harvard University, | Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Mass.
Feb. 3, 1878
My Dear Darwin
A rare and a great pleasure to hear from you—as I have this morning, by two letters.1 My notice of Cook’s Biology (save the mark!)—which a clerical friend, of much sense, urged me to expose, was to be incog.—but the Editor as good as peached.—and Norton says any page of it would have betrayed me. It was pitched “rather too mild” on purpose and with much restraint—lest the benighted portion of the religious world—who have to be rescued from a delusion—should fancy there was a bad animus. Dana said with you—“too mild”—but added—“perhaps the more judicious”—and so I think it proves.2
Oh, that one should have to waste time on such Vermin!— and yet I begin to understand some of the satisfaction which a cat takes with a mouse.
There is something about Valeriana dioica, and I hope H. Müller will make it intelligible3
I will see if I can get anything done with Epigæa.4 But here one must go 15 or 20 miles for it.
Do work at heliotropism & the like. The Germans make me mad with their pottering pretence and their names, to stand in place of explanation.5 ⟨ ⟩ ⟨ ⟩
Pale foli⟨age⟩ ⟨5 or 6 words⟩ glaucis m⟨ ⟩ ⟨5 or 6 words⟩ certainly a ⟨5 or 6 words⟩ dry regions ⟨ ⟩ recal a truly ⟨3 or 4 words⟩ which belongs to ou⟨r⟩ ⟨ ⟩ wooded country.
Yes, we are pleased to see opinions backed by deeds, and proud to add an American lady to your family, particularly6
As to Thos. Meehan, he is as rattle-brained as Joseph Cook, and almost ⟨as⟩ much a nuisance in ⟨his⟩ way. I write him ⟨very⟩ plain truths, privately telling him that he is an ingenious (but not an ingenuous) ass,—but somehow, it does not cure him.7
If you like, I will take ⟨ ⟩
⟨3 or 4 words⟩ do make m⟨ ⟩ ⟨ ⟩ correct—put ⟨3 or 4 words⟩ to L. perenn⟨e⟩ ⟨3 or 4 words⟩ who wanted ⟨3 or 4 words⟩ ⟨ ⟩t to see, or ⟨ ⟩ mig⟨ht⟩ be two species ⟨ ⟩ ⟨e⟩ntre nous I no more ⟨ ⟩ ⟨Meeh⟩an’s facts than his theo⟨ries⟩ ⟨ ⟩ think he would never ⟨ ⟩eive.
Yes, thank Heaven, I have some bodily activity yet, which work like last summer developes. Mrs. Gray is as much improved by it as is8 | Your affectionate | Asa Gray
P.S. I have done up ⟨Me⟩ehan for Amer. Jour. Sci. ⟨Marc⟩h (next) number.—9
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Cook, Joseph. 1877. Boston Monday lectures. Biology, with preludes on current events. Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Cross and self fertilisation: The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1876.
Forms of flowers 2d ed.: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. 2d edition. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
Forms of flowers: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1877.
Meehan, Thomas. 1875. Are insects any material aid to plants in fertilization? Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 24: 243–51.
Meehan, Thomas. 1877. Darwin on the fertilization of flowers. Penn Monthly, June 1877, pp. 463–71.
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
OED: The Oxford English dictionary. Being a corrected re-issue with an introduction, supplement and bibliography of a new English dictionary. Edited by James A. H. Murray, et al. 12 vols. and supplement. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1970. A supplement to the Oxford English dictionary. 4 vols. Edited by R. W. Burchfield. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1972–86. The Oxford English dictionary. 2d edition. 20 vols. Prepared by J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1989. Oxford English dictionary additional series. 3 vols. Edited by John Simpson et al. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1993–7.
Summary
AG’s review of Joseph Cook ["Lectures on biology", New Englander 37: 100–13].
Encourages CD to work at heliotropism.
Thinks Thomas Meehan is as "rattle-brained" as Joseph Cook.
[A damaged fragment cut from this letter is pinned to 11051.]
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11343
- From
- Asa Gray
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Herbarium of Harvard
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 169, DAR 165: 199
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp damaged †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11343,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11343.xml
