My dear Frank.

Thanks for card about M.S. I am sorry that you sh^d. be bothered with such work at Strasburg. The confounded printers have sent me no more slips & I am despondently idle.¹ Having nothing better to do I have been writing out all that I can remember about all the eminent men whom I have ever seen.—²

I suppose that your mother told you that your copies of your paper have come. No; I believe that I sent a P. card to this effect.—³ A copy of Kosmos has come for you with your paper on Climbing Plants, which looks very nicely got up.⁴

Also the younger De Candolle has sent you a long memoir,, chiefly mathematical, on Phyllotaxy: I suspect from few closing sentences that he has thrown light on this everlasting question.—⁵

I was at first rather dismayed in the 2^d Part of Tieghem to find how well known it is that all substances in solution in a plant come out of it by exosmose, when they are immersed in water; but he says nothing about potash & is strong that substances in combination within a plant do not come out by exosmose; so that your observations remain as curious as ever, in as much as no one, I suppose, would ever have expected that much of so precious a substance as potash was in a free & useless state in many plants.—⁶ Tieghem is very contemptuous about nectar & is evidently guided by Bonnier.⁷ He hints, also, that there is nothing remarkable about carnivorous plants— he quotes your observations about feeding Drosera, but does not consider them conclusive & does not even allude to the well-adapted movements of Drosera for capturing insects. He speaks of leaves of Dionæa as secreting before they are stimulated by animal matter! so he evidently knows nothing of whole subject.—⁸

I have had a curious little essay from a Yankee dentist, in which I am inclined to believe, viz that excessively rapid breathing (viz. about 90 inspirations in a minute) for a minute deadens the sense of pain, but not of touch, so that he has drawn ever so many teeth without causing patient the least pain!⁹

The visit of Leslie Stephen went off well & Miss Lock is a nice girl. L.S. was very pleasant while in company with several persons, but both George & Leonard found him difficult as a solo. I thought him very agreeable. I have asked him to bring his “Sunday Tramp. Soc.” here on some Sunday.¹⁰

Bernard is very jolly & his little face beamed with happiness when he told me that Nanna was coming to tea & to put him to bed tomorrow.— I am sure that he thought your letter about the soldiers one of the most agreeable ever written. How curious it was about the sinking of the ship occuring to his dear little affectionate soul.—¹¹

Poor M^rs Dixon keeps very ill. We have not heard of the death of M^c.Lennan¹²

Good Bye my dear old fellow, | Your affect^te. Father, | C. Darwin

If you can naturally do so, give my best respects to De Bary.

May 17^th P.S. Do you know where my horn semicircle for measuring angles is: I cannot find it anywhere in my study?—

It is a very bad job for you Stahl being absent. Has he got Strasbürger’s place; if so is not this grand promotion for him? I wish that you could have seen Strasburger.—¹³

I have had a remarkably nice & grateful letter from Holmgren, who thinks that my letter will do good in Sweden. A bothering, but very civil antiviv: has written me an awfully long letter from Baden.— I suppose that you do not want. Bot. Zeitung sent you.—¹⁴

Your letter just arrived, which I have been glad to get. Confound the man with the circumnutating mould—¹⁵ You must somehow make Caroline clearly understand that we must have the power of shooting Dandy, if you find that you do not care about having him; for we have one old Horse on our hands already   horses do cost money & labour.¹⁶

Abba-dubba is very flourishing he says he has no particular message for you but sends his love.—

Mother is starting for a day in London to see Ellen Tollet.¹⁷

Farewell. | C. D.