Letter 2088 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., [3 May 1857]

Moor Park

Sunday morning

My dear Hooker

I have just received your final & most conclusive destruction of woolly-alpine doctrine.^f1 I sh^d. hope that these materials (now returned) would be well worth publishing in something:—

Would they not come in well in your Arctic memoir;^f2 so that I do not apologise for having been the means of stirring you up to prove that your old suspicions were thoroughily well grounded.

It has given my nervous system, as a compiler, a severe shock; I am sure to publish many small generalisations as false as you have shown this to be.— Whenevever you turn to Arctic work, bear in mind Linnæus & Adamson’s remark about flowers becoming apelatous in cold, & therefore Arctic species ought to be normally apetalous in many cases.—^f3

I am not sure whether you meant me to return you your note accompanying your Statistics, if so, let me hear & I will return it.^f4

I return Asa Gray’s list of Alpines.—

I suppose you will soon have back M^rs. Hooker.— Her presence has been a great thing for Etty, & pray give her my best thanks for all her kindness to Etty.

My dear Hooker | Most truly yours | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

f1

See letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857], n. 2.

f2

J. D. Hooker 1862.

f3

See letter to J. D. Hooker, [29 April 1857], n. 7.

f4

CD refers to a manuscript list, drawn up by Hooker, tabulating alpine plants according to their ‘woolliness’ (see letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857]).