To J. D. Hooker 30 January [1863]
Down
Jan. 30th
My dear Hooker
Please address enclosed & post.—1
I have to thank you for two very pleasant notes:2 it was very good of you to write from Paris.—3 I fear Naudin has not responded;4 but I hope he may experiment, for I clearly see that he trusts too much to resemblance to parents & does not think enough of actual fertility or number of seeds. I hope to Heaven, that he may explain sterility, but do not expect it.—5 I am not surprised at all at Decaisne & Naudin thinking little of “Origin”;6 there has always appeared to me something antagonistic to a Frenchman in the way in which Englishman writes. On other hand I have just had another letter from A. Decandolle;7 he speaks of “us” as believing in mutability in glorious way, & reports that a Count Saperda, who is writing on Fossil plants goes the whole hog.—8
What do you think, Bates writes in a P.S. that he is married!9
I have just had a letter or rather M.S. with capital drawings by a young civilian at the Cape of Good Hope about the orchids there; with most curious account of their structure;10 they seem to me more singular creatures than any that I have seen, viz Satyrium, Disperis &c.— My hot-house will soon be ready, & the thought gives me not a little pleasure.11 I shall be most grateful for Nepenthes, or anything experimental:12 anything ornamental which, however, I shall avoid of course I must not have from Kew— I wish you would remind H. Gower? (your superintendent) that he really ought to try again on several flowers of Victoria Lily own pollen & pollen from distinct plant or distinct flower,—his result was so curious.—13
We are all going to London on Tuesday evening for a week, chiefly to see if change will do me good;14 I hope to read my paper on Linum on the 5th at Linn. Soc.; but Heaven knows whether I shall be able.—15 If I do get a bit stronger, I must come & pay you a visit of an hour & see Hot-Houses.—16
I see it announced that Wellwitschia is actually published!17
I suppose you saw Haast’s address it seemed to me very good.— Splendid Glacial action & how wonderful the old flint tools.18
I am tired—goodnight.— Anhow I hope I shall see you at Linn Soc. for come I will if I can, however bad sickness may come on— goodnight | C. Darwin
Jameson uses well your Himalayan glacial work in his Glen Roy paper.—19
Footnotes
Summary
Naudin has not answered CD’s letter.
Reactions of Candolle, Naudin, Decaisne, and Gaston de Saporta to Origin.
CD’s new hothouse.
CD’s Linum paper.
JDH’s work on Welwitschia.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3953
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 115: 180
- Physical description
- 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3953,” accessed on 16 February 2019, http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/DCP-LETT-3953
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 11