Summary

Request for Floras of Pacific Islands and Greenland.

Individual variation.

Summary

Sends an abstract made by J. F. Royle of CD’s paper ["On certain areas of elevation and subsidence in the Pacific and Indian Oceans"]. G. B. Greenough will have problems with the altered references in the coral island section.

Summary

Affinity of Galapagos with nearest Pacific islands. Relationship between ranges of species in time and space. Comparison of Malden Island and Galapagos plants. Affinities of Oceania plants with continental floras.

Summary

CD gives JSH Fuegian paints and spears and a Pacific dolphin hook for his museum.

Summary

Responds to Lyell’s query [missing] about northern and southern limits of coral islands of the Pacific. Warns that coral islands are much more thinly distributed than people realise and cites examples. Comments on views of Matthew Flinders. Reading work of É[lie] de B[eaumont]. Notes difficulty of setting an east-west boundary to coral islands.

Summary

Gives a report on a paper by Thomas Powell on coral islands ["Notes on the nature and productions of several atolls of the Tokelan, Ellice, and Gilbert Groups, South Pacific", read 15 Apr 1875, not published].

Summary

CD has recovered from his illness.

Fatigue and depression had almost decided Captain FitzRoy to turn over his command, but he was dissuaded.

Beagle will now go no further south than Cape Tres Montes and will finish survey in five months.

CD experiences his first earthquake.

Summary

Has received pamphlet from JDH [John Murray, Strictures on morphology (1845)].

Summary

Arranges to meet CW for conversation.

Summary

High praise for Island life; ARW’s "best book". Encloses notes of comments and criticism. Hooker pleased by dedication.

Summary

Asks for details of Smyth’s Island discovered by WHS – particularly whether the islets form a ring surrounding a lagoon. [See Coral reefs, p. 158].

Summary

Asks for volumes of F. W. Beechey’s work [Narrative of a voyage to the Pacific and Bering Strait (1831)] and Nautical magazine and an order on [John] Arrowsmith for atlas of Dumont d’Urville’s Voyage in the "Astrolabe".

Summary

Gratified by AvH’s letter.

Sends data on temperature of the sea in the Galapagos, South Pacific, and the Abrolhos Islands.

Summary

Asks to withdraw abstract of his paper on coral formations ["Elevation and subsidence in the Pacific" (1838), Collected papers 1: 46–9].

Summary

Would like copy of "Galapagos flora" when published ["Plants of the Galapagos Archipelago", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 20 (1851): 163–233].

Will keep JDH’s Pacific island notes till his return.

Summary

Discusses CGS’s account of Pellew Islands. Still believes atolls and barrier reefs in Pacific indicate subsidence. But cases like Pellew Islands, if frequent, would make his conclusions of little value.

Summary

Comments on investigation of coral reefs by A. A. Gould, particularly the reefs around Tahiti. Mentions description of reefs of Tahiti by W. Forbes.

Hooker’s view of work by C. J. F. Bunbury.

Summary

High, detailed praise for introductory essay to Flora Tasmaniae [reprinted as On the flora of Australia (1859)]. CD expects it to convert botanists from doctrine of immutable creation.

Summary

Fears JSH will think his collections scanty. Makes it a constant rule to prefer obscure and diminutive tribes of animals.

Now has a servant whom he has taught to skin birds, etc.

Lists four barrels of specimens he is sending.

Gives future route. He looks forward to the western coast of South America.

Summary

Thanks him for information concerning Crustacea.

Comments on natural history study in the U. S.

Mentions work done by Huxley on Crustacea ["Description of a new crustacean", J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 13 (1857): 363–9];

John Lubbock on larvae of Diptera.