My dear Dyer

You have done me the greatest service which one man can do another, viz saved me from perhaps making a fool of myself; for I thought of sending a note or short paper on Thalia to Linn. Soc.— But now after reading Delpino’s admirable account of Maranta (I will hereafter look to M^r Nicholsons, for I have ceased to keep copies of Gardeners’ Chronicle) I am afraid to publish until examining more flowers & all mine are withered; so I must wait till next year, for Thalia-flowers could not be sent by post.² Reading Delpino & examining the beautiful supply of flowers of Maranta & Calathea received this morning quite fresh (pray thank M^r Lynch)³ shows me that I must be very cautious, though I still believe that sensitiveness has here been added to Thalia. I have wasted a good deal of time, but have seldom enjoyed anything more than making out the action of every detail of structure. I shall not want any more flowers of Thalia or maranta, for as I said in the case of Thalia it w^d. be necessary to have the plant on the spot.

There are many other interesting things in your letters; how very odd about the water in variegated leaves.—⁴

I have carefully tried seedlings of Quercus pannonica with glass filament in front of vertical glass & can see no signs of any conspicuous movement in the leaves.—⁵

I sh^d be the most unreasonable man in the whole universe, if I had dreamed of your getting me a young Pinus in a pot: I have sent my gardener to one large nursery-garden near here, but he did not succeed, but I shall try elsewhere.—⁶

Good Heavens what a bother it must be looking over many examination papers, if they are at all like the ones sent!⁷

I rejoice to hear at last a good account of M^rs. Dyer.—⁸

I do not doubt that you underrate greatly your Geograph-Distrib: Lecture.⁹ I think one always does so at first, & then afterwards one can see the merits of one’s own work.

With very many thanks | Farewell | C. Darwin

P.S. Since the above was written I have worked again at the maranta flowers & the liberation of the pistil is certainly, as Delpino says, purely mechanical. To my surprise 4 more Thalia flowers have opened, & I still think that here we have irritability; but I do not see yet how I can decide.—

My Arachis hypogea plant is dying & I have extreme wish to observe flower-peduncle (this, I know is not right name) burying the pod.—¹⁰ If you can aid me in this pray do. I so much wish to observe & compare all sorts of movements. But alas I want rest, & on Aug 7^th my wife is going to take me for 17 days holidays: oh Lord how I wish that they were over.¹¹

I have not succeeded in getting any stems which are negatively heliotropic; but I am now observing the tendrils of Bignonia capreolata from Kew, & these are finely negatively heliotropic. I think that you told me once that some roots are positively or negatively heliotropic: can you aid me with such.?¹²

Heaven forgive me for being so troublesome.

When I began I had no intention to write so unconsciably long a letter