To J. R. Crowe 9 November 1855
Down Bromley Kent
Nov. 9th. 1855
Dear Sir
The seeds came safe to hand & I thank you most sincerely for having taken so much trouble to procure them.1 I received them some time since, & had them planted in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, but have not heard whether they have germinated.
I found that they floated during the ten days, which I tried them, as was indeed probable, though so opposed to what ordinarily happens with seeds.—2 Owing to Dr. Hookers absence there has been a delay in getting them correctly named. Will you be so kind as to give my very sincere thanks to Professor Blytt & tell him that the large seed is the Entada scandens, (or Acacia scandens as so called by Linnæus who specifies that this seed is cast up); it is a common West & East India seed.—3
The smaller seed in the Mucuna urens, (also a Leguminous plant) common in the West Indies, & called there very appropriately “Asses or Bullocks eyes”.—
I saw Colonel Sabine4 lately & gave him your message, & begged to be kindly remembered to you: he is actively engaged in scientific researches.
Should you obtain any other kind of seed, I shd. be grateful for it, but will not trouble you to send anymore of those already received.
Pray accept my very sincere & cordial thanks & believe me dear Sir | With much respect | Yours truly obliged | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
DNB: Dictionary of national biography. Edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. 63 vols. and 2 supplements (6 vols.). London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1912. Dictionary of national biography 1912–90. Edited by H. W. C. Davis et al. 9 vols. London: Oxford University Press. 1927–96.
Summary
Thanks him for seeds used in immersion experiment.
Sends thanks to M. N. Blytt and says to tell him species names.
Mentions meeting Edward Sabine.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1777
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Rice Crowe
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library of Norway), Oslo (Brevs. 66)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1777,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1777.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5