My dear Darwin

I have read Falconer most interesting & most prosy paper,¹ I do wish he had cut it into 4—for a non-Zoologist like me it is an apalling thing to have 70 pages of such an article in one quarter.² The “Review” is much better than usual, but confound them they have printed the Index of New genera of last volume on last page of first number of this volume!. it is too bad of Huxley.³

As to Owen he certainly is in a degrading position, but really his conduct is so small as well as detestable that I cannot even get up indignation.⁴ I hardly know how to speak to him when I see him, or of him when I am asked by some great swell to echo his praises. Falconer is evidently consumedly riled. I am most curious to know what you think of Falconers observations on you⁵—he seems to me to have just awakened to the fact that there is something in you, & he too thinks that you make Nat Selection work independently & do every thing without variation to work upon.⁶ I have not seen F. for ages.

I have finished de Tocqueville Democ. in America⁷ & cannot help thinking how differently he might have written had he read the Origin & applied it—all his fallacies are attributable to ignorance of its principles. Specially his want of perception that the versatility & variety of resources each Yankee to which he attributes all their excellencies, more or less, possesses is simply the result of want of competition, & that when the land is filled with people this superiority will vanish, each will be good at his speciality only & the evil effects of Republicanism will burst out all over the peoples & communities. I do not believe that any nation can last for ever, either under a Republic or Monarchy, (both being bad) but ⁠⟨⁠by⁠⟩⁠ my notions I think the ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ will be the longest lived, ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ always turn up first—⁠⟨⁠2 words missing⁠⟩⁠ growing community ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ started as a grown commun⁠⟨⁠ity⁠⟩⁠ was too precocious all along.

Then too all de Tocquevilles ⁠⟨⁠com⁠⟩⁠parative raticinations are frustrated by the growth of Englands colonies, which he (frenchman like) utterly ignores. Then too he is utterly wrong in assuming that the greater proportion of foreign traders to home traders in the American ports, compared to the English ports is a good sign for America⁸—& forgets that our home traders are the result of the boundless resources of different parts of our own country.— He says that all Americans entertain the most “virulent hatred” against the ⁠⟨⁠Eng⁠⟩⁠lish nation!—⁹ this was just ⁠⟨⁠30 years⁠⟩⁠ ago!

⁠⟨⁠I am⁠⟩⁠ extremely concerned to hear ⁠⟨⁠of your⁠⟩⁠ failing powers of enduring ⁠⟨⁠conve⁠⟩⁠rsation—that will however ⁠⟨⁠soon⁠⟩⁠ come right again as far as ⁠⟨⁠ev⁠⟩⁠er you can be right: I do not doubt—but cannot help laughing at your plan of the Epitaph,¹⁰ how jolly it would be to hear your own works criticized after death, & yourself abused for what you never said or did & praised for what you never wrote or thought of.

I have not been long waiting for a place to scratch, for the New Zeald Govt. have asked me to write a manual of the N. Z. Flora like Bentham’s Flora of Hong Kong.¹¹ I am not sorry to do this, as it will enable me to correct many errors, add many Southern Island species, & interest me further in New Zealand.¹² They have voted £500— th⁠⟨⁠at⁠⟩⁠ gives me £150 a volume ⁠⟨⁠for⁠⟩⁠ 2 vols of about 600 pages each & the other £200 goes to publ⁠⟨⁠isher⁠⟩⁠ as no one will publish with⁠⟨⁠out⁠⟩⁠ that bonus per volume—for which the publisher gives 100 copies.¹³ This is equivalent to Govt subscribing for 100 copies at £1 per volume per copy. Of course writing so much is a frightful bore, but I may as well do that as worse, & please tell Henrietta that I have no scope for vice in the undertaking.¹⁴

I am quite aware of your insensibility to Wedgewood ware,¹⁵ Were it otherwise I do not think I could have gone into this foible, for I should have bored you out of your life to beg buy borrow & steal for me (do not tell Henrietta.) A⁠⟨⁠s⁠⟩⁠ it is I do not go further ⁠⟨⁠than⁠⟩⁠ little Medallions & such ⁠⟨⁠m⁠⟩⁠atters—such gorgeous things ⁠⟨⁠as⁠⟩⁠ you had on slates; are not ⁠⟨⁠fo⁠⟩⁠r the like of me; & as to the chimney pots on your chimney piece in the dining room they are not worth carriage.

We have hatched some leaf-insects of Java— Can you tell us what to feed them on?

Ever yours affec | J D Hooker

Send to Bolton & Barnett in Holborn bars, for a Quart bottle of the poison he supplies to the Kew Herbarium & wash all plants with that as soon as dry, & they will neither mould nor be devoured by beasts.¹⁶ Use it with a great big Camel hair brush—not a tin mounted one—& just wash the specimens lightly over.