To J. D. Hooker 2 January 1872
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Jan 2. 1872
My dear Hooker
I am heartily glad of yr news, & now I hope that you will be able to work with an undisturbed mind.1 I feel yr news quite as a relief, & you must do so in a much greater degree.
There are a good many hazels in the sand walk & you are perfectly welcome to have them all; but what appear like suckers seem to me more like branches from old underground cut down stems, & I do not think they wd be easily removed.2 I fully believe you cd buy 100s at a less cost than the journey of yr messenger to & fro; but as I said you are perfectly welcome to send if you think fit.
I saw Huxley when I was in town & thought he looked very unwell. I quite agree with what you say about his doing too much miscellaneous work.3 I have often preached to him & will do so again; but I believe he partly does this work for money for his family & then what can one say.
If your scheme could be organized of making him a sort of Director General for the transference of the British Museum & for other Scientific work, this wd be splendid; but how can it possibly be effected?4
Yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
Heartily glad about the news of the Ayrton affair development.
Huxley looks very unwell from too much miscellaneous work; CD wishes he could be made a Director General for transference of British Museum and for other scientific work, as JDH suggests.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8139
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 94: 216–17
- Physical description
- LS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8139,” accessed on 22 September 2023, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8139.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20
