My dear Hooker

I have just received your note. I am most sincerely & heartily glad at the news it contains & so is my wife.¹ Though the income is but a poor one, yet the certainty, I hope, is satisfactory to yourself & M^rs. Hooker. As it must lead in future years to the Directorship, I do hope you look at it, as a piece of good fortune. For my own taste I cannot fancy a pleasanter position, than the Head of such a noble & splendid place, far better, I sh^d. think than a Professorship in a great town.—² The more I think of it, the gladder I am. But I will say no more; except that I hope M^rs. Hooker is pretty well pleased.—

Just to answer your remarks in your note. The article on Job, is in Westminster Review, October 1853, article IV:³ I could lend it you, & bring it up with me, if you can wait, for I doubt whether I shall come up for next Philos. Club for that is the day, when about 40 salted seeds “come due”, & you w^d. be surprised at the time which my little experiment takes, as I do everything with my own hand.—

As the Gardeners’ Chronicle put in my question, & took notice of it,⁴ I think I am bound to send, which I had thought of doing next week, my first report to Lindley⁵ to give him the option of inserting it; but I think it likely that he may not think it fit for a Gardening periodical. When my experiments are ended, (sh^d the results appear worthy) & sh^d. the Linnean Journal not object to the previous publication of imperfect and provisional reports, I sh^d. be delighted to insert the final report there; for it has cost me so much trouble, that I sh^d. think that probably the result was worthy of more permanent record than a newspaper; but I think I am bound to send it first to Lindley.⁶ I begin to think the floating question more serious than the germinating one; & am making all the enquiries which I can on subject, & hope to get some little light on it.

Thanks for information about Kerguelen insects; it will save me plaguing the museum men.—⁷ The two sexes of moth is very curious.—⁸

I sh^d. think Binney w^d. be excellent for R. Soc:—⁹

I hope you managed a good meeting at the Club.— The Treasurership must be a plague to you, & I hope you will not be Treasurer for long; I know I w^d. much sooner give up the Club, than be its Treasurer.—

Farewell M^r. Assistant Director & dear friend | C. Darwin

I will not mention subject of Directorship to anyone.—