Dear old Darwin

I was delighted to hear of your being back & better.¹

I did not mean to imply that Hallett affirmed that all variation stopped, far from it—² he maintains the contrary, but, if I understand him aright—he soon arrives at a point, beyond which any further accumulation in the direction sought is so small & so slow, that practically, a fixity of type (not absolute fixity however) is the result. Also that coincident with this point is that the plant is also very slow to vary in other directions than that it was bred to accumulate. This, I supposed, correlation would account for—viz. that while you are knowingly accumulating in one direction correlation obliges you unknowingly to be accumulating in others.

I suppose I must read the N. B.³ but I never read now, & am getting very tired of the struggle, not for life, thank God, but of life. & am getting overweighted with duties of the Colonial & Foreign Office which want endless supplies of seeds & forest trees, &c, that I alone can procure, & I only through personal correspondence, with people, who would snap their fingers at Official requests.

The D. of A. has further requested me to superintend the publication of a Flora Sylvatica of India, that will give me a lot of trouble. I think he is paying me off for my kick at Nat: Theology!⁴ Next Tuesday I go to the Brit. Ass. which grieves me.⁵ then for 2 days to Sir Thos Acland, & for as many to Symond of Pendock, where I hope the fair Cinthea will amuse me, for I am very dull & down in the mouth—⁶ Especially because poor Willy is coming home from N.Z.—like a bad shilling to its passer!— he is so young of his age, childish & purposeless, that Hector can get no one to take it him—⁷ He has also been threatened with more hemorhage, & has had a little more indeed, but of this I have said nothing to any one but my wife.⁸ He will arrive about beginning of winter & I shall have to send him off again at once—

I have written to Mr Merivale at the F. O. & asked him to send you a copy of the India Census if he can.⁹

I have figured Drosophyllum & will make a few observations on it’s affinities   it is clearly Drosereceous, I went over the matter with Oliver—¹⁰ I observe one remarkable character & I think unique in plant, that the leaf is revolute in Vernation   please look to this— our specimens have gone to the dogs, I cannot conceive why— they had my special attention— Do not pack & send yours’ as I am going away. I should like to run down for a Sunday after Exeter & have a chat with you about it—¹¹

I saw Huxley the other day as bright as a lark—about to publish his “Darwiniana”—¹² he is a prodigy

What a capital letter of Fritz Mueller you sent me— how admirably he plans his observations— the Begonia is growing.¹³

I saw Lyell 3 weeks ago¹⁴   he is I believe in Scotland—what doing I know not.

I see no necessity for your subscribing to the Faraday Monument— I had to as P. B. S.—& to do the maximum of £5^.5^.0¹⁵ Also I had to do the Ross memorial, which was £10.—¹⁶ These are the luxuries of Presidentship.

There will be a collection for the Faraday monument at Exeter, & I will pay for you if you really wish to, & say how much. but I see no call whatsoever. & disapprove this eternal touting for dead bones.— £2^.2^.0. would be ample any-how—

I have letters from Sydney with account of Ld Howes Island, the Bot^y. of which approaches Norfolk Island. There are 4 Palms on the Island (as many as in all N.S.W.!) which is only 4$\frac{1}{2}$ miles long! Not a Proteaceæ! & very few Leguminosæ, Myrtaceæ or Rutaceæ! I suspect that the Palms are Australian types.¹⁷ What is to be done with such Islands, they fit into no theory.

Ever yrs affec | J D Hooker

Poor Moggridge has just called— he looks dreadfully ill—& has been very bad indeed.—¹⁸