Summary

Calls for more study of behaviour and less of classification to determine whether descent theory can bear the weight not [only] of reasoning but of fact. Hopes CD’s intended book [Variation] will help.

Summary

Thanks for explanation on relative fertility of homostyled and heterostyled crosses in Primula. Sends an intermediate form with small stamens, but stigma only slightly above stamens.

Election as Botanical Lecturer at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Summary

In response to a letter from RS’s father [translation enclosed] Schweizerbart has suggested H. B. Geinitz revise Bronn’s edition of the Origin, but RS doubts he is suitable.

Summary

Extensive discussion of Pangenesis in reply to JDH’s comments.

Summary

Reference to description of Begonia phyllomaniaca.

Thanks for the explicit account of Pangenesis. Thinks he now follows CD’s ideas but Pangenesis is very difficult and speculative.

Oliver has lost his little girl.

Summary

Sends copies of Science gossip and The leisure hour.

Enjoyed visit.

His criticism of Primula fertility referred to table 2 [Collected papers 2: 56] where weight of seeds produced from good pods by long-styled homostylous cross and short-styled heterostylous cross are virtually identical.

Summary

Pleased CD does not consider review of his works prejudiced [Anon., "Darwin and his teachings", Q. J. Sci. 3 (1866): 151–76].

Supports gradual development of species over time.

Confused by the metaphysical view implied in the analogy between a creative power that has made new species and artificial selection governed by human reason (Origin, 3d ed., p. 492).

Doubts natural selection.

Cites his discussion of the origin of Infusoria [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 14 (1865): 546–7].

Summary

Structure of Scaevola and its fertilisation with insect aid.

Fertilisation of Aristolochia.

FM’s paper on climbing plants [see 5146].

Is preparing new edition of Origin.

Summary

Sad about Oliver’s loss.

JDH’s reference to odd Begonia at same time as an article about it came out in Gardeners’ Chronicle [(1866): 313–14].

Is astonished that Pangenesis seems perplexing to JDH. Pleads guilty to its being "wildly abominably speculative (worthy even of Herbert Spencer)".

Summary

Invites CD to dine and meet Alphonse de Candolle.

Summary

Has been offered proof impressions of Maguire’s portrait of CD.

Sorry to hear of CD’s "heap of maladies".

Georgina [Tollet?] wants to see the review in the Quarterly Journal of Science [3 (1866): 151–76].

Summary

CD elected honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Summary

Queries for John Smith [Kew curator] on crossing a cucumber variety.

Summary

Cannot support another edition of Origin, so unable to send English pages. Suggests some of his other works that might be worth translating into German.

Summary

Gustav von Leonhard and Hans Bruno Geinitz’s Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie [1862–79] unfriendly to CD’s theory.

Lists various German publications dealing with CD’s theory.

Summary

Tameness of whales and porpoises.

Summary

AG’s second article on Climbing plants [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 41 (1866): 125–30].

Fritz Müller’s observations on Rubiaceae.

New edition [4th] of Origin.

Summary

Asks for additional details of Confessions of a Metaphysician.

Summary

F. Hildebrand, in his recent article [Bot. Ztg. 10 (1866): 73–8], describes what GH showed CD about Indigofera’s irritability.

Summary

Reports that his father has given up the idea of publishing a new edition of the Origin but points out that H. B. Geinitz of Dresden has, to date, only written against CD’s theory.