Summary

Congratulations on JDH’s safe return.

Henslow has sent CD’s S. American plants to JDH for examination.

Summary

Questions on JDH’s sketch comparing floras of Australia, New Zealand, and western S. America; wishes to know botanical relations between other southern islands. Botanico-geographical discussions and comments on books sent by JDH.

Summary

Thanks for JDH’s interesting details about the Galapagos.

Clarification of CD’s query about the relationship between the range of a genus and the ranges of its constituent species.

Summary

Thanks for use of CD’s collection.

Comments and queries on the botany of the Southern Hemisphere.

Looks forward to seeing CD’s Galapagos plants.

Summary

Thanks JDH for short sketch of botanical geography of Southern Hemisphere. Comments on his own S. American collections and observations; notes other Galapagos collections.

Summary

Henslow has sent him CD’s Galapagos plants along with Macrae’s. JDH impressed by the island endemism, which "overturns all our preconceived notions" on centres of radiation. Describes the extent, and the sharp demarcation at longitude 60° W, of the American and European Northern Hemisphere floras. CD’s plants among those he is using to do Antarctic flora. Drimys winteri shows a graded series of states down the length of the South American continent.

Summary

Thanks for pleasant stay at Down.

Remarks on boulders found on southern islands.

Describes the alpine character of the Andes flora and relays information on other mountain floras.

Quotes instances of seeds that retained their vitality after being carried by ocean currents.

Sends notes on the comparative floras of New Zealand, Australia, and west coast of South America.

Encloses a copy of part of a letter from George Gardner in Ceylon concerning the European character of the mountain flora.

Summary

Would like to borrow the pamphlet on variation [Frédéric Gérard, "De l’espèce dans les corps organisés" (1844), extract from Dictionnaire universel d’histoire naturelle, ed. C. D. d’Orbigny].

Glad to hear Humboldt’s views on migration. CD believes we cannot "put any limit to the possible and even probable migration of plants".

Wants good book on plant morphology.

Summary

Tabulation of varieties goes on; very important as it shows the branching of forms. Mentions his principle of divergence.

Summary

C. F. Ledebour [Flora rossica (1842–53)] particularly useful for variety tabulation. Results generally favourable.

Additions to Down House.

Last two chapters of MS took six months to write.

Summary

Comments on JDH’s Flora Antarctica. CD is delighted with it.

"I can never cease marvelling at the similarity of the Antarctic floras: it is wonderful."

Questions JDH on points raised by the work: absence of alpine flora on southern islands; comparison of climate and floras of Tasmania and New Zealand.

Summary

Thanks for H. C. Watson’s interesting letter. Disagrees with him on intermediate varieties.

CD has read latest numbers of JDH’s The botany of the Antarctic voyage [pt I, Flora Antarctica (1844–7)]; notes several sentences against "us Transmutationists".

Summary

Non-endemic Ascension Island plants brought by man, not wind-transported.

Bentham has found intermediates between oxlip and cowslip in Herefordshire.

JDH finds quantity of albumen in seeds is not variable within a species.

Summary

Doubts Decaisne’s report of larkspur self-fertilisation.

Enthusiastically observes climbing plants. Needs to know how novel his observations are. Finds R. J. H. Dutrochet has made similar observations, so he has wasted some time. [See Climbing plants, p. 1 n.]

Summary

Sends notes on Infusoria for Ehrenberg.

Comments on distribution of species in natural orders that have local distributions. Intermediate forms between species of Lycopodium.

Summary

Important issue at stake with new flora calculations: evidence that species are only strongly marked varieties. Planning large-scale survey.

Summary

CD’s illness: he is vomiting "vegetable" cells.

Dutrochet has published the best of CD’s observations on tendrils [see Climbing plants, p. 1 n.].

Lyell has found Joshua Trimmer’s Arctic shells on Moel Tryfan.

Summary

CD brought some plants in spirits from Tierra del Fuego. Did JDH see them?

Problems of explaining formation of coalfields. Comments on recent work on coal formation.

Summary

Affinity of Galapagos with nearest Pacific islands. Relationship between ranges of species in time and space. Comparison of Malden Island and Galapagos plants. Affinities of Oceania plants with continental floras.

Summary

James Wilson reports case of salmon hybrids.

Herrings inhabit freshwater lake in Scotland during winter.

JDH will edit juror reports for the Great Exhibition.