WSD has been elected Assistant Secretary of the Geological Society after a sharp struggle. CD’s support was greatly in his favour.
Has finished Für Darwin. It has been a difficult job.
He and Mrs G pleased to receive CD’s letter indicating that he found their observations worthy of attention.
Hopes soon to be able to answer CD’s queries on first plumage of chickens of black-boned variety of fowl.
Delay in translating Für Darwin.
Comments on plan to repeat CD’s experiments on illegitimate offspring.
FM’s observations on stridulation.
Is doing a British Flora [The student’s flora of the British Islands (1870)], for students, more scientific and more complete than former editions.
His opinion of Bentham’s [British] Flora [1858].
On Croll’s extension of glaciers – a huge relief to get rid of simultaneous cooling of the whole globe.
Watson’s garbling of passage in JDH’s Flora Indica is unprincipled.
Asks whether the spurs in the young of Pavo muticus are developed earlier or later in life than in the young males of Pavo cristatus.
Thanks CD for advice to watch the action and not only the structure [of plants].
No summary available.
No summary available.
Is grateful for his paper on musical scales. Comments on the characteristics of wind instruments. Some friends of his saw a brilliant meteor fall last Tuesday.
Had no time to write before he sailed [see FH's 1868-10-23, which is similar in content]; forward letters to the Ordnance Office, Southampton.
Sending a photograph of a solar prominence he has received from Major J. F. Tennant. Comments on various features. At the Transit of Mercury he saw the phenomenon described by J. H. Schröter.
Thanks to WH for the photograph of solar protruberances; comments on polarization of light from the sun.
Has placed Mr. Frosmard's letter before the Geological Society, and also discussed the matter with R. I. Murchison, but regrets he is unable to help.
Can he publish JH's statement regarding John Lubbock? Outlines the wishes of other scientists regarding the printing of their views.
Has read with great interest JH's paper on the musical scales. Comments on JH's paper and expounds some of his own theories on the musical scales. Would like JH's comments on his paper.
Is obliged for GM's letter and for the trouble he has taken over JH's paper on musical scales. Object in writing this paper was to clear the ground as it were. Elucidates some of the points in his own paper and comments on parts of GM's paper.
Appreciates JH's beautiful simplification of the numerals in musical arithmetic. Wishes JH would give up the point of the variability of the supertonic and transfer it to the submediant. Agrees with JH over the need for a keyboard instrument possessing a perfect chromatic scale in any particular key.
Seems to JH to be some systematic error in some of RM's observations; JH includes examples.
Accept his best thanks for JH's paper on musical scales. It seems to dispose of the whole matter in the most satisfactory manner. Hopes his own pupil is well.
This town and surrounding area were visited by an earthquake on Friday night. Gives time and details. Alexander Herschel is to give a lecture at Leamington in the ensuing season.