Asks JDH for leaves of Byblis and Roridula to examine, and D. Oliver for an anomalous species of Utricularia.
Showing 21–40 of 54 items
Asks JDH for leaves of Byblis and Roridula to examine, and D. Oliver for an anomalous species of Utricularia.
Extremely glad to have JDH come to Down. It is wise of JDH to exert himself and face the inevitable as well as he can. [Death of JDH’s wife, 13 Nov.]
Quite agrees with JDH on inadvisability of Huxley’s taking on the Edinburgh lectures.
Is awaiting JDH’s memorial to the Board [of Works?] on his burdensome duties.
Glad to hear JDH finds ease in his work.
Has forwarded JDH’s memorial to T. H. Farrer to take up with Sir Stafford Northcote and to ask him to consider the case of Kew personally. Has told Farrer that JDH was thinking of resigning if Government would not give him an assistant secretary.
Farrer has taken the case to Northcote. JDH’s letter will show how overworked he is.
Thanks JDH for his and Huxley’s countering of the false attack on George [Darwin] by Mivart. Encloses a note to Mivart on which he asks JDH’s opinion.
Asks JDH to help G. J. Romanes, who wishes to try Pangenesis experiment.
Expresses his gratitude to JDH and Huxley in the Mivart affair. Thinks he should write directly to Mivart, if Mivart does not retract.
Would be glad to have another Drosophyllum.
Encloses note from Huxley and copy of Huxley’s answer to Mivart – a tremendous reproof. On Huxley’s advice, CD will not write to Mivart. Thinks Mivart’s private apology to Huxley makes the case even worse.
Has not heard from Mivart. He is not so good a Christian as JDH and cannot forgive a man for malicious lying merely because he says he is sorry. Does not think Mivart will apologise. Still thinks the simple, most manly thing, is to write to Mivart directly and tell him what he thinks of him.
An awful row at the Linnean Society. William Carruthers and Co. packed a meeting to throw out a decision of the Council. He was beaten by one vote (more than two-thirds majority needed).
Spent two hours with Lyell talking about Thomas Belt’s book [The naturalist in Nicaragua (1874)]: "the tropical old Glaciers beat the seance I do think".
Lyell agrees that the glacial epoch is the great geological crux of the day. Lowering of the ocean level must also be investigated.
Curious about A. C. Ramsay’s paper coming at Royal Society on 29th ["On the comparative value of certain geological ages", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 22 (1874): 145–8].
Huxley’s new book [? Critiques and addresses (1873)].
The row at the Linnean Society and other troubles.
The Agricultural Society has sent Anton De Bary £100 to investigate the potato disease – an insult to M. J. Berkeley, who had worked on it for 30 years.
"Half an answer" to CD’s query on visit of Sphinx to Hedychium gardnerianum.
Business affairs and family ill health keep him busy.
G. J. Allman will succeed Bentham as President of Linnean Society. Busk has refused.
Huxley is well.
JDH has indoctrinated Sir Stafford Northcote with his merits.
Lyell frail.
Old J. E. Gray goes on publishing.
"Is not [Thomas] Belt splendid!"
Has "given the slip" to Nepenthes, but is setting a plant up in an enclosure for special observation.
Has some splendid Sarracenia and will perform any miracle regarding them CD puts him up to.
Charmed with CD’s account of Pinguicula. Would like to try whether Lychnis has the same use of viscid fluid.
Has written for English Utricularia for CD.
Sends results of his observations on Nepenthes. Would be grateful for any hints for further observations.
The appetite of Nepenthes for hard-boiled egg is prodigious.
Asks what can be the meaning of appendages to tips of leaflets of enclosed Acacia or Mimosa.
Is at fibrin today.
Michael Foster suggests coagulation of protoplasm may be diseased, not digestive, symptom.
F. M. Balfour is at Kew today.
Two Nepenthes have devoured two pieces of fibrin [sketch shows size] in three days.
Has CD any objection to JDH’s giving an account of CD’s Drosera observations at Belfast [BAAS meeting] in a résumé of pitcher-plant results ["Address to the department of botany and zoology", Rep. BAAS 44 (1874): 102–16]?
Stupefied by CD’s trouble and kindness. All he wanted for Belfast meeting was assurance that mention of published work on Drosera, etc., in Nature, etc., would not interfere with CD’s book.
Would like his Nepenthes results to go to CD or to Royal Society, but prefers CD take them.
Cephalotus very puzzling.
Peas and cabbage grow twice as fast after two days’ immersion in Nepenthes as when placed in distilled water, but four days’ immersion seems to kill them.
Has a splendid Australian Drosera twice as big as D. rotundifolia.
Describes his work on Nepenthes.
Cephalotus is a beast.
His address is a history of Dionaea, Sarracenia, and Drosera.
Thiselton-Dyer has helped enormously except with the observations; but his health is so poor that JDH thinks he is "evidently cut out for a Literate not a working botanist".