Writes, for CD, to thank him for his letter and offer to send Unsere Zeit, but will not trouble him to send it.
Sends photograph of CD.
Admires THH’s article on Kölliker’s and Flourens’ criticisms of Origin [in Natural History Review (1864): 566–80].
Review of Spencer was by Chauncey Wright.
Will get a note on John Scott’s paper off to Sillimans Journal [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 39 (1865): 101–10].
Sends £10 for Down charities.
Surprised at Kölliker’s misunderstanding; of Flourens he could have believed anything.
Family news.
Has heard about but not read Origin; is concerned that it may contribute to unbelief. Gives many pages of scriptural quotations and exegesis on the creation of earth, species, etc.
Asks anyone who possesses a treatise on gardening, or an almanac, one or two centuries old, to look up what date is given as the proper period for sowing scarlet runners or dwarf French beans. CD wants to ascertain whether these plants can now be sown earlier than was formerly the case.
Huxley has answered Kölliker in Natural History Review [(1864): 566–80].
CD is correcting two of Scott’s papers; is convinced primrose and cowslip are two good species.
Encloses an extract concerning beans from the Systema Horticultureæ of 1688 by J. Worlidge. Will be pleased to lend the volume if needed.
Sends a poem about sowing kidney beans.
Responds to the letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [before 8 October 1864].
Requests photograph.
Has heard that the yeast in CB’s brewery has failed. Asks for confirmation and answers to some questions.
In response to CD’s notice in Gardeners’ Chronicle [Collected papers 2: 93], sends planting times of peas from an 1861 almanac.
Prescribes continuing the phosphate of iron.
Morphological differences only partly define species; physiological differences, e.g., incompatibility results in Primula, are far more interesting.
T. Thomson’s review of Agardh’s muddled book ["Agardh’s classification of plants", Nat. Hist. Rev. (1864): 536–51].
Thanks for letter and memoirs.
Suggests a "rather hopeless experiment" of introducing poisons into tissues of plants on the chance that monstrous growths may be produced.
Forwards a letter from his head brewer, Laurence Burleigh, on yeast. They seldom exchange yeast with other brewers, and he doubts whether weak yeast from one brewery will ferment strongly in another.
To Lyell’s chagrin, CD has come round again to A. C. Ramsay’s glacial theory.
On primrose and cowslip, CD maintains they are good species, notwithstanding Scott’s work.
CD defines species by power of remaining constant for a good long time and showing appreciable amount of difference from close species.
Describes CD’s qualifications for Copley Medal.