Édouard Heckel of Grenoble is translating Cross and self-fertilisation.

Expression has sold out; wants a new edition.

Attributes the Castilian accent of speech of deaf and dumb men to imitation of their teachers’ lip movements.

Thanks CD for his advice. No doubt one may be misled by a few experiments in matters on which many forces come into play. Describes his plans to observe the flowering of 23 plants of Lychnis gilhago raised from a single capsule.

Gives an example of atavism in American cattle.

Was CD already convinced of evolution when he published Journal of researches?

Photograph album will be late coming.

Evolutionary magazine to appear in March under title of Kosmos.

Thanks OZ for a "magnificent Album".

On Beagle voyage CD believed in permanence of species. Had occasional vague doubts. In autumn of 1836 saw how many facts indicated common descent of species. In 1837 opened notebook to record facts.

Thanks for Cross and self-fertilisation.

His work on poppy varieties confirms increased vigour with crossing.

JS is carrying out opium poppy experiments CD suggested. He is busy with opium duties. Observing many fields of poppies, day and night, JS finds them remarkably free of insects. Believes they are wind-pollinated and that varieties have prepotent pollen since he has shown they do not cross naturally.

Plans to send a paper on Cyclosis to Linnean Society.

Accedes to her [unspecified] request.

CD has harangued the Down Friendly Club. Does not think it will dissolve.

His specimen catalogue has not been returned from Cambridge museum. If not lost, will answer query.

Wants to know how to obtain The thoughts of Marcus Aurelius, mentioned in Descent [1: 106].

Comments on CD’s Cross and self-fertilisation: its usefulness to florists, and his solution of a long standing puzzle in showing the increase of monstrosities in self-fertilised plants.

Is unconvinced that correction in Cross and self-fertilisation requested by CD [see 10852] should be made. Asks CD to reconsider.

Encloses his translation of a draft letter from his friend Franz von Rekowsky [see 10855], who is German Consular Secretary at Messina.

Acknowledges receipt of a publication from a German author. Hopes that the German will not be too difficult to understand in an "important & abstruse" subject.

Reports a bluebell monster.

Response to Cross and self-fertilisation, reviewed in Spectator.

Thanks for work on Fossil arctic flora.

JDH reports on Frank’s reading of his Dipsacus paper at the Royal Society. Huxley slept through much of it, but JDH is well pleased with it.

Does not think the pistil behaved as JC described, except by mere accident.

CD counters Thiselton-Dyer’s objection to protoplasmic filaments of Dipsacus protruding beyond cell-wall, as Frank’s paper claims, by citing white "blood cells passing through vessels".

Has received Moseley’s collection of photographs.