Thanks for Movement in plants; particularly supports indirect rather than direct action of light and gravity on plants.

Asks to see THH on Thursday or Friday to hear about the Wallace affair.

Recommends letters by William Topley in Geological Magazine. WT discusses past distribution of oceans and continents.

THH will be at Kensington.

He has been so busy that he has let the Wallace business stand over.

Thanks for Movement in plants, which confirms HV’s unpublished conclusions concerning gravity and the horizontal bending of radicles.

[CD note forwards letter to Francis Darwin.]

Many thanks for Movement in plants; is especially interested in sensitivity of young seedlings.

Have received Movement in plants. It will interest not only botanists but zoologists and biologists.

Ten years ago AD-P encountered great opposition when he started teaching Darwinism at Zurich. Now all except old Oswald Heer call themselves Darwinists.

Thinks Wallace memorial should not be presented to Lord Aberdare, nor to Owen, for signature, but will follow THH’s wishes.

Would like to reply to Samuel Butler’s Unconscious memory [1880] in Kosmos.

Comments on TMR’s "Oceanic islands" [Geol. Mag. 8 (1881): 75–7]. Fact that oceanic islands are all volcanic argues for view that no continent ever occupied the oceans. Chalk seemed best evidence of ocean having existed where continent now stands. CD leans to view that continents have occupied present positions since Cambrian.

The Kovalevskys have been to lunch.

Madame Kovalevsky is greatly interested in GHD’s papers.

Argues against volcanic origin of coral islands and for the submergence of continents. Cites Judd’s argument on the volcanoes of the moon.

Returns book [W. O. Focke, Pflanzen-Mischlinge]. It was of great use.

Suggests experiment involving light stimulation of plants.

Thinks his private notes failed to convey his ideas. JT wanted CD "to look at the product and express an opinion as to its value".

Sends draft of the Wallace memorial.

Writes of the pleasure of seeing him again.

CD and Emma enjoyed SH’s visit to Queen Anne Street and would like her to come to Down. When he next comes to London, he hopes to call on Fanny Biddulph.

Discusses GJR’s idea of subjecting plants to brief flashes of light.

Hoped to see GJR in London, but was too tired.

Delighted his book Movement in plants has interested GJR.

Asks if GJR has example of dogs calling on each other to go hunting; there is a case half a mile away.

Has heard that Samuel Butler has abused him in his latest book, but he does not intend to look at it.

Comments on Prehistoric Europe.

Asks JG’s opinion of Daniel Mackintosh’s paper ["Results of a systematic survey of erratic blocks", Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 35 (1879): 425–53].

Comments on loess.

Feels uneasy about streams of stone of Falkland Islands.

Thanks for report [on potato experiments].

Still has subscription money for JT’s experiments. How much does he need?