Athenæum [Owen’s?] attack on JDH [BAAS address] and CD. False statement that CD’s sole groundwork is from pigeons.

Agrees with JDH on foolishness of Red Lion Club.

Huxley’s want of judgment.

JDH’s argument about astronomy and astronomers.

Pall Mall Gazette [8 (1868): 593, 595–6] and Morning Advertiser on JDH’s address.

Has written to A. J. Gower.

Sends more copies of Queries about expression.

Pall Mall Gazette article [see 6342] is monstrous to say religion did not attack science. Should scientific men ignore whole subject of religion?

Sends French journal with article on JDH and one (weak) by Agassiz on geographical distribution.

M. J. Berkeley has sent his address [Rep. BAAS 38 (1868): 83–7].

CD differs with JDH on Owen; could hardly bear to shake hands with him.

Wallaces, Blyth, Jenner Weirs are coming to stay on Sunday.

Thanks JDC for paper ["American Cervus", Trans. Ottawa Acad. Nat. Sci. (1868); read 21 May 1868].

Discusses papers by JC dealing with erosion. Comments on papers on the subject by J. B. Jukes, A. C. Ramsay, and William Whitaker. Formerly believed in power of the sea. Never fully realised the truth until reading JC’s papers.

Discusses GdeS’s studies on fossil plants;

response to Origin in France.

Sends an ear of wheat with two florets of oats growing out of it. Expects it will all turn out a humbug.

Berkeley’s address in Gardeners’ Chronicle [(1868): 920, also Rep. BAAS 38 (1868): 83–7] praises CD tremendously.

Feels there is little he could say as a testimonial for HMJ.

Asks JT to distribute some circulars about the work of Gustavus Hinrichs of Iowa, whom CD wishes to help.

Admires JT’s Norwich address [to Mathematics and Physics Section, BAAS meeting, Rep. BAAS 38: 1–6] and his Fortnightly Review paper on scientific discovery [7 (1867): 645–60].

Pleased HM says good words for Pangenesis.

Invites JT to come to Down with the Asa Grays and Hookers.

Fears copy of AW’s publication [Über die Berechtigung der Darwin’schen Theorie (1868)] lost in mail. Asks for another.

Glad AW approves of his work

and objects to Nägeli’s law of perfection.

Thinks Moritz Wagner overrates necessity for emigration and isolation.

Arranges to call on GHL.

Will propose GHL for the Linnean Society.

Writes of his objections to GHL’s views.

Considers Weismann’s remarks on the importance of the nature of the organism as well as conditions of life in determining variability have much truth.

Comments on glaciers in North America.

Asks if glacial periods have occurred alternately in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Relevant to his glacial discoveries in South America: "it would have been an immense relief to my mind if I could have assumed … this". CD wishes to discuss subject in new edition of Origin [5th].

CD thought Watson’s article beastly in its criticisms of JDH. Watson’s criticism of CD was not new or important, but fair, so CD could honestly thank him, adding his regret at what was said about JDH.

Is sitting for Woolner bust.

Has read James Croll on alternation of glacial and warmer periods in north and south, which would remove JDH’s objections to cool period extending to equator.

Thanks JP for congratulations on success of George Darwin at Cambridge.

Does not have time to investigate propagation of Cardamine.

Problems with Mr Robinson, who has suddenly departed for Ireland for a month. The parish urgently needs some respectable man to hold the living permanently.

Enthusiastic about JDH’s plan for a British Flora – "a grand idea to make a Flora a guide for knowledge already acquired & to be acquired". Gives examples of subjects.

No work exists on various biological points in plants.

Asks GHD to look in William Thomson’s book [W. Thomson and P. G. Tait, Treatise on natural philosophy, vol. 1 (1867)] to see how many million years ago Thomson says earth’s crust solidified. CD is troubled by "brevity of the world", because pre-Silurian creatures must have lived during endless ages "else my views wd be wrong, which is impossible – Q.E.D.".

Is working on new edition of Origin [5th (1869)].

Asks JDH’s assistance on a problem posed by Nägeli on morphological differences that are of no utility to plants and hence could not be selected. CD wants to show that these differences do not support the idea of progressive development as Nägeli suggests.

Owen pitches into CD and Lyell in third volume of Anatomy of vertebrates [1866–8].