JDH is sending Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer [WTTD] the prepared list of donations to the RBG Kew herbarium, for the annual Kew Report, which will need revising by WTTD & [Daniel] Oliver. They may also wish to edit Hooker's eulogy to [General William] Munro. JDH cannot work up the list of Kew's publications without references so the Report will be delayed beyond the end of Mar this year. JDH & [Asa] Gray have visited [Joseph] Decaisne who is convinced that a student of his can define the characters of the natural orders based on hairs[?], & Decaisne is classifying species of Clematis according to the bristles on the stem & testa, which Baillon[?] will undoubtedly debunk. They visited the Jardin des plantes where JDH observed about 18 immature species of Madagascar palms. Also met: [Marie Maxim] Cornu, [Philippe Édouard Léon] van Tieghem, [Pierre Étienne Simon] Duchartre & [Gaspard Adolphe] Chatin. They have dined at Lavalier's & been to St Denis. Next they go to Chambery, Turin, Genoa, Pise [Pisa], Rome & Naples.