Has been in bad health and has just read HWB’s MS in the last two days. Praises the book; assured it will be successful. Offers to write to Murray. Hooker interested in conclusions on colour.

Thanks for note on his Macrauchenia paper [Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 7 (1861): 441–3].

Asks for references to descriptions of certain bones found in South America.

Lists four fossil New World monkeys; is CD aware of any others?

Apologises for not answering CD sooner about where he will publish review [of Origin]. Review is to appear in his own journal, but will postpone publishing it until the French translation of 3d ed. appears. Expresses substantial agreement with CD’s views.

Against all predictions his Edinburgh lecture was well received [Evidence as to man’s place in nature (1863)].

Took his old line about problem of infertility of hybrids as a test of CD’s views.

Report [from a newspaper] not quite right about what he said, but they have not refuted his statement that some form of progressive development theory is certainly true, nor that man and the apes come from same stock. Owen has gone in for progressive development in second edition of the Palaeontology [1861].

Regarding the apparent disappearance of a nebula. Comments on this.