Lord Tankerville has not responded to the request for the skulls which LR requires for his research. CD addressed Lord T through his friend Sir Henry Holland, who is prepared to try again, despite Lord T’s rudeness.

Answers CD’s questions on Australian flora, bees, geology.

Entire family down with influenza. Has done nothing for three weeks.

Asks for Haast reference on New Zealand glacial deposits.

CD’s view of the North since Trent case. Can no longer write with sympathy to Asa Gray.

Encourages JDH about his son, Willy.

Problem of relation of colour to external conditions. Hopes JDH will undertake the investigation.

Thanks CD for his Primula paper [Collected papers 2: 45–63].

Asks if CD has observed the true oxlip (Primula elatior).

Comments on Hottonia and Stellaria graminea. [See Forms of flowers, pp. 72, 313.]

JDH castigates the Americans after the Trent affair. The value of an aristocracy. How will CD answer Asa Gray’s letter?

His "remarkable plant" [Welwitschia mirabilis] exhibited at Linnean Society.

Genera plantarum is in press.

Discusses Stellaria and other plants said to be dimorphic.

Asks for plants he wants for experiments.

Preparing a little book on Orchids.

The Witness attacks THH’s lecture.

Assures CD he spoke more favourably of his doctrines than the reports show.

Agrees with CD’s arguments on sterility of hybrids and predicts physiological experiments will produce physiological species sterile inter se. Has come even closer to CD’s view especially since Primula paper. Will soon be more Darwinian than CD.

He will send CD one of his sketches to add to the two CD has kept since Beagle days.

Asks for FitzRoy’s address.

Seeks to define oldest fossil cirripede.

Has received a satisfactory answer from Lord Tankerville.

Will enclose list of orchids in bloom for CD’s use.

Asks for photograph; her pleasure in knowing CD.

Most interested in the account of pigeons in CD’s book [Origin].

Thanks for promise of photograph.

Has no melastomads in bloom.

Describes sensitive anthers of Cynorchis.

Thanks CD for "your little pamphlet".

Dimorphism: "new cases are tumbling in almost daily".

U. S. politics.

Much amused at the Witness.

Pleased at what THH says on hybridity.

Odd that objectors never allude to the arguments that alone have weight in their favour – affinities, rudimentary organs, etc.

Has 16 ill in the house!

Natural History Review a capital number.

Sends proof-sheets of CD’s contribution to LJ’s Memoir of Henslow.

Thanks for orchids and other flowers.

Will send photograph.

Reports that the orchids Myanthus and Catasetum are identical.

Has had 16 in the household ill.

Wants to meet JL.

Praises JL’s paper ["Ancient lake-habitations of Switzerland", Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 26–51].

CD has sent to printer proofs of his contribution to Memoir of Henslow.

His answer to Asa Gray.

On JDH’s view of aristocracy. Primogeniture is dreadfully opposed to selection.

Orchid book proofs ready soon – has no idea whether it is worth publishing.

Huxley on Owen.

Feeble letter from J. H. Balfour against Huxley’s lectures ["Relation of man to lower animals", pt 2 of Man’s place in nature (1863)].

Has received the "astounding" Angraecum sesquipedale with nectary 1ft long: "what insect could suck it?"