JDH writes to his wife, Frances Hooker, to inform her that he is in a camp at the 'axis' of a high ridge in the Atlas Mountains. The party travelled from Morocco to the place where [John] Washington made an attempted ascent, as described in the JOURNAL OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. The 'Caid' or chief of that part of the mountains hates Christians & tried to persuade them not to go further, however they climbed to 5000 feet & could see enough to establish that it was not a god route to the peaks that Washington had been trying to reach. They then went further West. Their progress that way was hampered by the mules being unable to continue for more than a few hours in the rugged terrain & they were unable to reach the snowline there. Instead they travelled to the province of Reraia on the headwaters of the Oued El Fist [elsewhere spelt Enfisk, possibly referring to Tensift River], & then further south to their current position at 3-4000 feet above sea level in the district of Sheik El Graoui. El Graoui has taken them to the lowest snow bed, at 8000 feet. They will next make camp at the highest village, 7000 feet, & use it as a base for botanising higher. They will then try an ascent of the great peaks to the West en route to Mogadore [Essaouira]. The mountains are inhabited by a race called the Shelloos [Shilhah], to whom JDH is administering medical treatment. JDH saw the first sign of ancient ice action in a moraine at 6000 feet but there were no other indications of glaciation in the surroundings. He describes the landscape. He characterises the vegetation as 'mainly Spanish' & notes the presence of: Cisti, Lentisk, Arbutus, Phillyrea, Roses, Honey-suckle, Willow, Ash, Oak, Laurustinus Juniper, Callitris, Walnut, Olive, Chamerops & Elder. Also many species of unspecified herbaceous plants including new ones. Above 6000 feet: wild Gooseberry, harsh grass, many herbaceous Compositae, 2 or 3 Saxifrages, Cruciferae & Leguminosae. They have seen remarkably few ferns.
No summary available.
JDH informs his wife Frances Hooker, that he has arrived at Tangier having taken a slow boat, the 'Lady Havelock', from Mogadore [Essaouira]. He now hopes to transfer to a China passenger ship bound for London, called the 'Burmah', which will provide a faster passage. [Edward] Crump will complete the journey to England on the 'Lady Havelock' with the luggage.
JDH informs William Thiselton-Dyer that he has had a letter from Sir Henry Barkly [Governor of Cape Colony] urging the completion of FLORA CAPENSIS & suggesting that Peter MacOwan, an experienced Cape botanist, be sent to England for a year to accomplish this. JDH passes on MacOwan's feelings on the subject & asks for Thiselton-Dyer's opinion. He also asks if Thiselton-Dyer will be able to describe any families for a flora of India.
No summary available.
No summary available.
Plans to write an account of his trip to Morocco and, with John Ball, the botanical geography, for Linnean Society.
Results mainly negative; the Atlas exhibits "the dying out of European flora".
Only two or three beetles above 8000ft.
Disappointed that Canary Island species are absent from Atlas mountains; but an ocean current along Moroccan coast should help migration of Spanish, Portuguese, and Moroccan seeds to Canaries and Madeira.
Describes Lyell’s poor physical condition. Asks CD for his observations of symptoms.
He did observe that Ophrys apifera fertilised itself as CD described and O. lutea as well.
Moroccans are too civilised, taciturn, and unfriendly to make anything of them for expressions of emotions.
Moraines and negative results on Atlas alpine flora are the only points of the journey worth much.
No summary available.
Has given CD’s name to a species of Abutilon found by Fritz Müller.
Pleased at Henrietta [Darwin]’s engagement.
Identifies Henslow’s mouse that used tail as prehensile climbing organ as Mus messorius.
Has not seen the Quarterly Review.
Inquires after Lyell’s health.
Lengthy discussion of William Thomson’s address [BAAS, Edinburgh 1871].
Differences in violet and honeysuckle cases.
Huxley basted Thomson awfully in Section D [of BAAS].
No summary available.
No summary available.
His mother very ill.
Mrs Hooker back from Bavaria.
Hopes marriage [of Henrietta] went well. Is accused of saying he would rather go to two burials than one marriage.
Has heard from Huxley who is threatening to "thin out" Mivart. Huxley is reading Francisco Suarez and finds Mivart misquotes or misunderstands him.
No summary available.
On Huxley’s article for Contemporary Review [see 7977] confuting Mivart. It has cheered him,
for he is very low about his mother’s state.
Is also in detestable position with "my lord and master", A. S. Ayrton. JDH has denounced him to the [First] Lord of the Treasury [W. E. Gladstone] for his conduct.
ARW's reservations about human evolution.
JDH’s servant carries his letter to Henry Holland about problems with Ayrton. Suggests servant take CD’s letter to Holland to town and post them at same time. Holland is said to be very intimate friend of Gladstone.
