Encloses his marriage present, which he fears Sara [Darwin née Sedgwick] will think "atrociously unsentimental", but he hopes useful.

Is glad to hear R. B. Litchfield is better.

Discusses William Darwin’s engagement to Sara Sedgwick.

Thanks GdeS for communicating his discovery. It is especially important at a time when several naturalists have declared that development occurs quite suddenly at intervals. Joseph Le Conte in N. America urges that even new families and orders are developed within an extremely short period.

Sends a query he would like GHD to put to Clerk Maxwell: why does a sponged leaf dry more rapidly, although sponging cannot remove the waxy bloom from the minute pores through which it is secreted?

Is very glad to hear about tides in the earth.

Has read JT’s address ["Science and man", The Times, 2 October 1877, p. 8]. What JT says about CD honours and pleases him. JT’s short character of Faraday is beautiful.

Welcomes JDH home from American expedition.

Returns [unspecified] enclosure.

Requests seeds for experiments he and Frank are doing on automatic movements of cotyledons.

Pleased the Senate has passed Grace conferring his LL.D.

Has given dates [for the Cambridge University honorary degree] to the Vice-Chancellor.