Regrets he cannot accept JC’s invitation to the [Master’s] Lodge [of Christ’s College] when he comes to Cambridge to accept his LL.D., as his health demands he stay quite by himself.

Wants HD to observe earthworm activity at Roman antiquities of Chedworth and Cirencester.

Asks to be sent Dr Frank’s Die Natur: wagerechte Richtung von Pflanzentheilen.

Although honoured by being asked, regrets the state of his health prevents his standing as a candidate for Lord Rector of Edinburgh.

Requests seeds for study of movement in cotyledons. Would love to study Welwitschia cotyledons.

Son William is to be married 28 November.

CD and Frank working hard on cotyledonary movement.

CD suggests technique for growing Welwitschia.

Approves of J. D. Dana and of O. Heer.

Thanks his correspondent for his letter; hopes he will convey to the president how obliged he is for the invitation, which he cannot accept as it would tire him too much.

Asks for Cassia seed for experiments.

CD declines to write for RLT’s new journal. He is not fitted for the work and dislikes it particularly. It costs loss of time as he "cannot change with ease from one job to another".

Having a splendid time at awarding of LL.D.

Thanks for bananas.

Deeply grateful for THH’s tribute to him at conferring of LL.D. at Cambridge.

Thinks EH’s translation of Cross and self-fertilisation [1877] is excellent.

Would like him to do Forms of flowers, but Reinwald is afraid to have it translated in the present political state of France.

Asks GHD to determine whether there are worm-castings in cloisters of [Neville?] Court.

Enjoyed his visit to Cambridge. Asks for newspaper account of the LL.D.

Sends letter from Fritz Müller [11191] containing observations on plants and insects of South Brazil, with prefatory comments.

Honoured to be elected an honorary member of the Société Géologique de Belgique.

Asks exact number of copies of recent printing of Origin.

Approves stereotyping Orchids,

but fears he cannot approve of stereotyping Cross and self-fertilisation and Forms of flowers. It is too soon for the latter, and he is too busy to correct the former.

Thinks he had better not sign GHD’s paper [as a candidate for F.R.S.], since he obviously is no judge of the quality of his work.

Asks if Thomson did not overlook heat generated by the crushing and folding of strata during the refrigeration of the globe.

Neptunia seeds germinated by applying great heat. CD wants advice of Kew gardener, R. I. Lynch, on how to proceed.

Printed public oration for CD’s Cambridge doctorate enclosed.

Suggests revisions in JDH’s 1877 Presidential Address to the Royal Society [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (1877): 427–46].

On publishing details for various CD books.

Has no corrections for new issue of Descent [2d ed.].

Questions amount of cheque for profits.