Distribution of AG’s pamphlet.

Insectivorous plants.

Informs AG of his [CD’s] notice on Pumilio in Gardeners’ Chronicle [5 Jan 1861; Collected papers 2: 36–8].

Believes AG’s pamphlet will do natural selection "right good service".

Has received Chauncey Wright’s article.

Reports on favourable response to AG’s pamphlet.

Huxley and CD fear Chauncey Wright’s review is too general.

Reports the praise for AG’s pamphlet.

J. S. Henslow is dying.

Francis Bowen strikes CD as weak and unobservant; presumes he is a metaphysician, which accounts for his "entire want of common sense".

Does wild Apocynum catch flies in U. S.?

AG’s review of John Phillips’ book [Life on earth (1860), in Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 31 (1861): 444–9].

Thinks his experiments will explain Primula dimorphism.

Insect fertilisation of orchids.

Wishes that the "greatest curse on Earth", slavery, were abolished.

Is writing his paper on orchids.

Is surprised that AG gets little or no response with Drosera.

Describes the two forms of Primula and asks whether AG knows any analogous cases of dimorphism.

Reports that John Stuart Mill approves of CD’s scientific method.

Discusses American politics.

Is interested in cases of dimorphism like Primula. Discusses Primula and Linum.

U. S. politics and relations with England.

Wants examples of dimorphism similar to Primula.

Structure and function of Spiranthes flower.

Observations and experiments on Drosera.

CD’s views on design.

Thanks AG for notes on hollies.

Replies to an argument for design. Feels it monstrous to consider orchids created as they are now seen, since every part reveals modification on modification.

Discusses the worsening relations between their two countries and the possibility of war.

Expects Orchids and his Primula paper [Collected papers 2: 45–63] to be out soon.

Thanks AG for some facts on dimorphism.

George Bentham has given him a list of Oxalis and Mentha species that are dimorphic like Primula.

Is in a "thick mud" regarding design in nature.

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

U. S. politics.

Floral structure of Melastoma. Asks AG to observe position of pistils in lately-opened flowers of different plants.

Gives some observations on changes in pistil position with age in Monochaetum. Asks whether AG can observe Rhexia for similar movements.

"One of the best men, though at present unknown", H. W. Bates, has taken up natural selection.

Is sending first half of orchid book.

Feels he is wrong about Melastoma.

Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG’s observations.

Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.

Asks AG’s opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10–13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.

Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].

Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.

Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.

Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.

Sympathises with events in the U. S.

Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".

Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".

Thanks for notes on Cypripedium and Platanthera hookeri, which is really beautiful and quite a new case.

His son, George, has been observing the insect fertilisation of orchids.

CD has been crossing peloric flowers of Pelargonium, but doubts he will get good results with respect to sterility of hybrids.

Rhexia glandulosa does not appear to be dimorphic. Lythrum is trimorphic.

Adaptations of orchid flowers. Believes the structure of all irregular flowers is adaptation to insect fertilisation.

Linum grandiflorum distinguishes its own pollen so that when placed on stigma of same flower the pollen-tube is not even exserted.

AG’s orchid observations are admirable.

Owen has lectured on birds’ descending from one form.

French criticism of CD’s Primula paper.

Only AG has seen that Orchids was "a ""flank movement"" on the enemy".

AG’s "capital" review of Orchids [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 138–44].

Thinks there are three forms of Lythrum salicaria.

Discusses transport of seeds by sea.

Believes Lythrum is trimorphic. Asks AG for seeds of plants he suspects are polymorphic.