All London is talking about a report of the Russians advancing into Constantinople [Istanbul], if true it will mean war but JDH is sceptical. George Henslow has visited JDH. He has worked on the Indian flora for JDH but his work is poor & will need to be redone. William Thiselton-Dyer is to give a series of lectures on botany at the Royal Institution, which will be good for the reputation of RBG, Kew. JDH is with John Henry Lefroy, asks if Hyacinth mentioned calling on Lady Charlotte Anna Lefroy to Mrs Lyell. JDH will write to Dr Low about vaccinations. Everyone is going to 'Stanley's lecture'. JDH sends his love to all at Down [Down House] & tells Hyacinth to kiss the baby for him.

Sends birthday wishes.

Discusses his work on the Challenger [expedition] Radiolaria.

No summary available.

Thanks him for works by Lazarus Geiger [probably Zur Entwickelungsgeschichte der Menschheit (1871)

and Der Ursprung der Sprache, 2d ed. (1878)].

Thanks for photograph.

Sends birthday greetings.

Regrets CD has not lately published in Kosmos.

Requests photograph of CD’s family.

Thanks JP for congratulations on LL.D. [awarded by Cambridge University].

Comments on Rudolf Virchow’s book [Die Freiheit der Wissenschaft im modernen Staat (1877)].

Thanks for congratulations on his coming birthday. Has nothing special to say as a preface to S[erbian] edition [of Origin (1878)], except to hope it is in every way successful.

Congratulates CD on his birthday.

WDF has been suffering from bronchitis.

Thanks EH for birthday greetings.

Mentions his work on movement of plants.

Thanks RM for his interesting paper ["Entomological notes bearing on evolution", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 5th ser. 1 (1878): 155].

Has forwarded CD’s request for wheat specimens to Mr Galkine-Wrasky, Governor of Saratoff in Russia. Asks CD to send his thanks to the Governor and to allow GMA to visit Down to explain the specimens when they arrive.

CD and Frank Darwin hard at work on physiology of plants.

Asks opinion of his proposal to Bartholomew Price to translate and publish C. K. Sprengel [Das entdeckte Geheimniss (1793)] and Hermann Müller [Die Befruchtung der Blumen (1873)] in one volume.

Praise for Descent with slight criticism of CD’s opinion that racial divergence occurred after the continents were settled.

Acknowledges safe return of Chauncey Wright’s letters. Has no objection to JBT’s publishing extracts from CD’s letters to Wright. [See 11338.]

Supports idea to translate C. K. Sprengel, but opposes publishing it together with H. Müller because this would raise price of Müller’s useful book.

Confirms JDH’s observation that only tip of cabbage radicle shows geotropism.

Apologises for taking liberty of request made in previous letter.

Tells CD ways in which large box of wheat specimens might be shipped from St Petersburg.

CD has been informed by G. M. [Asher] that G-W has undertaken the shipment of "Froment des Steppes" for examination. He is most grateful. [See 11361.]

Discusses the difficulty of reconstructing angiosperm phylogeny.

Discovery of polar fossil plants helps explain migrations.

Hooker has identification of GdeS’s Permian fossil.

Wants Trifolium resupinatum for "bloom" experiment.