Tells arrangements for their journey to Coniston.

JDH writes that he encloses: a cheque for Asa Gray, & Mr Brown's account of the sale of Gray's books etc [enclosures not present]. Asks about 'Mr Millar's check'. JDH's niece Willielma Campbell died after giving birth to still born child. JDH attended the funeral in Glasgow, his wife [Hyacinth Hooker] accompanied him to comfort Isabella Hooker, Willielma's mother. JDH's sister Bessy [Elizabeth Evans-Lombe nee Hooker] is staying with him at Kew on her way to visit their Aunt Brightwen in Norfolk. JDH wishes he had been with Gray in the Alleghenies. JDH asks Gray if he should send Hayden the ATHENAEUM &c for the Survey library. JDH asks what has become of his & Gray's report. George Bentham is visiting Munro. JDH & Bentham are printing the next volume of GENERA PLANTARUM, incl. Chenopodiaceae. JDH criticises Muller's article NATIVE PLANTS OF VICTORIA, particularly his intercalation of monosplanes with Choripetaleae, description of Nyctagineae & figure of Boerhavia. Mentions George Henslow's 'weeds'. Encourages Gray to come to England. JDH would like to make another trip to America but does not want to abandon Bentham as they are working on monocots for GENERA PLANTARUM. JDH praises Bentham's skill & productivity. JDH recommends that Gray work on North American Flora, new edition of his text book & Hayden's report. He suggests Gray read Bales' Royal Geographical Society lecture on alpine floras in GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. Charles Darwin is in the Lake District. Mentions Engelmann's work on differentiating Pinus species. JDH is impatient for the continuation of Watson's bibliography to simplify referencing American botany. Comments on Gray building a library & herbarium [at Harvard] & on narrow minded attitudes towards Sargent. Mentions Clarke. JDH's book TOUR IN MAROCCO [Morocco] is making a loss. Charles Paget Hooker is trying again to pass at the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons, Edinburgh. The glass houses at RBG Kew have been damaged by a hail storm.

Lack of success in breeding horses in Bengal is related to damp climate. Encloses letter from F. G. Ravenhill concerning an unpublished report by the Stud Commission on animal breeds in Bengal.