Thanks Balfour for receipt of a package of Scottish plants. Sends a few specimens and asks for a complete list of required plants.

Offers thoughts on a specimen, stating they are conjectural and without seeing it he cannot be clearer.

JSH discusses election of a new Curator for Cambridge University Botanic Garden and encloses report to the Vice Chancellor to be passed on to James Stratton as testimonial.

Thanks Balfour for inclusion of some of his tables in the Manual of Botany and points out errors of genera and species in the tables based on Lindley and Bentham.

Asks for a sample of ‘woody fibre’ used in India for his museum.

Apologises for previous letter pointing out an error in Balfour’s Manual of Botany based on JSH’s tables of genera and species, in turn based on Lindley. Error was corrected in Balfour’s text.

Thanks Balfour for sending a copy of Class Book of Botany, vol. 1. Notes about teaching and students.

No summary available.

JSH sends list of plants from the Hitcham village herbarium and adds last programme of village horticultural society. Discusses receiving material for Ipswich and Cambridge museums and arrangement to send Balfour a section of Dracaena from La Orotava.

Discusses lists of fish and British birds and inability to attend previous meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Provides details of trip to the Paris Exposition.

Discusses recent trip to French gravel pits due to flint hatchets found there. Asks for high altitude samples for French friend’s acclimatisation study. Comments on Hooker’s trip to Middle East.

Asks whether one of Balfour’s students could obtain specimens of Corallorhiza from Ravelrig bog outside Edinburgh for CD.

Thanks for Primula paper [Collected papers 2: 45–63]; will examine some [Edinburgh] Botanic Garden samples in its light.

Huxley visiting Edinburgh and spoke on man’s zoological relations with monkeys [see Man’s place in nature (1863)]. JHB disagrees with his views.

Thanks JHB for specimen of Corallorrhiza;

would like some seeds of Corydalis claviculata.

Thanks for paper on Linum [Collected papers 2: 93–105].

One of his gardeners [John Scott] is also studying such fertilisation and appreciates CD’s encouragement; Scott has paper to read for Edinburgh Botanical Society.

Inquires which nurserymen near Edinburgh cultivate coloured primroses and cowslips. Wants to repeat John Scott’s remarkable experiments.

Does not know an Edinburgh nurseryman who can supply the cowslips and primroses CD wants; will try to get them from the Botanic Garden.

Hears from Hooker that CD is also examining Lythrum.

Thanks Balfour for Corydalis seed

and sends a photo of himself.