Does not give much for botanical results of Round Island, but the zoology is wonderful.

Lyell’s new book [The student’s elements of geology (1870)]. Urges Lyell to make it Elementary principles.

Grove is disgusted with CD for being disquieted by William Thomson: "Take another dose of Huxley’s penultimate address to Geol. Soc." [Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 25 (1869): 28–53].

Willy is back from New Zealand. JDH perturbed by what to do with him.

J. W. Dawson’s Bakerian lecture for Royal Society is full of errors, and JDH is forced to recommend that it not be published. [An abstract of the lecture was published: "On the pre-Carboniferous floras of north-eastern America", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 18 (1869–70): 333–5.]

Sends enclosure [a letter from Lady Lyell?]. He is choking with vanity.

Is going to send Willy to Mr La Touche in Salop; he brought up young Colenso and Frank Lyell. Some of his friends will think he is sending his son into a nest of young adders!

Hibiscus and Nolana seeds not harvested at Kew. Sends list of the best plants of Lilium he can give.

Asks CD for name of work on orchids mentioned in his supplementary paper ["Fertilization of orchids", Collected papers 2: 138–56].

References ARW's view of the identity of Bornean & Sumatran Zoology & the differences of Java from either.

Has CD read E. Claparède ["Remarques à propos de l’ouvrage de M. Alfred Russel Wallace sur la théorie de la sélection naturelle", Arch. Sci. Phys. & Nat. n.s. 38 (1870): 160–89]? Is it worth translating?

CD and J.-F. de Brandt are "en lutte for Ac. of Sc. [France]. What a farce it is".

His work on Nepenthes supports Miquel’s and Wallace’s view of the zoology of Borneo and Sumatra.

Brian Hodgson on dogs.

H. C. Bastian’s book [The modes of origin of lowest organisms (1871)] unsatisfactory.

Lyell does not share CD’s view of Bentham’s address.

Sends seeds from R. L. Playfair in Algiers.

F. Delpino writes asking where M. A. Curtis has published physiological observations on Dionaea ["Enumeration of plants growing spontaneously around Wilmington, North Carolina", Boston J. Nat. Hist. 1 (1834–7): 82–140; see Insectivorous plants, p. 301 n.].

Talk with Duke of Argyll on CD’s and Wallace’s views on man.

Hooker recalls his recent conversation with the Duke of Argyll about ARW's theory of the evolution of man.

Reports on the 1870 BAAS meeting at Liverpool. Huxley’s address was over the heads of the laymen.

Tyndall’s was eloquent to listen to, disappointing to read.

George Rolleston’s "Rococo" address [Nature 2 (1870): 423–7, 442–6].

Murchison.

Lyell.

Has done an immense lot of work.

Regrets CD has not kept the simple title "Origin of man" [for Descent].

Bentham has translated Miquel’s Sumatran supplement to his Flora van Nederlandsch Indie. It should be published. What does CD think is best vehicle? Nature is wretched and too ephemeral. What about Popular Science Review?