Apologises for delay in thanking him for the flowers. Has been too unwell to write.
Morning Herald had an account of CD’s 80 specimens of Mammalia and 450 birds at the Zoological Society.
John Gould has described new species in CD’s Galapagos birds.
Much interest in CD’s "Laurels".
Family news.
Declines invitation to dine at Downing College because of influenza.
News of family and friends.
Caroline repeats story told to R. W. Darwin of FitzRoy’s feeling of obligation to Captain John White, from whom he gained release to marry Miss O’Brien.
Fanny Biddulph has had a son.
Interested in Lyell’s address [Proc. Geol. Soc. Lond. 2 (1833–8): 479–523]. Asks what the points are on which CD and Lyell are fully agreed.
Inquires about the paper FitzRoy and CD wrote on missionaries ["Moral state of Tahiti" (1836), Collected papers 1: 19–38].
News of family.
Has just given a paper [on "Sand tubes"] at Cambridge Philosophical Society and exhibited some specimens. It went well, with Whewell and Sedgwick taking an active part.
Herschel thinks 6000–odd years since the creation not nearly long enough to explain the separations from a single stock.
“The Botanists” and “The learned Linguists” give thanks for book and assistance.
Sends a number of questions (to put to his father), mainly concerned with transmission of diseases, between Europeans and natives, "people packed together", etc.
Is investigating how to get Government support [for Zoology].
Reports on the insect specimens [collected by CD] from Australia, New Zealand, and Tierra del Fuego. Has not completed descriptions.
Fragment glued to CD’s notes on rock specimens. The recto refers to one of CD’s specimens, the verso mentions his Keeling Island plants.
Sends information about, and dates of treatment of peaty fields. Marl seems to have sunk to the natural stratum of hard white sand which lies below the peat.
Thanks for "Maer Hypothesis" ["Formation of mould" (1840), Collected papers 1: 49–53].
No summary available.
RF declines to give an opinion on the wording of the preface to CD’s volume [Journal and remarks, vol. 3 of Narrative, published separately as Journal of researches] and refers him to a disinterested third party.
CD’s response [missing] comes from the heart. RF explains that CD’s preface [to Journal and remarks, vol. 3 of Narrative] offended him in not acknowledging the part RF and the other officers had in helping CD. Beagle voyage was the first on which officers could have kept any specimens they collected, but they gave preference to CD.
Father says he sowed broom plants soon after house was built in 1798; these never came up. In 1835 the terrace was made; thereafter the broom sprang up.
Advice on a medicine CD is taking.
Sends RO a box of fossils from William Darwin Fox, from the Isle of Wight.
