Thanks SD for some furniture. Describes arrangement of furnishing at Down and work carried out on the grounds. Children are "very full of their approaching lessons".

Has sent WK’s paper to the Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Kemp 1844).

Thanks father for loan. Explains difficulty of acquiring the land through which the approach to Down House now runs.

Thanks JDH for short sketch of botanical geography of Southern Hemisphere. Comments on his own S. American collections and observations; notes other Galapagos collections.

Says Hooker does not want plant.

Queries on ratios of species to genera on southern islands. CD’s observations on distribution of Galapagos organisms, and on S. American fossils, and facts he has gathered since, lead him to conclusion that species are not immutable; "it is like confessing a murder".

C. G. Ehrenberg would like some earth from Galapagos, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falklands; wishes to hunt for Infusoria.

Thanks for information for Ehrenberg.

Has just completed Volcanic islands.

Sends queries on Galapagos flora in particular and island floras in general; also on relationship of wide-ranging species to wide-ranging genera.

Regrets the delay in sending copies of his paper.

Affinity of Galapagos with nearest Pacific islands. Relationship between ranges of species in time and space. Comparison of Malden Island and Galapagos plants. Affinities of Oceania plants with continental floras.

Advice to JDH on problems of printing and publishing.

Remarks on differences of species between islets of Galapagos group.

Asks JDH to forward publishing information to J. E. Gray.

Has received JDH’s infusorial specimens for Ehrenberg.

Writes to correct a statement made in his 1837 paper "On the formation of mould" [Collected papers 1: 49–53]. He should have said that marl was put on the field 30 years ago, not 80. Observations made on a visit to the field showed that worms had undermined the marl spread on the field at a faster rate than previously reported.

Thanks for JDH’s interesting details about the Galapagos.

Clarification of CD’s query about the relationship between the range of a genus and the ranges of its constituent species.

Thanks for information on printing charges

and for clarifying "typical forms".

In a few days CD will go away for six weeks.

Asks if J. E. Gray has returned [printing] estimates for Zoology.

Henslow has some Galapagos plants which he forgot to forward to JDH.

Arrangements for Emma’s return to Down.

CD has been "wonderfully strong".

Encloses letter from Ehrenberg [758] about Infusoria.

Intends to visit Kew.

Health and weather permitting, CD proposes to visit Kew.