Feels he has no choice but to comply with the request of Council that he remain in office. Is reluctant to do so as his health has caused him to miss meetings and he has never once attended without suffering the next day. Cannot hold office beyond next anniversary meeting.
An amusing description of his railway journey to Shrewsbury.
Health is improved, but would do anything to get strong again. Is consulting his father; will return to London soon to see B. W. Hawkins.
Will send MS [of Fish, no. 2] to the printer, and be there when LJ comes.
Acknowledges TW’s letter supplying him with William Kemp’s address.
CD has read WK’s abstract in the Scotsman, 15 February 1840, p. 3, and asks for further details.
Informs correspondent that he wrote to William Walton all that he knew about the guanaco.
Present state of his health prevents his acceptance of invitation to attend the meeting of the Society.
Has much pleasure "in accepting the honour of being proposed as a member of the Council of the Geographical Society".
Encloses a copy of his Glen Roy paper. Asks for more details of Kemp’s work on the terraces of the Eildon hills.
The fourth number of part one of the Zoology has now been published. The Smith, Elder & Co. account is submitted.
Asks if he can bring his guests, J. C. L. and Mme [Simonde de] Sismondi and [Fanny] Allen, to CB’s parties.
Can give no information on the separation of the sexes in the guanaco.
Writes to find whether the date of the event [JMH’s marriage?] has been fixed.
Has been unwell and does not yet feel up to work.
Family news.
CD’s health is improving, but he has scarcely put pen to paper in the last half-year, and everything in the publishing line is going backwards.
Describes an orange tree with curious "horned" fruit; sends specimen. Asks if the horns represent "metamorphoses of some organ into the fruit orange".
Questions GNS on remains found in caves on Caldy Island. [CD’s pencilled queries sent via Frances Allen].
He encloses an unidentified paper received from R. I. Murchison the previous day.
Is unable to provide information about Dr Du Gard.
Appreciates the maps of Glen Roy sent by WB. Would welcome the opinions of WB and Louis Agassiz concerning the parallel roads but cannot give up the idea of their marine origin.
Sends his paper on earthquakes [(1840), Collected papers 1: 53–86]. Now sets less value on theoretical reasoning in geology than when he wrote it.
Recommends that Consul Chatfield’s communication on an earthquake in San Salvador [read 5 Feb 1840; Proc. Geol. Soc. Lond. 3 (1840): 179] not be published in Transactions.
Thanks GRG for his gift [A list of the genera of birds (1840)] and trusts that now GRG will be able to finish John Gould’s MS for Zoology.
Sorry that ill health prevented sooner reply. Letter about caves at Caldy was already read by Buckland. Will examine birds’ beaks when better and present to Geological Society of London in Smith’s name.