Problems with Mr Robinson, who has suddenly departed for Ireland for a month. The parish urgently needs some respectable man to hold the living permanently.

Enthusiastic about JDH’s plan for a British Flora – "a grand idea to make a Flora a guide for knowledge already acquired & to be acquired". Gives examples of subjects.

No work exists on various biological points in plants.

Acknowledges receipt of book and manuscript.

Sends his autograph.

Asks GHD to look in William Thomson’s book [W. Thomson and P. G. Tait, Treatise on natural philosophy, vol. 1 (1867)] to see how many million years ago Thomson says earth’s crust solidified. CD is troubled by "brevity of the world", because pre-Silurian creatures must have lived during endless ages "else my views wd be wrong, which is impossible – Q.E.D.".

Does not think the supposed cow–deer hybrid worth investigating.

John Robinson [the curate at Down] reported to be walking with girls at night.

Thanks WDF for information about sheep and cattle.

Mentions corrections for new edition of Origin [5th ed. (1869)].

Has received JBI’s two letters; agrees with him, but does not know what to do about [the alleged misconduct of] John Robinson. Reports in a long postscript on vain efforts to confirm rumours. Suggests JBI come to Down to see how affairs stand.

Thanks for information about the spurs in the young of Pavo muticus and Pavo cristatus.

Concerning death of August Schleicher.

Is working on new edition of Origin [5th (1869)].

Asks JDH’s assistance on a problem posed by Nägeli on morphological differences that are of no utility to plants and hence could not be selected. CD wants to show that these differences do not support the idea of progressive development as Nägeli suggests.

Owen pitches into CD and Lyell in third volume of Anatomy of vertebrates [1866–8].

JDH’s letter invaluable for an answer to Nägeli’s essay [Entstehung und Begriff der Naturhistorischen Art (1865)].

Has gone through his index to Gardeners’ Chronicle but finds little of use to JDH for his Flora.

Discusses experiments in breeding fowls.

Comments on letter from S. O. Glenie [see 6440] concerning the eyes of trumpeting elephants.