From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Dr Thomas Anderson
Date:
27 October 1862
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/1 f.45-46, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
28 October 1862
Source of text:
JDH/2/22/1/1 f.17-18, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
JDH hopes to send Asa Gray copies of GENERA PLANTARUM with the autumn box of 'distributa'. JDH discusses Sir John William Dawson's criticisms of one of his essays concerning plant distribution [possibly JDH's introductory essay from FLORA ANTARCTICA], addressing each point in detail. Dawson's objections centre on the flora of Scandinavia & supposed geological inaccuracies, many concerning Greenland. In the past JDH & Sir Charles Bunbury have quashed some of Dawson's palaeobotany papers sent to the Geological Society. JDH is convinced his own conclusions are sound, they have the support of James Hector & Sir Charles Lyell. Dawson is against Darwinism & the theory of evolution by natural selection. JDH notes that there is currently a lot of changes in geological theory & hypotheses in the discipline are difficult to prove, there is an argument about the effectiveness of current species variation & distribution in determining past land formations. JDH believes geological & biological evidence must both be taken into account to form a strong hypothesis. He makes the point that all facts began as theory, just as absolute specific creation is now questioned so may creation by variation be disproved, or it could become established fact. JDH mentions his own work on Welwitschia [mirabilis], specifically characteristics of ovules in male & female flowers, & Gray's work on Cypripedium. Thanks Gray for Asimina & urges him to write a systematic resume of American flora.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
2 Nov 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 66–7, 70
Summary:
Stupefied by CD’s five forms of Lythrum.
Asa Gray busy with Cypripedium. JDH offers some to CD if he wants to challenge Gray.
J. W. Dawson’s review of JDH’s paper on Arctic plants.
Louis Lucien Bonaparte’s views on Basque and Finnish language [Langue basque et langues finnoises (1862)] suggest to JDH that Basques are Finns left behind after the glacial period, like the Arctic plants!
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
7 Nov 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 68–9, 73–4
Summary:
JDH admits he wrote Gardeners’ Chronicle and Natural History Review articles on orchids [Gard. Chron. (1862): 789–90, 863, 910; Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 371–6].
JDH’s objections to CD’s idea of how Greenland was repopulated. Temperate Greenland has as Arctic a flora as Arctic Greenland – a fact of astounding force. Why should certain Scandinavian species be absent? Migration by sea-currents can no more account for the present distribution in Greenland than can special creation.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
12 Nov 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 75–6
Summary:
Samuel Haughton was the prejudiced reviewer of the Origin. JDH’s opinion of SH.
Has heard from a W. African collector that P. B. Du Chaillu’s accounts [Explorations and adventures in equatorial Africa (1861)] are all false.
R. F. Burton has impudently stolen credit for Gustav Mann’s Cameroon expedition.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
15 and 20 Nov 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 71–2, 79
Summary:
Sends CD West Ireland soundings.
More detail on his review "a la Lindley" [see 3797].
Bates’s paper ["Contributions to an insect fauna of the Amazon valley", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23 (1862): 495–566] is capital.
Andrew Murray’s article plays into CD’s hands through sheer ignorance.
JDH is on Royal Society Council.
Has no recollection of applying natural selection to Polynesians. None but a German would dig out such a passage if it exists [see 3812].
Has caused Tyndall to modify his pseudo-geology.
Has not seen Duke of Argyll’s review [Edinburgh Rev. 116 (1862): 378–97]. [The Duke] did not understand Orchids the least little bit, nor the Origin, when JDH saw him.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Dr Thomas Anderson
Date:
16 November 1862
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/1 f.47-48, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
26 Nov 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 61–2, 77–8
Summary:
Returns Asa Gray letter. Gray has made a great blunder in his criticism of Oliver: he mistakes perpetuation of a variety for "propagation of variation". Confusion between "action of physical causes" and "effects of physical causes". Neither crossing nor natural selection has made so many divergent individuals, but simply variation. "If once you hold that natural selection can create a character your whole doctrine tumbles to the ground." CD’s failure to convey this, and the false doctrine that "like produces like" is at bottom of half the scientific infidelity to CD’s doctrine. There is something to the objection that CD has made a deus ex machina of natural selection since he neglects to dwell on the facts of infinite incessant variations.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Brian Houghton Hodgson
Date:
6 December 1862
Source of text:
JDH/2/22/2 f.84-85, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
JDH discusses the health of Brian Houghton Hodgson's wife. His own wife, Frances, has had a tooth out but otherwise the Hooker family are all well, he particularly mentions his son Brian Harvey Hodgson Hooker "growing a pace in stature & wisdom". He mentions a rocking horse much loved by his children. Thomas Thomson & his wife spent some time at Kew & have now gone to Hastings. [Sir James William] Colvile's house is shut up. Mentions chatting with [Sir Lawrence] Peel & a coin expert named Mr. Thomas at the Athenaeum Club. [Charles] Lyell is still working on his 'age of man', JDH comments that he will struggle to reconcile his old geology with recent discoveries, including Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. [Thomas Henry] Huxley is working on a publication about the relation of men to lower animals, JDH is very impressed with it. Summarises & critiques [Richard] Owen's paper, read at the Royal Society, on the dinosaur Gryphosaurus & its relation to birds vs. reptiles. JDH notes that the paper actually backs up [Charles] Darwin's: "much disputed dogma" regarding the geological record. JDH mentions some of Darwin's work and praises him as 'the first naturalist in Europe...as great as any that ever lived'. Discusses the reception, by the press and clergy, of Bishop [John William] Colenso's writings on the interpretation of the Bible. Mentions the Schlagintweit's book.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[14 Dec 1862]
Source of text:
DAR 101: 83–4
Summary:
On Asa Gray’s letter; has written why he avoids alluding to the war.
Has read Max Müller [see 3752] – last part unphilosophical.
On CD’s pigeon example, long-beaked and short-beaked pigeons must be either sterile or not inter se. There is "no such thing as Equality – hence no such thing as chance and Nat. Sel. is the sword of Damocles hanging over your head if you make a slip in your premisses."
Has read note on Lythrum sent several weeks ago. Its consequences are of most prolific order to CD’s doctrine.
Kew has no wild gooseberries.
JDH praises the Saturday Review reply [14 (1862): 589] to the Duke of Argyll’s bitter review of Orchids ["The supernatural", Edinburgh Rev. 116 (1862): 378–97].
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[21 Dec 1862]
Source of text:
DAR 101: 80–2
Summary:
"Throttled off" Welwitschia paper at Linnean Society [Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 24 (1863): 1–48].
Has read Tocqueville’s Democracy in America [1835–40] – disagrees with it. Tocqueville says democracy in America is a success. Democracy has persisted because there has been no cause for its overthrow (i.e., no struggle for existence, too much mobility).
Sends J. W. Dawson’s unsatisfactory letter.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
General William Munro
Date:
25 December 1862
Source of text:
MUN/1 f.127, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[27 or 28] Dec 1862
Source of text:
DAR 101: 93–5
Summary:
Hostile to Spencer’s application of natural selection to society.
JDH on J. E. Gray’s views on collecting.
JDH collecting Wedgwood ware.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[before 29 Dec 1862]
Source of text:
DAR 101: 85
Summary:
Comments on items in the Saturday Review and the Edinburgh Review.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[31 Dec 1862]
Source of text:
DAR 101: 96–7
Summary:
JDH’s impression on meeting [J. A.] Froud[e].
CD’s projected three volume work.
Complains at poor state of some [unspecified] plant collection.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Dr Thomas Anderson
Date:
?-?-1863
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/1 f.61-62, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
Letter dated 1863, over two pages.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Date:
--1863?
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/2 f.245, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Date:
--1863?
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/2 f.248, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
A letter from Joseph Hooker to Miles Berkeley.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Date:
--1863?
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/2 f.253, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
Joseph Hooker writes to Miles Berkeley to invite him to stay with Hooker at Kew and attend a Linnaean Society lecture given by Thomas Huxley on aphides. Also states that he will introduce Berkeley at the Royal Society when Hooker takes the Chair.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Date:
--1863?
Source of text:
JDH/2/3/2 f.254, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
Joseph Hooker writes to Miles Berkeley to explain the timing of a Royal Society meeting in which Berkeley is to be awarded the Royal Medal. Mentions that William Henslow Hooker has returned to school and will travelled to Hastings.
Contributor:
Hooker Project