GR’s letter is a gold-mine.

Pleased to have Pierre Gratiolet’s comment on the embryology of greatly modified organs

and GR’s valuable cases of analogous variation.

Doubts craniologists, but recounts his father’s opinion that the shape of CD’s head was altered when he returned from the Beagle.

Pleased to hear through Miss Pennington that CEB-S intends to review Origin in a French journal. Suggests 3d ed. as this will soon appear in French translation. Does not expect perfect agreement on so complex a subject as descent.

French translation of 3d edition of Origin has been greatly delayed.

Very pleased with CEB-S’s intent to write a review and with his near agreement. CD believes that so many really good judges concur with him in the main that his views will ultimately prevail. Continental reviews have been more positive than British ones. Édouard Claparède’s ["M. Darwin et sa théorie de la formation des espèces", Rev. Ger. 16 (1861): 523–59; 17 (1861): 232–63] is too favourable.

Admires his paper ["On the credibility of Darwinism", J. Trans. Victoria Inst. 2 (1867): 39–62, and discussion 63–125].

Ridicules William H. Ince and Admiral FitzRoy on their naive ideas about Noah’s ark.

Cannot judge GWC’s fitness for the Botanical Chair at Oxford. But CD appreciates his work, particularly that on spontaneous generation [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 13 (1863–4): 313; 14 (1865): 178].