Obliged for information on Mimosa albida; if a vigorous plant behaves as JDH says, CD’s notions are all knocked on the head.

Anxious to read Tyndall’s answer to Tait [Nature 8 (1873): 399].

Drosera story too long for his strength. Essentially the leaves act just like stomach of an animal.

Burdon Sanderson will give some grand facts at BAAS about Dionaea.

Offers to help JDH with Nepenthes experiments. Finds experimental work always takes twice as much time as anticipated.

Consults about the wisdom of Frank’s becoming CD’s assistant rather than practising medicine.

Outlines his finances.

[Copy in EAD’s hand.]

Requests 6 2oz bottles with corks. Folic acid produces remarkable effect. Orders hydriodic acid.

CD’s discovery of acidity of Drosera secretion is interesting. EF explains how hydrochloric acid can be detected and identified. [See Insectivorous plants, p. 88.]

Thanks for C. E. Norton’s address.

Tyndall’s answer [Nature 8 (1873): 399] has surprised and disappointed him;

great trouble in announcing Tyndall’s election as President Elect [of BAAS] yesterday. Tyndall may throw up the Presidency. Spottiswoode and JDH have concocted a letter telling him the facts.

A very poor dull meeting. Comments on papers by W. C. Williamson, Clerk Maxwell, David Ferrier, Burdon Sanderson [Rep. BAAS 43: lxx–xci, 23–32,126–7, 131–3].

Has heard Huxley is back quite well.

Sends CD an account that has the novelty of having a balance against CD.

Criticises CD’s letter to Nature ["Complemental males in certain cirripedes", Collected papers 2: 177–82].

On the elimination of useless parts.

GHD fails to see the point of CD’s use of the law of distribution about a mean.

EAD sees advantages to Frank’s becoming CD’s assistant.

Acknowledges CD’s cheque.

Sends CD cheque for profits on Orchids and a statement of stock on hand of CD’s works [missing].

Origin and Expression sales are stagnant.

The Royal Society referees have rejected HA’s phyllotaxy paper, and it will not be printed in Philosophical Transactions. HA is not sorry for he has found new facts which limit the applicability of his views. Now believes that the original leaf arrangement was not necessarily always two-ranked but rather that existing arrangements have developed from a variety of forms with differing numbers of leaf-ranks.

Sends corrections of Descent and Expression.

Has sent CD some pure distilled water for his Drosera experiments.

Had read Tyndall’s letter [Nature 8 (1873): 399] – awfully savage, but certainly a great mistake to print it.

Thinks JDH will think better of Clerk Maxwell’s paper after he reads it.

Asks whether JDH could find out for him the temperature of rain in very hot countries.

Seeks an interview with CD to discuss reorganisation of Gardeners’ Chronicle.

He is travelling overnight by train from London to Pantlludw and will wake A. R. Ruck with a morningade on his flute.