Thanks for Expression, which has made him wonder whether his shyness in public until the age of 55 resulted from fear of subjecting his face to ridicule.
Criticises F. Galton’s Hereditary genius [1869] for neglecting environmental influence.
Is not surprised CD dissents from his criticisms [of Expression?]. Holds to his own interpretation of the expression of astonishment.
No summary available.
Encourages the government to keep the herbarium and library of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
No summary available.
JDH writes to Asa Gray about his work on Pinus, including the nomenclature & synonymy of various species, including P. edulis, P. fremontia, P. llaveana, P. cembroides, P. perryana, P. chihuahuana, P. tuberculata, P. insignis & P. torreyaan. He has begun working on Oaks & finds them even more confusing. JDH has received Gray's letter of 4 June & bag of Torreya seeds. Mentions a Wardian Case of Sikkim Rhododendrons, [part of the letter following this mention is missing]. JDH refers to some RBG Kew staff & mentions that he pays his wife £100 per annum for working 4, 4 hour, days a week. JDH has been elected the new President of the Royal Society over Spottiswoode & the Duke of Devonshire. JDH has reservations about Gray's plans to employ a German Professor, he suggests an American or Swiss man would be better. William Thiselton-Dyer would not take the job as Professor, he has been offered lucrative positions abroad before but is determined to stay in Britain. The following day JDH will go to Cheshire to visit Mr Tollemache, who is an intimate friend of William Gladstone & previously brought Gladstone to visit RBG Kew.
No summary available.
Describes shaken index finger in Japan and blushing among Chinese servants.
Sends his book [Bhawani (1872)], which is a poem in praise of evolutionary theory and showing its roots in ancient India.
Describes a patient’s ears with peculiar tufts of hair in places where he has never seen them before. Encloses sketch.
On a humming-bird Sphinx moth which tried to extract nectar from flowers on wallpaper. [See Descent, 2d ed., p. 317.]
The evidence of tameness of Alpine butterflies [see 8672] seems good and the fact is surprising to CD for they can hardly have acquired this in their short life-time.
The question whether butterflies are attracted to bright colours independently of the supposed presence of nectar is still unanswered.
CD has great difficulty in believing that any temporary condition of parents can affect the offspring.
Pangenesis is much reviled, but CD must still look at generation from this point of view, which makes him averse to believing that an emotion has any effect on the offspring.
JP’s note [8739] suggests reversion, but that is an easy trap. Will look to the ears of "our brethren at the Zool. Gardens".
JDH asks Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer to take special note of how Wilson Saunders cultivates plants from the Cape [Cape Peninsula, South Africa] so they can emulate the techniques in the pits at RBG Kew. He also wants to know where Saunders got the Elleanthus chrysocomus & Cotyledon mamillaris which he gave RBG Kew. Mr Pritchard has informed JDH that [William] Carruthers will drop his claim [that the RBG Kew herbarium should be transferred to the British Museum of Natural History to form one national herbarium] if papers can be produced that prove the RBG Kew herbarium is government property. The C. S. [Civil Service?] Commission have informed JDH that Spink's exams put him at the bottom of a list of 5 candidates [for a gardener position at Kew]. [George] Nicholson, a candidate with no training or references had the highest scores & impressed [John] Smith with his capacity so JDH has agreed to hire him. Thanks to ' [Acton Smee] Ayrton's folly' Nicholson will be on twice the salary he would have accepted, £150 per annum rather than £75. In additional marginal notes JDH mentions a letter from Reynold, [George] Bentham & his Linnean Society 'matter', & asks Thiselton-Dyer to write a few pages on the distribution of [Nathaniel] Wallich's Dipterocarps.
No summary available.
No summary available.
On EH’s Die Kalkschwämme [1872].
Hopes Drosophyllum was all right.
Opinion of Council of Royal Society [on Presidency] is twelve for JDH, five for Duke of Devonshire, and G. B. Airy for William Spottiswoode.
Sends HA’s paper ["On leaf arrangement"] with a supporting note [from CD] to Royal Society.
Has sent phyllotaxy paper to G. G. Stokes with the letter from CD to show credentials.
Will not have time to read new Sachs edition CD offered.
Thanks for CD’s sponsorship of paper [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 21 (1873): 176–9].
