Preparations under way to move to London account for delay in thanking CD for his review [Collected papers 2: 87–92].

His book is finished, and he is sending a copy to CD; owing to the great expense few copies will be sent to reviewers.

Thanks HWB for his book [Naturalist on the river Amazons]. Feels sure it will often be alluded to in other works.

Asa Gray is fascinated by the "Butterfly paper" ["Contributions to an insect fauna of the Amazon valley", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23 (1862): 495–566].

No summary available.

Reminds JH that the Public School Commissioners are still awaiting JH's response to the invitation to comment on the direction of education [see ET's 1862-11-13].

No summary available.

The war is nearly finished, "rebeldom is ""gone up"" ".

Thanks for help in Mrs. Baldwin's affairs. JH's family's health is improving. Major house repairs in progress.

In response to the request [see Edward Twisleton's 1863-4-10] to comment on mathematics and physical science education for the Public School Commissioners, JH urges that more teaching be done in these areas.

No summary available.

Working on monstrous Primula. Is ovule anatropous as Asa Gray says, or amphitropous? Does he know natural path of pollen tubes in Primula. Can the tube enter the ovule by the chalaza?

Encourages JS to publish on sterility of orchids and to experiment on Passiflora.

Doubted Hooker’s poppy case.

Describes case of primrose with three pistils: when pulled apart allowed pollen to be placed directly on ovules. This supports JS’s explanation of H. Crüger’s case.

Thanks for CD’s Linum paper [Collected papers 2: 93–105].

Has not published much because he would be ignored as a gardener; hence he is looking for a foreign appointment.

Has prepared orchid sterility paper at CD’s suggestion [Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 7 (1863): 543–50].

Is ready to make some arrangement to repay CD’s bond. Has written to F. Ransome to help arrange repayment and wants CD to write his opinion of a fair scheme.

Asks WHF to obtain photographs of skull of ox for J. L. A. Quatrefages de Bréau.

Hopes CD will finish and bring out his book on variation.

AG will publish extracts of H. W. Bates’s paper on mimetic analogy [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 36 (1863): 279–94].

No summary available.

Received some proof sheets this morning of the Appendix to CL's book on the Antiquity of Man. Has read through the book with great interest. Comments on various points. Will have to revise their ideas on the length of human existence. Has had another letter from Twisleton so supposes he must try and write on science in schools. Have had sickness for the first three months of the year.

Asks CD whether he knows of "anything worth looking at" that has appeared abroad on his theory of the origin of species.

Thanks CD for specimens which show that an abnormality in one genus is normal in another, which bears on CD’s views on descent.

The ovule of Primula is amphitropous or what J. Georg Agardh calls apotropo-amphitropous [see Theoria systematis plantarum (1858), tab. 24, fig. 5–6].