No summary available.
No summary available.
In view of the charges directed by Edward Blyth against George R. Gray for gross incivility and discourtesy in discharging his duties as assistant in the zoological department at the British Museum, CD is asked by the Trustees to comment upon his own experience with Gray and to offer his judgment of these charges.
Enjoyed the merry evening with JMH.
Sends perfect revise of "Toxodon" [Fossil Mammalia] which he has read and marked.
Testimonial in behalf of JEG’s application for the position of keeper of the zoological department of the British Museum from which John George Children was about to resign.
Sends elephant tooth from Africa. Suggests it may be interesting in light of his [mistaken] memory of Cuvier’s opinion about tusk brought from Peru by Humboldt.
Requests that Charles Lyell be permitted to borrow the coral reef specimens he presented to the British Museum.
Testimonial letter for GRW for position at British Museum.
Congratulates GRW on appointment to position at British Museum.
Comments on GRW’s paper [Rep. BAAS (1843): 65–7; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 12 (1843): 399–412]. CD says by "link" between any two groups he never understood a half-way link, merely one in a long series. Observes that one cannot have a simple species intermediate between two great families. Criticises GRW’s use of circles to represent groups, which leads to thinking that groups are of equal value.
Asks that in the event of his death, Emma should have the sketch of his species theory edited and published. Suggests possible editors, among them Lyell, Edward Forbes, and J. D. Hooker. [CD annotation on cover: "Hooker by far best man to edit my species volume Aug 1854".]
B. J. Sulivan has just arrived with fossil bones from Patagonia. Wants to arrange meeting.
Asks to borrow specimens of sessile cirripedes from Museum of Royal College of Surgeons.
A specimen of Machairodus offered for sale by F. J. Muñiz.
Discusses possible publication in England of paper by Muñiz describing the skeleton.
Sends pamphlet on scarlatina in the Pampas.
It had been suggested to CD that JEG intended to anticipate some of his work on the Cirripedia. CD doubted this because JEG had suggested that CD commence the work and has assisted throughout; however, CD sought assurances regarding JEG’s intentions as he wished that "what little novelty there yet remained in the subject, should be the reward of my work". CD apologises for having spoken to JEG on the subject and will communicate JEG’s assurances to those who had expressed their opinions regarding JEG’s intentions.
Wishes to propose John Lubbock as a member of the Entomological Society.
Asks for B. H. Hodgson’s pamphlet on sheep ["Tame sheep and goats", J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 16 (1847): 1003–26]. Asks for odd numbers of GRW’s work [A natural history of the Mammalia (1846–8)]. Regrets that this work has stopped.
About to go to press with "wearyful" Fossil Cirripedia [vol. 1 (1851)];
would like to borrow proof-sheets of Frederick Dixon’s work [The geology and fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous formations of Sussex (1850)]. Would also like to borrow a specimen of Balanus glacialis from Royal College of Surgeons. Encloses formal request [see 1356].
Asks to borrow specimen of Balanus glacialis from the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. It will be necessary to disarticulate it, but CD will return the valves to the Museum.
Is coming tomorrow to see Lorenz Spengler on cirripedes [Auserlesne Schnecken, Muscheln und andre Schaalthiere (1758)] and the remaining sessile cirripedes in the collection. Has finished Balanus.