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To J. D. Hooker   11 March [1878]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

March 11th.

My dear Hooker

I am very sorry to trouble you, but I hope that you will read the enclosed letter carefully, and express a judgment on it addressed to me, or what I think would be better to Farrer.2 He, and Mr. Caird seem nearly determined, if you express a favourable opinion, to act, either by applying to government or getting up a small subscription amongst agriculturists3

They think our joint opinion would be as good as a memorial signed by a dozen men. If on further reflection you consider the plan utopian or useless, I shall throw-up the case. I have sent Mr. T. £100 which he says he will not use at present;4 and shall tell him that I can help him no more. Will you return me the enclosed, together with your judgment, which I will then forward to Farrer.5

Yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin

I should go frantic mad if I was in your place & had daily to consider memorials & such devilish work.—

LS(A)

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 March 1878 (Correspondence vol. 26).
2
The enclosure has not been found; it was a corrected version of CD’s letter to Thomas Henry Farrer, expressing support for James Torbitt’s experiments on the breeding of blight-resistant potatoes (see Correspondence vol. 26, letter to T. H. Farrer, 7 March 1878 and enclosure).
3
CD had been working with Farrer and James Caird to obtain financial support for Torbitt (see, for example, Correspondence vol. 26, letter from James Caird to T. H. Farrer, 2 March 1878).
4
See Correspondence vol. 26, letter from James Torbitt, 6 March 1878. CD had enclosed a cheque for £100 to enable Torbitt to continue his potato experiments for another season if a government grant could not be obtained.
5
See Correspondence vol. 26, letter to T. H. Farrer, 13 March 1878.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

3.1 Charles … work.— 4.2] in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11412F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11412F