To Francis Darwin   8 July 1881

My dear Frank

I have had 2 of the most tremendous days scribble I ever had in my life, & this was chiefly owing to my not having had any printed papers or only a few books forwarded to me.¹ Amongst the printed papers was a Cable from Grt. N. R.² to you; I was much afraid that it might have been forfeited, but I forwarded it at once to the U. Bank³ & today I have got for you the Bankers receipt, with a penalty of 4^d.! Amongst the books was Pfeffers “Stoffwecksels &c”.⁴

Tell me if you hear anything about it. Maxime Cornu has sent me & to you a whole pile of his papers & some of them appear to be on interesting subjects. It was such a pile I have thanked him for myself & from you.⁵ Do you know anything about Cornu?— I see that we have been much honoured in Bot. Zeitung by two articles on the “Power of movement”. That by Haberlandt was very flattering & nicely done, as I thought.⁶

Our book seems to be a success.— I have got only 2^d Revises of latter half of Worm Book now to finish, & that is nothing.⁷ But I am rather disgusted with it, & critics may truly say ‘much cry & little work’. I am very glad it is all on my own shoulders.— I began this morning preparing fresh leaves for drops of water to be exposed to sun-light; for no effect whatever was produced in my study in the Spring.⁸ I have just been greatly stimulated to pursue the work (about which I had become very doubtful) by reading a few days ago a letter from Fritz Müller, who said he had purposely gone out to observe the leaves of many plants, which he knew moved when shaken, & he gives me a list of a whole lot, all with their leaves greatly raised or depressed.⁹ Some years ago I told him my notion about the movements of Mimosa & Cassia & Desmodium &c, & he says he is now strongly inclined to believe that in all the cases observed by him, the leaves during rain place themselves so as to shoot off the drops.¹⁰ So anyhow the subject is worth pursuing, as I have nothing else special to do. As usual, F— Müller tells me many other curious facts.

We shall be heartily glad to see you home again.¹¹

On Aug^t 3^d we must be in London for my luncheon at Paget’s to meet the Prince of Wales.—¹²

Your affect. Father | C. Darwin

I am reading a book which interests me to an unusual degree. “The Creed of Science” by W. Graham.¹³ Who & what he is I know not. He gives the view of the Universe, which a scientific man would as he thinks, take.—