To J. D. Hooker   28 February [1858]

My dear Hooker

I have written to Sinclair.¹ Hearty thanks for De Candolle received:² I have put the big genera in hand. Also many thanks for your valuable remarks on the affinities of the species in great genera, which will be of much use to me in my chapt. on Classification:³ your opinion is what I had expected from what little I knew, but I much wanted it confirmed, & many of your remarks were more or less new to me & all of value.—

You give a poor picture of the philosophy of Botany. From my ignorance, I suppose, I can hardly persuade myself that things are quite as bad as you make them,—you might have been writing remarks on ornithology! I shall meditate much on your remarks, which will also come in very useful when I write & consider my tables of big & small genera.—⁴ I grieve for myself, to say that Watson agrees with your view but with much doubt; I gave him no guide what your opinion was.—⁵ I have written to A. Gray & to Babington⁶ —who ie the latter on this point may be looked at as S. Smith’s Foolometer.⁷

I am now working several of the larger local Floras, with leaving out altogether all the smaller genera; when I have done this, & seen what the sections of the largest genera say, & seen what the results are of range & commonness of varying species, I must come to some definite conclusion whether or not entirely to give up the ghost.— I shall then show how my theory points, how the facts stand, then state the nature of your grievous assualt & yield entirely or defend the case as far as I can honestly.

Again I thank you for your invaluable assistance. I have not felt the blow so much of late, as I have been beyond measure interested on the construction instinct of the Hive Bee.—

Adios—you terrible worrier of poor theorists— | C. Darwin