To J. D. Hooker   13 [May 1860]1

Down

13th

My dear Hooker

I return Henslow, which I was very glad to see. How good of him to defend me.—2 I will write & thank him.—3 As you said you were curious to hear Thomson’s opinion, I send his kind letter.4 He is evidently a strong opposer to us; but his arguments rather remind me of an old Lady who defended Christianity to my Father, saying “Doctor Doctor, I know that sugar is sweet, & I know that my Redeemer liveth.”—5

Your affect | C. D.

Endorsement: ‘May 1860’

1
The endorsement is confirmed by the reference to the letter from J. S. Henslow to J. D. Hooker, 10 May 1860.
3
See following letter.
4
Thomas Thomson’s letter has not been found. Thomson had collaborated with Hooker on the Flora Indica (Hooker and Thomson 1855). He was superintendent of the botanic garden in Calcutta.
5
This anecdote is given in Autobiography, p. 96.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.6 liveth.] before omitted point

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-2798,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-2798