To Daniel Oliver   20 [January 1863]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

20th

Dear Oliver

Many thanks. I have some analogous cases, but I am very glad to have what you have sent.—2 Have I not been very good, & not given you any trouble for an age?3

Ever yours sincerely | C. Darwin

I have been this morning copying out References on subjects which concern me from N. Hist. R.—4 What an enormous benifit you have conferred on everyone by your gigantic labours. No wonder that you are “omniscient”.—5

Do you remember my suggesting that if ever you had spare time (so likely this is!!) that you might do good work by discussing F. Water plants.—6 Now it occurred to me the other day (& I then much wished to know,) whether there is not an unusual proportion of such plants with separated sexes. I merely mention this, as showing one little point which would turn up in such an examination.

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Daniel Oliver, 22 January 1863.
2
The reference has not been identified.
3
There are no extant letters from CD to Oliver from the period between the letter to Daniel Oliver, 23 [November 1862] (Correspondence vol. 10), and this letter.
4
CD refers to Oliver’s ‘Botanical bibliography’ in the Natural History Review ([Oliver] 1862a; see letter from Daniel Oliver, 22 January 1863).
5
See Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 11 June [1862].
6
See Correspondence vol. 10, letter to Daniel Oliver, 12 [April 1862].

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

4.3 (& I then] parenthesis over comma

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3776,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3776