To Alfred Newton   24 March [1863]1

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

March 24th

My dear Sir

I thank you sincerely for the potatoes, which arrived safely & are planted; they may come in very useful in crossing, as our cultivated potatoes present some odd peculiarities in their reproduction.—2

I shall be exceedingly glad of the foot of the Partridge, if you can get it for me: I will weigh the earth & then see, with due precautions, whether it contains any seeds capable of germination:3 I presume the foot will turn out to be a wounded one. I suppose you feel sure it is not a stupid hoax.—

With my sincere thanks for your kindness— | My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is provided by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Alfred Newton, 21 March 1863.
2
See letter from Alfred Newton, 21 March 1863. See also letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 [March 1863], n. 9. Newton annotated this letter: ‘Wild Potatoes given me by Mr. Colchester who brought them from the W. coast of S. America & was my fellow passenger from St. Thos. to England in Jany./63.’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4435,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4435