From J. D. Hooker   26 August 1864

Royal Gardens Kew

Aug 26/64.

My dear Darwin

I am delighted to hear you are well enough to come to London—1 As ill-luck will have it I go to Lubbocks2 tomorrow till Monday or I would try to see you on Sunday

The Bignonia is nothing but B. Unguis—3 the Jasminum is J. pauciflorum Benth. of West Africa.4

Thanks for Beer. all safe5

The Lyells6 dine with us on Monday at 7—& will be here at 4 or 5 to walk in Gardens.

When you do come—there is a train from Camden Town (close by you) all the way to Kew Bridge—7

How about sitting to Woolner,?8 he is to be married on 6th. September— how are you disposed & able?

Ever yrs affec | J D Hooker

CD annotations

Top of letter: ‘Beppo— Quits’9 pencil . Original, 11 Aug 94, ASB
2
Hooker refers to John Lubbock, who lived in Chislehurst, Kent, a village about five miles north of Down.
3
See letter to J. D. Hooker, 11 August [1864] and n. 4, and following letter.
4
See memorandum to J. D. Hooker, [24 July 1864?] and n. 5.
6
Hooker refers to Charles and Mary Elizabeth Lyell.
7
CD did not visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, during his stay in London (see letter to J. D. Hooker, [1 September 1864]).
8
The reference is to the sculptor Thomas Woolner. Hooker had suggested that CD sit for Woolner in December 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker, 26 December [1863]). CD did not sit for Woolner until 1868 (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 26 November [1868] (Calendar no. 6476)).
9
The references are to the novels Beppo the conscript (T. A. Trollope 1864) and Quits (Tautphoeus 1857). See letter to J. D. Hooker, [1 September 1864].

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4600,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4600