From J. D. Hooker   20 January 1867

Dear Darwin

Prof. Miquel of Utrecht begs me to ask you for your Carte— & offers his in return. I grieve to bother you on such a subject— I am sick & tired of this Carte Correspondence.¹

I cannot conceive what Humboldts Pyrenean violet is, no such is mentioned in Webb, & no alpine one at all.²

I am sorry that I forgot to mention the stronger African affinity of the Eastern Canary Islds.—³ Thank you for mentioning it.

I cannot admit without further analysis, that most of the peculiar Atlantic Isld. genera were derived from Europe & have since become extinct there. I have rather thought that many are only altered forms of Existing European genera: but this is a very difficult point & would require a careful study of each genus & allies with this object in view—⁴ the subject has often presented itself to me as a grand one for analytic Botany. No doubt its establishment would account for the [community] of the peculiar genera, on the several groups & Islets, but whilst so many species are common we must allow for a good deal of intermigration of peculiar genera too

By Jove I will write out next mail to the Governor of S^t Helena for boxes of earth; & you shall have them to grow.⁵

Thanks for telling me of having suggested to me the working out of proportions of plants with irregular flowers in Islands;⁶—I thought it was a deuced deal too good an idea to have arisen spontaneously in my block, though I did not recollect your having done so   no doubt your suggestion was crystallized in some corner of my sensorium. I should like to work out the point.

My wife goes on well but has a horrid face-ache.— & Reginald blooms & squeaks.⁷

This awful weather has terribly damaged us.⁸

Ever Yrs aff | J D Hooker

Have you Kerguelan land amongst your Volcanic Islds.—⁹ I have a curious book of a sealer who was wrecked on the Islands & who mentions a Volcanic Mt & hot Springs at the S.W. end: it is called the “Wreck of the Favrite”¹⁰