To J. D. Hooker   [31 January 1868]

My dear Hooker

I cannot of course judge about pure botany, but if I were on the Council I shd think myself bound to vote for Decandolle, from estimating so high his Geog. Bot., though privately I shd. 20 times prefer to see Asa Gray elected.1

I have not seen Wollaston’s book or paper on the C. de Verds; whenever you have occasion to write please to give me the title, or can you lend me the book?2 You will have recd by this time my new book, but do not trouble yourself to acknowledge it, nor think yourself bound to read any part till so inclined.3

I suppose you recd my letter in answer to Greg.4 I have been writing 2 longish papers for Linn. Soc. which are both nearly finished5

yours affectly | Ch. Darwin

LS

Endorsement: ‘Jany 31/68’

1
See letter from J. D. Hooker, 28 January 1868. CD refers to the council of the Royal Society of London, to Alphonse de Candolle, and to Candolle 1855. In January, a list was drawn up by the council of potential candidates for nomination as foreign members (Minutes of the council of the Royal Society 3: 392 (London: Taylor and Francis, 1870)).
2
CD refers to Thomas Vernon Wollaston and to Wollaston 1867. See letter from J. D. Hooker, 28 January 1868 and n. 2.
3
The reference is to Variation. Hooker’s name appears on CD’s presentation list for the book (see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix IV).
4
Hooker had sent CD a pamphlet by William Rathbone Greg ([Greg] 1868; see letter from J. D. Hooker, 15 January 1868). CD’s reply to Greg has not been found.
5
CD refers to ‘Illegitmate offspring of dimorphic and trimorphic plants’ and ‘Specific difference in Primula’. Both papers were published in the Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Botany) for 1869.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5820,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5820