To J. D. Hooker   [12 December 1843]

My dear Sir

I am very much obliged to you for your interesting letter; I have long been very curious even for as short a sketch, as you have kindly sent me, of the bontanical geography of the southern hemisphere.— I shall be most curious to see your results in detail. From my entire ignorance of botany, I am sorry to say, that I cannot answer any of the questions, which you ask me.— I think I mention in my Journal that I found my old friend the southern beach (I cannot say positively which species), on the mountain-top, in southern part of Chiloe & at level of sea in Lat 45^o. in Chonos Archipelago..—¹ Would not the southern end of Chiloe make a good division for you.—² I presume from the collection of Brydges and Anderson Chiloe is pretty well known.—³ & southward begins a terra incognita. I collected a few plants amongst the Chonos Is^ld. The Beech being found here & Peat being formed here & general appearance of landscape, connects the Chonos Islands & T. del Fuego.

I saw the Alerce on mountains of Chiloe, (on the mainland it grows to an enormous size & I always believed the Alerce & Araucaria imbricata⁴ to be identical) but I am ashamed to say I absolutely forget all about its appearance.— I saw some Juniper-like bush in T. del. Fuego, but can tell you no more about it— I presume that you have seen Capt. King’s collection in M^r Browns possession, provisionally for the Brit. Mus.— I fear you will be much disappointed in my few plants: an ignorant person cannot collect; & I, moreover, lost one, the first, & best set of the Alpine plants.—⁵ On the other hand, I hope the Galapagos plants (judging from Henslows remarks) will turn out more interesting than you expect.— Pray be careful, to observe, if I ever mark the individual Isl^d of the Galapagos islands, for the reasons you will see in my Journal.—⁶ Menzies & Cumming were there & there are some plants, (I think M^r. Bentham⁷ told me) at the Horticult. Soc & at the British Museum.—⁸ I believe I collected no plants at Ascension, thinking it well known.—

Is not the similarity of plants of Kerguelen Land & S. S. America very curious. Is there any instance in the N. Hemisphere of plants being similar at such great distances— With thanks for your letter & for your having undertaken my small collection of plants. Believe me my dear Sir | Yours very truly | C. Darwin

Do remember my prayer & write as well for Botanical ignoramus’es as for great Botanists— There is a paper by Carmichael on Tristan d’Acunha,⁹ which from the w⁠⟨⁠an⁠⟩⁠t of general remarks & comparisons, I found ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ to me dead letter,—I presume you will include this island in your views of the S. Hemisphere.—

P.S. I have been looking at my poor miserable attempt at Botanical-landscape-remarks, & I see that I state that the species of Beech which is least common in T. del Fuego, is common in the forest of central Chiloe. But I will enclose for you this one page of my rough journal.—¹⁰