To J. D. Hooker   [27 January 1844]1

Down. Bromley Kent

Saturday night.

My dear Sir

I hope you will excuse me troubling you again, I have heard through a friend2 from Ehrenberg, that he wants some earth from the Galapagos to hunt for Infusoria,3 & he suggests that perhaps a little may hang to the roots,—I fear not, but would you kindly look, & if you can shake any off, send it me.— Ehrenberg further is anxious for any earth or more especially peat from T. del. Fuego or the Falkland Islands.— I had specimens of peat, showing the process of its formation, by plants like Astelia &c &c, I do not know whether they were sent to you— I fear they are probably lost,—but I daresay a little peaty earth could be shaken off some of the little peat-loving plants of T. del. Fuego.—

I know you will not grudge some little trouble for so great a naturalist as Ehrenberg.

Pray believe me | Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

1
Dated from the letter to Ernst Dieffenbach, 25 January 1844, and on the assumption that CD would have written to Hooker immediately.
3
Eventually described in Ehrenberg 1853.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.4 Ehrenberg] before omitted point
1.7 plants like] interl
2.1 trouble] ‘b’ crossed in MS

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-733,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-733