To J. D. Hooker   [17 April 1844]¹

My dear Hooker

I have waited in vain for D^r. Dieffenbach’s answer to my queries to Ehrenberg for more particulars regarding what he wanted, & therefore I am going at once to send off a cargo of little packets to Berlin.— Those which I send are valueless, except to Ehrenberg, & therefore I am going to tell him not to return mine, & will you kindly send me a line by return of Post (to Down) telling me what I shall say to him about returning your more valuable cargo?—

Shall I tell him that the sea-weeds are undescribed & that you intend describing them, which will show that you do not wish him to describe them, or say nothing?—

Did you send my account-papers to Gray & has he returned them to you.² I hear poor M^r Gray’s name was withdrawn last night from the ballot at the Athenæum. I wish you were in this Club;³ we sh^d meet sometimes then, but I trust sometime you will pay me a little visit in the wilds of Down. I am going away for a 6 weeks in a few days time.—

Thank you most sincerely for your hint about the printing charges of my work—I am surprised at it, & sorry, but I am truly indebted to you for telling me what you think, & shall be more cautious in futuro.— I am going to call on C. Strzelecki of whose geological doings, I hear great things.

Your geographical-law-letters require being read and reread, & I have only read your last twice, & so will hazard no remarks on it— You seem, however, to have put the case of “typical forms”, in a clearer point of view, than I ever saw it & stripped the word of half, if not all its mystery: I have long suspected that typical & abnormal forms consist only of those, in which a greater or less variety have been created or modifyed— with this excellently!! expressed sentence, I will conclude, | Yours most truly | C. Darwin