From J. D. Hooker   28 November 1872

Kew

Nov 28/72

Dear Darwin

My boys wish me to send you enclosed scrap which I think delightful, for humour.— The face, the outstretched arm & hand, & the raised leg, are worthy of a place in “Expression”1

I have never yet thanked you for that book; & must own with sorrow that I have not half read it,—though the boys & girls have & like it extremely—:2 My only reason is, as you will I hope believe, want of time— Gregs “Enigmas” get the start of you; in my reading.— & I want to finish it before I take up “Expression”— I have been a fortnight over this & find it fascinating; it is one of the most eloquent books I ever read & some passages are of astonishing beauty.—3

I hope to goodness that Owen will drop his communications— He is doing incalculable mischief to Science in the eyes of Govt: officials & the department generally. The direct attacks on myself I can well afford; but no establishment can afford to be directly libelled without suffering in the opinion of this ignorant careless & unobservant Government.4

I see Ayrton has allowed his Organ, the Echo, to state that I have satisfied him with an apology!— I suppose this is to save his sinking credit— I thought of contradicting it, but my friends say no— except the Standard, no paper took any notice of it, & in the present unsettled state of matters I had best not raise any superfluous questions.—5 I long for peace, meanwhile I expect a fine row is breeding between the Editor & Subeditor of Nature, Lockyer & Bennett, each owning that a letter with such personalities as Owens should not have been inserted; & each blaming the other for it—6 I am throwing it upon the troubled waters—having spent my rage on the unlucky publisher! who asked me for my name to help to advertize with that of the other Naturalists.

I had a long talk with Huxley, who is in great spirits in regard to his classes &c, but who looks wretchedly— No one can compare him with the picture or photograph of 18 months ago, without being struck with the change. I do not quite like the Aberdeen Rectorship for him; yet why should he not culminate?7 it is so fitting an honor for him

Ever yours affec | J D Hooker

Harriett begs that Punch cutting may be returned—

Have you seen Lord Lytton’s splendid article on Ayrton? in the “Conservative.”8

1
Hooker probably refers to a cartoon, ‘Valour in the field’, in Punch, 23 November 1872, p. 217. See plate on p. 532. Hooker had four sons: William Henslow, Charles Paget, Brian Harvey Hodgson, and Reginald Hawthorn Hooker.
2
Hooker’s name appears on CD’s presentation list for Expression (Appendix V). Hooker’s daughters were Harriet Anne and Grace Ellen Hooker.
3
William Rathbone Greg’s Enigmas of life (Greg 1872) contained chapters titled, ‘Malthus notwithstanding’, ‘Non-survival of the fittest’, ‘Limits and directions of human development’, and ‘The significance of life’.
4
Hooker refers to Richard Owen and probably to the Board (or Department) of Works, under whose authority the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, came. See letter from J. D. Hooker, 8 November 1872 and n. 3.
5
The report of Hooker’s apology was probably in the 19 November 1872 issue of the Echo. The Echo was not unfailingly favourable to Ayrton, reporting criticism of him on 20 November 1872. The Standard, 20 November 1872, p. 4, commented with heavy irony, ‘The report that the difficulty between Dr. Hooker and the First Commissioner of Public Works has been “arranged” by an apology from the former to Mr. Ayrton will be easily credited by those who have studied the new Ministerial method of arranging difficulties.... The apology in these days must be made by the victim.’
6
See letter from J. D. Hooker, 8 November 1872. Hooker refers to Norman Lockyer and Alfred William Bennett.
7
Thomas Henry Huxley taught in the biological department of the Royal School of Mines; in 1872 the department transferred to new buildings in South Kensington, where for the first time there were laboratories (L. Huxley ed. 1900, 1: 381). CD himself had been asked to allow the students to nominate him for the rectorship of Aberdeen University (see letter from J. S. Craig, 4 November 1872 and n. 1). Huxley was elected to the post.
8
Hooker refers to Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton and Acton Smee Ayrton. The Conservative was a short-lived weekly periodical (North 1997).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8651,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8651