Ɛpsilon

To J. D. Hooker   12 January [1873]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Jan 12th

My dear Hooker

I am glad to have seen Gladstone’s letter, for one does read a Prime Minister’s letter every day.2

Thanks about Strachey’s article: I had thrown the number in the waste paper basket, but fished it out; & as the man shows such admirable power of discrimination I will read the whole article.3 Pray thank Prof. Dyer for his intended notes: it is good news to me that it is Sach’s book, for I have been blundering over parts with much interest.4 The additions to the 3d Edit, just out, seem very important.5 I wish he was more controversial: I can see no discussion on Paul Berts admirable (as it seemed to me) paper on the essential difference of the movements in Mimosa from irritation & from so-called sleep.6 Again he apparently gives no reason for ignoring Cohn on the contraction of cells, independently of their elasticity; though I imagine that I see where Cohn’s flaw lies.7

You are a real good man about Drosophyllum: when sent to Orpington St., have it packed up so that leaves may not be injured, & inform me.8 It is wonderful how many points I omitted to observe, which I ought to have observed.

Ever yours affectionately | Ch Darwin

I have become wonderfully interested in Drosera & Dionæa, & have two months work in experiments next summer: the plants of Dionæa which you sent are going on pretty well, but I must try & purchase some bigger plants next summer.9

Did I ever boast to you on the success, as judged by the lowest standard of sale, of my Expression Book— 9000 copies have now been printed off, & most of them sold!10

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873.
4
CD had misread the part of Hooker’s letter of 7 January 1873 where he mentioned that William Turner Thiselton-Dyer was translating Julius Sachs’s Lehrbuch der Botanik (Sachs 1873). See letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 and n. 2.
5
CD’s annotated copy of the third edition of Sachs’s Lehrbuch der Botanik (Sachs 1873) is in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: 727–30).
6
CD refers to Bert 1867–72. See Correspondence vol. 20, letter from M. T. Masters, 4 November 1872, n. 2. Sachs did refer to Bert’s publication in Sachs 1873, p. 786 n. 2.
7
For CD’s disagreement with Ferdinand Julius Cohn over the part played by elasticity in the movement of plants, see Cohn 1860 and Insectivorous plants, pp. 256–7. Sachs referred to Cohn 1860 in Sachs 1873, p. 789 n. 4.
8
See letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 January [1873] and n. 3. Orpington Station was the nearest railway station to Down.
9
CD published his observations on Drosera (sundew) and Dionaea muscipula (Venus fly trap) in Insectivorous plants. Hooker sent CD Dionaea plants in 1872 (see Correspondence vol. 20, letter to J. D. Hooker, 31 October [1872]).
10
CD refers to Expression (see Correspondence vol. 20, letter from R. F. Cooke, 6 December 1872).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.00 essential] interl
2.00 cells] after del ‘the’
5.2 which you sent] interl
5.3 some] interl
6.1 the success,] ‘the’ interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8733,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8733