From J. D. Hooker 24 November 1845

My dear Sir

I returned the Galapagos Island plants on Saturday, having kept them as long as I could: they are carefully done whether well or no. Those of Macrae's I separated both the Maldive group & Galapagos Isld ones, & returned them today to the Hort. Soc. Museum.

I should have told you that I took the liberty of retaining those specimens that had duplicate attached to them amounting I think to some 30 or 40 of the whole having thought that I had permission to do so there do not appear to be any specimens to spare amongst them & pray do not break these upon any amount whatever as most of them are far too small as it is and I had to make some awful sacrifices in the examination, when the curious genera demanded it, though I was as saving as possible throughout, consistently with good determination.

I returned a bundle of Tropical ones at the same time, in general approximately named, there was nothing seen remarkable amongst them. The Fuegian Falkland Isld & Patagonian plants I retain, they will be nearly all named very soon & returned as soon as the Phanerogamic portion of my book is done, there are some excellent things amongst them: especially from S. Chile & the Chonos Archipelago, Chiloe

The Niger flora is just begun & I am including in it all the plants of tropical Africa, on the best count, from Cape Blanco to Great Fish River, I suppose you do not know where I can get such to my specimens from that shady world? The Niger Expedition plants form the foundation & to them I add my own & Darwin's Cape de Verd things. Don's W. African, Forbes' key ambigua (E. writes only in notes, & a collection that E. Forbes had the goodness to offer me. In the Brit. Mus. I hope to have the use of C. Smith's Congo collections, Brass's Cape Coast ones & some of Afzelius. From France we have some of Brunner's Senegambia & Perrotets Senegal things & I have written for a set of Hendelot's, then with other odds and ends will form a Primitiva flora Af. occid. Trop.

Amongst Darwin's Galapagos things you will find nearly all Macrae's, from a fine set of my father's & one or two I added from the Hort. Soc. sets, as I wished the Cantab. collection to be as complete as possible. My father desires his very kind regards in which we all join.

Ever with my great respect

Most truly Yours

Jos. D. Hooker