To William Whewell   16 August 1847

My dear Whewell

Sedgwick put the same quere to me as you have done respecting the transmutation of species – & my reply must be the same– No Botanist, so far as I am aware, gives any credit to the tale– How the results have been obtained (in the 2 or 3 cases out of many that have been tried) is a mystery–but possibly some carelessness, or neglect, or even trickery, may have been practised– In the present state of our knowledge I should as soon expect to hear that some one had seen a planet blaze out into a sun– Quere whether your neighbour sowed barley, expecting it to turn to Oats, & then fancied he had sown oats expecting they might change to Barley? Let him sow 50 grains of Oats & mark each spot, & keep his secret, lest some one should wish to quiz him & sow a few grains of barley between– It would be unwise to assert that no grain from the Mummy pits ever did or could germinate–but I have commented in the Gardener's Chronicle upon the only very good case of which we have any account, & have shown the extreme probability than [sic] an error had crept in– Your neighbour is certainly mistaken in supposing the well known Egyptian wheat, (the Blè de miracle of the French) to be the same as that which is stated to have been raised from the Mummy wheat– See what I have said in the G.C. FOR 1846.p.757. reading Reves for Revel-wheat, which is an misprint– We continue to hear very favorable accounts of Mrs H. whom I hope to see back again in 3 or 4 weeks– She talks of taking Kew in her way, to be introduced to Sir W. & Lady Hooker, whose son D ^r Jos. has become engaged to Fanny, tho' we do not expect they can be married for a year or two– as he will probably have to make a voyage to the E. Indies first– He hast just left us– Louisa is at S ^t Albans, & the 2 Boys go to school tomorrow– So I am alone with F. & A– & must keep at home for the present– I have been away too much lately–

Kind regards to Mrs Whewell– | Ever y ^rs most truly | J S Henslow