Letter and/or further information available at http://jdh.aetopia.net/p/jdh?q=jhc486.
Please cite as “JHC486,” in Ɛpsilon: The Joseph Dalton Hooker Collection accessed on 10 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/hooker/letters/JHC486
JDH writes to Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer [WTTD] giving his opinion of various publications by Alphonse de Candolle. JDH does not intend to write a notice of 'Alphonse de Candolle's [recent] work', as he has a very low opinion of it. JDH criticise de Candolle's descriptions & his systematic work. JDH lists those he considers superior contemporary systematists; Pourret, Saint-Hilaire, von Martius, Bentham, Endlicher, Gray & Engelmann. JDH has a higher opinion of de Candolle's geographical botany. He reviewed his GÉOGRAPHIE BOTANIQUE in the JOURNAL OF BOTANY, concluding that it was full of useful data but lacked philosophical views & was tainted by a belief in multiple creation of species & scepticism towards evolution, though this was before the 'Darwinian Epoch'. Darwin in fact had a high opinion of the work, & [Asa] Gray a modest one. JDH considers THE ORIGINE DES PLANTES CULTIVÉES an excellent book but not comprehensive, e.g. it does not address the cultivation of Amorphophallus campanulatus or Tacca, which is cultivated from Tahiti to Malaya. JDH calls THE HISTOIRE DES SCIENCES ET DES SAVANTS 'very good & instructive' & thinks its highlight's de Candolle's forte, which is as a statistician. He has not read de Candolle's biography of his father [Augustin Pyrame de Candolle] or his methodology of descriptive botany & was unimpressed by his INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY. He summarises that it is impossible to consider the work of de Candolle without appearing to deprecate him though his wealth & leisure have allowed him time to contribute much to botany. JDH suggests that [William Botting] Hemsley take on LOIS DE LA NOMENCLATURE BOTANIQUE. JDH mentions some Tibetan plants of interest & 'securing' George Massee. JDH is working on Indian Eriocaulons, which he thinks is the most minute flowers genus of Phenogams, & grasses. JDH thanks WTTD for some Rhododendrons. Balfour has sent JDH a list of New Zealand Veronicas which they have at Edinburgh [Botanic Garden].
Hooker Project[View Ɛpsilon collection]