WCP5301

[1]¹

Down,

Beckenham, Kent.

Railway Station

Orpington.S.E.R ²

Sat[urday]. ^Feb 26/ [18]81³

4 Bryanston Str[eet], W

My Dear Hooker,

It was a real pleasure to me to see your hand-writing again, for it is a long time since I have heard of you. What a bore about the mumps; but I am very glad that you will soon have complete rest & change, in which latter I have untold faith. I suppose that Lady Hooker⁴ goes with you & I hope she may enjoy herself. Pray give her my kindest remembrances. I had vaguely thought whether I [2] would pay you a call at Kew, but thought that you would probably be too busy, & it seems that you will be on the road before I could come.

I sh[oul]d think that you might make a very interesting address on Geograph[ical]. Distrib[ution]. Could you give a little history of the subject. I, for one, sh[oul]d like to read such history in petto; but I can see one very great difficulty, that you [3] yourself ought to figure most prominently in it; & this you would not do, for you are just the man to treat yourself in a dishonourable manner! I sh[oul]d very much like to see you discuss some of Wallace’s⁵ views, especially his ignoring the all powerful effects of the Glacial period with respect to Alpine plants. I do not know what you think, but it appears to me that he exaggerates enormously the influence of debacles & slips & new [4] surface of soil being exposed for the reception of wind-blown seeds. What kinds of seeds have the plants which are common to the distant mountain-summits in Africa? Wallace lately wrote to me about the mountain-plants of Madagascar being the same with those on mountains in Africa & seemed to think it proved dispersal by the wind, without apparently having enquired what sort of seeds the plants bore.

[5] I suppose it w[oul]d be the travelling too far, ^{(though for geographical section the discussion ought to be far reaching)} but I sh[oul]d like to see the European or northern element in the C[ape]. of Good Hope Flora discussed. I cannot swallow his ^{Wallace’s 6} view the European plants travelled down the Andes, tenanted the ^hypothetical Antarctic continent (in which I quite believe) & thence spread to S[outh]. Australia & the Cape of G[ood]. Hope.

[6] Moseley⁷ told me not long ago that he proposed to search at Kerguelen Land the coal beds most carefully & was absolutely forbidden to do so by Sir W Thompson⁸ who said that he would undertake the work, & he never once visited them. This puts me in a passion. I hope that [7] you will keep to your intention and write make an address on Distribution. Though I differ in much from Wallace, his Island Life⁹ seems to me a wonderful book.

Farewell, I do hope that you may have a most prosperous journey. Give my kindest remembrances to Asa Gray¹⁰.

Ever yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin [signature]