My dear Hooker

I have indeed had time to grow very old since we have written to each other: never so long before.¹ I had intended more than once writing, but I heard indirectly how hard you had been pressed by work & so refrained. I suppose thank God that your British Flora is as good as finished.² Now you have rewarded my virtue by a very long & pleasant letter, telling me much that I wished to hear. I am heartily glad that Willy³ has come back so well & not in the least deteriorated in manners; not that I sh^d. have expected this from all that I have heard of him. It will be a fearful puzzle for you what to do with him now: God knows it is puzzle enough in every case whatever; & what our Boy Horace is to do, I know no more than the man in the moon: he is clever enough; but so often ailing in health, that I doubt whether he can stick to anything. About ourselves I have little news: Henrietta⁴ has just returned much strengthened by her 4 months residence at Cannes. Last Friday we all went to the Bull Hotel at Cambridge to see the Boys & for a little rest & enjoyment.—⁵ The Backs of the Colleges were simply paradisical. On Monday I saw Sedgwick who was most cordial & kind: in the morning I thought that his mind was enfeebled: in the evening he was brilliant & quite himself. His affection & kindness charmed us all. My visit to him was in one way unfortunate: for after a long sit he proposed to take me to the Museum;⁶ & I could not refuse, & in consequence he utterly prostrated me; so that we left Cambridge next morning, & I have not recovered the exhaustion yet. Is it not humiliating to be thus killed by a man of 86, who evidently never dreamed that he was killing me.— As he said to me “Oh I consider you as a mere baby to me”.— I saw Newton⁷ several times, & several nice friends of Frank.— But Cambridge without dear Henslow was not itself: I tried to get to the two old Houses, but it was too far for me.—⁸

As for myself I have been working away on Man, & as usual running to much greater length than I expected. I hope to go to press this Autumn.⁹ In the plant line I have been continuing my comparison of crossed & self-fertilised plants, & am coming I think to some interesting results, & some curious anomalies.— Do you happen by any strange chance to have seeds of Canna Warszewiczi matured in some hot country; they w^d. be of great value to me— I shall, however, receive some from Italy.—¹⁰

I truly sympathise with you about Dawson’s paper: under all the circumstances it is quite horrid for you; but I fancy there are always two referees, which will partly relieve the burthen.¹¹ It amuses me to hear of his hashing up Cope’s unintelligible views about accleration of development & Agassiz on Synthesis, in explanation of the origin of species, as he spoke so contemptuously on any attempt to explain such problems, when my book first appeared. He seemed to me to be the staunchest of creationists.—¹²

Will you not come here some Sunday—or any time, any day w^d suit us, & the sooner the better: you w^d rejoice all our hearts.

I am delighted to hear about Charlies success¹³—our son’s success in life is more delightful than our own—

Yours affect. | C. Darwin