Dear Darwin.

I have not yet thanked you for the Life of your Grandfather;¹ which is not only very instructive but “great fun”, without a trace of buffoonery.— I was rather disappointed with Krause’s part, by contrast no doubt; for it shows a remarkable appreciation of Erasmus’s work, & this in many ways— altogether it is a very valuable little contribution to the History of Science in England.²

We are “toiling & moiling”³ on here as usual, & overwhelmed with drudgery—

We had a horrid scare 10 days ago, in the form of a Telegram from “Nature” to Dyer to the effect that A Gray was dead,⁴ & asking for a biograph. notice. I could not but feel sure that one of his colleagues would have telegraphed to me, & yet was most anxious till 2 days ago, when I got a letter from him in excellent spirits. We still are thinking over our conjoint work on the Geograph distrib: of American Flora.⁵ I have sent him a comparison between the Rocky Mt Flora & that of Altai, which present many curious points of affinity: as in variety or absence of Oaks, Nuts, & other Cupulifera which abound all round both areas.⁶ He now wants my Lecture to R. I. in a modified form, & a comparison of the European & Asiatic Floras, which might be very interesting in reference to America.⁷ I have a notion that the E Asiatic & W. European temperate & subtropical Floras are very distinct, but not so distinct as both are from the intermediate area—& that the Himalaya is the bridge between them, crossing the intermediate area.

Further the Himalaya contains a mingling of European types with others typical of both Eastern & Western America.

I commenced this intending to confine it to thanks for your book & the information that we have no cotton seeds—⁸ Shall I write to Egypt for some?.

Ever affy yrs | J D Hooker.