THE DAEWIN COEEESPONDENCE 481 



To the Same 



February 24, 1899. 



I had no idea that your father had kept my letters. Your 

 account of 742 pp. of them is a revelation. I do enjoy re- 

 reading your father's ; as to my own, I regard it as a punish- 

 ment for my various sins of blindness, perversity, and in- 

 attention to his thousand and one facts and hints that I 

 did not profit by as I should have, all as revealed by my 

 letters. I do not think I gave my mind as I ought to have 

 but I had always my head and hands full of all sorts of 

 duties, and my correspondence with your father was the 

 sweet, amongst many bitters. 



Yes, I will gladly go down at some future time and confab 

 with you. 



To the Same 



March 21, 1899. 



I enclose copies of your father's letters to mine. The 

 first refers to his testimonial towards my candidature for 

 the Botany Chair of Edinburgh University. If you care 

 for a copy of this I will send it, though it savours of vanity 

 to offer it. 



Ever affectionately yours, 

 Jos. D. HOOKER. 



P.S. You are most welcome to the originals of my letters 

 to your father. If I had them I should be tempted to burn 

 them! 



For he was, as ever, very critical of his bygone letters, as 

 he dipped again and again into the four red portfolios of them 

 now at his elbow : ' From what I read of them, I thought 

 they were very poor stuff ' (February 1, 1901). He preferred 

 his present rdle of throwing light where it was needed on 

 Darwin's current interests, and again insisted, ' Do not hesitate 

 to ask me for any information I can give you.' Going over 

 the slip proofs in May 1902 was no burden; but a pleasure : 

 ' To me the letters are most refreshing they bring all Down 

 home to me.' 



The crowning pleasure came as the book neared completion,' 

 and the authors proposed to dedicate it to Darwin's closest 

 friend. 



