1843-1882] DISPERSAL OF SEEDS 437 



I wonder whether the lighters were ever used to carry Letter 332 

 grain and hay to ships. 1 



Adios, my dear Hooker. I thank you most honestly for 

 your assistance — assistance, by the way, now spread over 

 some dozen years. 



P.S. — Wednesday. I see from my wife's expression that 

 she does not really much like my going, and therefore I 

 must give up, of course, this pleasure. 



If you should have anything to discuss about my MS., 

 I see that I could get to you by about 12, and then could 

 return by the 2.19 o'clock train, and be home by 5.30 o'clock, 

 and thus I should get two hours' talk. But it would be a 

 considerable exertion for me, and I would not undertake 

 it for mere pleasure's sake, but would very gladly for my 

 book's sake. 



J. D. Hooker to C. Darwin. Letter 333 



Nov. 9th, 1S56. 



I have finished the reading of your MS., and have been 

 very much delighted and instructed. Your case is a most 

 strong one, and gives me a much higher idea of change 

 than I had previously entertained ; and though, as you know, 

 never very stubborn about unalterability of specific type, I 

 never felt so shaky about species before. 



The first half you will be able to put more clearly when 

 you polish up. I have in several cases made pencil altera- 

 tions in details as to words, etc., to enable myself to follow 

 better, — some of it is rather stiff reading. I have a page 

 or two of notes for discussion, many of which were answered, 

 as I got further on with the MS., more or less fully. Your 

 doctrine of the cooling of the Tropics is a startling one, 

 when carried to the length of supporting plants of cold 

 temperate regions ; and I must confess that, much as I 

 should like it, I can hardly stomach keeping the tropical 

 genera alive in so very cool a greenhouse [pencil note by 

 C. D., " Not so very cool, but northern ones could range 



1 Salter, Linn. Soc. Journal, I., 1857, p. 140, "On the Vitality of Seeds 

 after prolonged Immersion in the Sea.'' It appears that in 1843 the mud 

 was scraped from the bottom of the channels in Poole Harbour, and 

 carried to shore in barges. On this mud a vegetation differing from 

 that of the surrounding shore sprang up. 



