MT. 49.] TO J. D. HOOKER. 455 



TO J. D. HOOKER. 



CAMBRIDGE, January 5, 1860. 



MY DEAR HOOKER, Your last letter, which 

 reached me just before Christinas, has got mislaid 

 during the upturnings in my study which take place 

 at that season, and has not yet been discovered. I 

 should be very sorry to lose it, for there were in it 

 some botanical mems. which I had not secured. . . . 



The principal part of your letter was high lauda- 

 tion of Darwin's book. 



Well, the book has reached me, and I finished its 

 careful perusal four days ago ; and I freely say that 

 your laudation is not out of place. 



It is done in a masterly manner. It might well 

 have taken twenty years to produce it. It is crammed 

 full of most interesting matter, thoroughly digested, 

 well expressed, close, cogent ; and taken as a system 

 it makes out a better case than I had supposed possi- 

 ble. . . . 



I will write to Darwin when I get a chance. As 

 I have promised, he and you shall have fair play 

 here. ... I must myself write a re view, of Darwin's 

 book for " Silliman's Journal " (the more so that I 

 suspect Agassiz means to come out upon it) for the 

 next (March) number, and I am now setting about 

 it when I ought to be every moment working the 

 Exploring Expedition Composite, which I know far 

 more about. And really it is no easy job, as you may 

 well imagine. 



I doubt if I shall please you altogether. I know 

 I shall not please Agassiz at all. I hear another 

 reprint is in the press, and the book will excite much 

 attention here, and some controversy. . . . ' 



