I 



372 BOTANY : ITS POSITION AND PBOSPECTS 



You think that Praecursores of the first Orders of the Cape 

 Flora would not be valuable, because of the little novelty, 

 but I think you have the old error of preferring novelty to 

 anything else. Where for instance can I go for a tolerably 

 accurate notion of Cape species of Banunculaceae ? It will 

 be a greater novelty to me to find in your Flora 3 Anemones 

 reduced to 2, than to find them raised to 4, and in my idea 

 it is a far more valuable fact, for reducing a bad species is 

 far better than making a new. What I regret is to see so 

 much good sound common Bot. information carried to the 

 grave by the holders, because being insensibly acquired its 

 real value is overlooked by them. I had the same difficulty 

 in getting Thomson to supply sketches of the Tibetan and 

 N.W. Floras for an Introd. Essay — he could quite see the 

 value of my doing it — for the Sikkim Flora ! So it is with ^ 

 the distribution of Southern Algae, and I do beHeve that I 

 should do more good to Science by inducing you to give us j 

 a good unlabored essay on this subject than by attempting j 

 higher things myself or urging you to do so. Botany goes • 

 to the dogs from the prevalence of this mauvaise honte 

 and false pride. 



You are certainly far too hard worked, and I do long to 

 see the end of some of your great labors. You should never 

 work beyond 11| p.m., and you should not poison yourself \ ^ 

 The expense of that would be well reimbursed in otherwise 

 employing your time. I think you should still lay out for 

 gluer, and catalogue yourself, as these are very improving 

 operations and easy ones on the whole, not demanding too ^ 

 much brain work or sedentary employment. With Wife's 

 love, Ever your affect. 



J. D. Hooker. 

 Excuse this scrawl. Tim [the pet cat] bothered me most 

 of the time. 



In short, as he adds on October 23 : 



The besetting sin of the Botanists of the day is the 

 craving for 'perfect materials ; forgetful that these Sciences 

 are all progressive, and our efforts but steps in the pro- 

 gression. 



1 I.e. himself apply insect-destroyer to his herbarium. 



