1 847.] 



HOOKER'S INDIAN EXPEDITION. 



353 



same time must sincerely groan over it. I shall feel quite lost 

 without you to discuss many points with, and to point out 

 (ill-luck to you) difficulties and objections to my species hypo- 

 theses. It will be a horrid shame if money stops your expedi- 

 tion ; but Government will surely help you to some extent. 

 . . . Your present trip, with your new views, amongst the 

 coal-plants, will be very interesting. If you have spare time, 

 but not without^ I should enjoy having some news of your 

 progress. Your present trip will work well in, if you go to 

 any of the coal districts in India. Would this not be a good 

 object to parade before Government ; their utilitarian souls 

 would comprehend this. By the way, I will get some work 

 out of you, about the domestic races of animals in India. . . . 



C. Darwin to L. Jenyns (Blomefield]. 



Down [1847]. 



DEAR JENYNS, I am very much obliged for the capital 

 little Almanack ; * it so happened that I was wishing for one 

 to keep in my portfolio. I had never seen this kind before, 

 and shall certainly get one for the future. I think it is very 

 amusing to have a list before one's eyes of the order of appear- 

 ance of the plants and animals around one ; it gives a fresh 

 interest to each fine day. There is one point I should like to 

 see a little improved, viz. the correction for the clock at 



* " This letter relates to a small 

 Almanack first published in 1843, 

 under the name of * The Naturalists' 

 Pocket Almanack,' by Mr. Van 

 Voorst, and which I edited for him. 

 It was intended especially for those 

 who interest themselves in the 

 periodic phenomena of animals 

 and plants, of which a select list 

 was given under each month of 

 the year. 



" The Pocket Almanack con- 



tained, moreover, miscellaneous in- 

 formation relating to Zoology and 

 Botany ; to Natural History and 

 other scientific societies ; to public 

 Museums and Gardens, in addition 

 to the ordinary celestial phenomena 

 found in most other Almanacks. 

 It continued to be issued till 1847, 

 after which year the publication 

 was abandoned." From a letter 

 from Rev. L. Blomefield to F. 

 Darwin. 



