iS47] H. C. WATSON. 323 



would write ; but I suppose he has written a good deal in 

 the * Phytologist.' You ought to encourage him to publish 

 on variation ; it is a shame that such facts as those in his let- 

 ter should remain unpublished. 1 must get you to introduce 

 me to him ; would he be a good and sociable man for Drop- 

 more ? * though if he comes, Forbes must not (and I think 

 you talked of inviting Forbes), or we shall have a glorious bat- 

 tle. I should like to see sometime the war correspondence. 

 Have you the * Phytologist,' and could you sometime spare it ; 

 I would go through it quickly. ... I have read your last five 

 numbers,! and as usual have been much interested in several 

 points, especially with your discussions on the beech and 

 potato. I see you have introduced several sentences against 

 us Transmutationists. I have also been looking through the 

 latter volumes of the ' Annals of Natural History,' and have 



read two such soulless, pompous papers of , quite worthy 



of the author .... The contrast of the papers in the Afinals 

 with those in the Annales is rather humiliating ; so many 

 papers in the former, with short descriptions of species, with- 

 out one word on their affinities, internal structure, range or 



habits. I am now reading , and I have picked out some 



things which have interested me ; but he strikes me as rather 

 dullish, and with all his Materia Medica smells of the doctor's 

 shop. I shall ever hate the name of the Materia Medica, 

 since hearing Duncan's lectures at eight o'clock on a winter's 

 morning — a whole, cold, breakfastless hour on the properties 

 of rhubarb ! 



I hope your journey will be very prosperous. Believe me, 

 my dear Hooker, 



Ever yours, 



C. Darwin. 



P.S. — I think I have only made one new acquaintance 

 of late, that is, R. Chambers ; and I have just received a 



* A much enjoyed expedition made from Oxford — when the British 

 Association met there in 1847. 



f Of the Botany of Hooker's ' Antarctic Voyage.' 



