THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1S58. 



C Darwin to J. JD. Hooker. 



Norfolk House, Shanklin, Isle of Wight, 



Friday [July] 30th [1858]. 



My dear Hooker, — Will you give the enclosed scrap to 

 Sir William to thank him for his kindness ; and this gives me 

 an excuse to amuse myself by writing to you a note, which 

 requires no answer. 



This is a very charming place, and we have got a very 

 comfortable house. But, alas, I cannot say that the sea has 

 done H. or L. much good. Nor has my stomach recovered 

 from all our troubles. I am very glad we left home, for six 

 children have now died of scarlet fever in Down. We return 

 on the 14th of August. 



I have got Bentham,"^ and am charmed with it, and 

 William (who has just started for a tour abroad) has been 

 making out all sorts of new (to me) plants capitally. The 

 little scraps of information are so capital . . . The English 

 names in the analytical keys drive us mad : give them by all 

 means, but why on earth [not] make them subordinate to the 

 Latin ; it puts me in a passion. W. charged into the Com- 

 positse and Umbelliferas like a hero, and demolished ever so 

 many in grand style. 



I pass my time by doing daily a couple of hours of my 

 Abstract, and I find it amusing and improving work. I am 

 now most heartily obliged to you and Lyell for having set me 

 on this ; for I shall, when it is done, be able to finish my work 

 with greater ease and leisure. I confess I hated the thought 

 of the job ; and now I find it very unsatisfactory in not being 

 able to give my reasons for each conclusion. 



I will be longer than I expected ; it will take thirty-five of 

 my MS. folio pages to give an abstract on variation under 

 domestication alone ; but I will try to put in nothing which 

 does not seem to me of some interest, and which was once 

 new to me. It seems a queer plan to give an abstact of an 



* ' British Flora.' 



