714 FINAL JOURNEYS AND WORK. [1880, 
so kindly received him in 1851. Mr. Lowell was then 
minister to England, and there were pleasant meet- 
ings with him. 
In early March he crossed to Paris, where he was 
joined by Sir Joseph and Lady Hooker for a journey 
by Mt. Cenis to Italy, going as far south as Castel- 
lamare and to Amalfi and Pestum, and returning ; 
short stays in Rome, Florence, and so to Venice, where 
the party divided, Dr. Gray going to Geneva. 
TO A. DE CANDOLLE. 
Kew, December 26, 1880. 
... IT am making slow progress with the Asters. 
The original types of all the older species I shall cer- 
tainly make out; but the limitation of the species 
presents great, if not insuperable difficulties. 
I have read nearly all of Darwin’s “Power of 
Movement in Plants.” It is a veritable research, with 
the details all recorded ; and so it is dull reading. I 
think it will give the impression to most readers that 
the terms “ geotropism,” “epinasty,” “ hyponasty,” ete., 
contain more of explanation than in fact they do. Yet 
now and then a remark should prevent this, as on 
page 569, and notably on page 545, at the close of 
the chapter, intimating,—I suppose with reason — 
that the term “gravity” or “ gravitation” is quite 
misapplied. 
I have just taken up Wallace’s “ Island Life,” and 
find the earlier chapters most clear and excellent, but 
without novelty. The idea of the persistence of con- 
tinents is most commonplace in America since Dana’s 
address in (I think) 1845, and I should have thought 
