328 LIFE AT DOWN. iETAT. 33-45- [1847. 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker* 



Down [October, 1847]. 



I congratulate you heartily on your arrangements being 

 completed, with some prospect for the future. It will be a 

 noble voyage and journey, but I wish it was over, I shall miss 

 you selfishly and all ways to a dreadful extent ... I am in 

 great perplexity how we are to meet ... I can w-ell under- 

 stand how dreadfully busy you must be. If you caiinot come 

 here, you must let me come to you for a night ; for I must 

 have one more chat and one more quarrel with you over the 

 coal. 



By the w r ay, I endeavoured to stir up Lyell (who has been 

 staying here some days with me) to theorise on the coal : his 

 oolitic upright Equisetums are dreadful for my submarine 

 flora. I should die much easier if some one would solve me 

 the coal question. I sometimes think it could not have been 

 formed at all. Old Sir Anthony Carlisle once said to me 

 gravely, that he supposed Megatherium and such cattle v/ere 

 just sent down from heaven to see whether the earth would 

 support them ; and I suppose the coal was rained down to 

 puzzle mortals. You must work the coal well in India. 



Ever yours, 



C. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



[November 6th, 1847.] 



My dear Hooker, — I have just received your note with 

 sincere grief : there is no help for it. I shall always look at 

 your intention of coming here, under such circumstances, as 

 the greatest proof of friendship I ever received from mortal 

 man. My conscience would have upbraided me in not hav- 

 ing come to you on Thursday, but, as it turned out, I could 

 not, for I was quite unable to leave Shrewsbury before that 



* Parts of two letters. 



