The History of a Forty Years' Friendship. 199 
those of reverence for his life, works, and character as is reasonable 
and proper.” 
Hooker and Darwin first met in 1839 just before the departure 
of Sir James Ross’ expedition. “ My first meeting with Mr. 
Darwin,” wrote Hooker, was in Trafalgar Square; “ I was walking 
with an officer who had been his shipmate for a short time in the 
‘ Beagle ’ seven years before, but had not, I believe, since met him. 
I was introduced; the interview was of course brief, and the 
memory of him that I carried away and still retain was that of a 
rather tall and rather broad-shouldered man with a slight stoop, an 
agreeable and animated expression when talking, beetle brows, and 
a hollow but mellow voice; and that his greeting of his old 
acquaintance was sailor-like—that is delightfully frank and cordial.” 1 
In 1865 Darwin concludes a letter to Hooker in these words, “ Can 
you remember how we ever first met ? It was in Park Street; but 
what brought us together ? I have been re-reading a few old letters 
of yours, and my heart is very warm towards you.” 2 The reference 
to Park Street is explained by the following extract from Sir Joseph 
Hooker’s notes printed in the “ Life and Letters ” :—“ The next 
act in the drama of our lives opens with personal intercourse. This 
began with an invitation to breakfast with him at his brother’s 
[Erasmus Darwin’s] house in Park Street; which was shortly 
followed by an invitation to Down to meet a few brother naturalists. 
Latterly as his health became more seriously affected, I was for 
days and weeks the only visitor, bringing my work with me and 
enjoying his society as opportunity offered. It was an established 
rule that he every day pumped me, as he called it, for half-an-hour 
or so after breakfast in his study, when he first brought out a heap 
of slips with questions botanical, geographical, etc. for me to 
answer, and concluded by telling me of the progress he had made in 
his own work, asking my opinion on various points. I saw no more 
of him till about noon, when I heard his mellow ringing voice calling 
my name under my window—this was to join him in his daily fore¬ 
noon walk round the sand-walk.” 
Forty-two years after the first meeting, a year before his death, 
Darwin wrote, “ Your letter has cheered me, and the world does 
not look a quarter so black as it did when I wrote before. Your 
friendly words are worth their weight in gold.” 3 
1 Ibid., p. 19. 
2 M. L., Vol. II, p. 157. 
3 M. L., Vol. I., p. 39, 
