s amongst the Chonos Islands. The
beech being found here and peat being found here, and general appearance
of landscape, connects the Chonos Islands and T. del Fuego. I saw the
Alerce (313/1. "Alerse" is the local name of a South American timber,
described in Capt. King's "Voyages of the 'Adventure' and 'Beagle,'"
page 281, and rather doubtfully identified with Thuja tetragona, Hook.
("Flora Antarctica," page 350.)) on mountains of Chiloe (on the mainland
it grows to an enormous size, and I always believed Alerce and Araucaria
imbricata to be identical), but I am ashamed to say I absolutely forget
all about its appearance. I saw some Juniper-like bush in T. del Fuego,
but can tell you no more about it, as I presume that you have seen
Capt. King's collection in Mr. Brown's possession, provisionally for the
British Museum. I fear you will be much disappointed in my few plants:
an ignorant person cannot collect; and I, moreover, lost one, the
first, and best set of the Alpine plants. On the other hand, I hope the
Galapagos plants (313/2. See "Life and Letters," II., pages 20, 21,
for Sir J.D. Hooker's notes on the beginning of his friendship with Mr.
Darwin, and for the latter's letter on the Galapagos plants being placed
in Hooker's hands.) (judging from Henslow's remarks) will turn out more
interesting than you expect. Pray be careful to observe, if I ever mark
the individual islands of the Galapagos Islands, for the reasons you
will see in my "Journal." Menzies and Cumming were there, and there are
some plants (I think Mr. Bentham told me) at the Horticultural Society
and at the British Museum. I believe I collected no plants at Ascension,
thinking it well-known.

Is not the similarity of plants of Kerguelen Land and southern S.
America very curious? Is there any instance in the northern hemisphere
of plants being similar at such great distances? With thanks for your
letter and for your having undertaken my small collection of plants,

Believe me, my dear Sir, Yours very truly, C. DARWIN.

Do remember my prayer, and write as well for botanical ignoramuses
as for great botanists. There is a paper of Carmichael (313/3.
"Some Account of the Island of Tristan da Cunha and of its Natural
Productions."--"Linn. Soc. Trans." XII., 1818, page 483.) on Tristan
d'Acunha, which from the want of general remarks and comparison, I found
[torn out] to me a dead letter.--I presume you will include this island
in your views of the sout