it appeared
to me that the six heads of your Essay included almost every point which
could be desired, and therefore that I had little to say.

LETTER 326. TO J.D. HOOKER.

(326/1. On July 5th, 1856, Darwin wrote to Sir J.D. Hooker:--

"I am going mad and am in despair over your confounded Antarctic island
flora. Will you read over the Tristan list, and see if my remarks on it
are at all accurate. I cannot make out why you consider the vegetation
so Fuegian.")

Down, 8th [July, 1856].

I do hope that this note may arrive in time to save you trouble in one
respect. I am perfectly ashamed of myself, for I find in introduction to
Flora of Fuegia (326/2. "Flora Antarctica," page 216. "Though only 1,000
miles distant from the Cape of Good Hope, and 3,000 from the Strait of
Magalhaens, the botany of this island [Tristan d'Acunha] is far more
intimately allied to that of Fuegia than Africa." Hooker goes on to say
that only Phylica and Pelargonium are Cape forms, while seven species,
or one-quarter of the flora, "are either natives of Fuegia or typical
of South American botany, and the ferns and Lycopodia exhibit a still
stronger affinity.") a short discussion on Tristan plants, which though
scored [i.e. marked in pencil] I had quite forgotten at the time, and
had thought only of looking into introduction to New Zealand Flora. It
was very stupid of me. In my sketch I am forced to pick out the most
striking cases of species which favour the multiple creation doctrine,
without indeed great continental extensions are admitted. Of the many
wonderful cases in your books, the one which strikes me most is that
list of species, which you made for me, common to New Zealand and
America, and confined to southern hemisphere; and in this list those
common to Chile and New Zealand seem to me the most wondrous. I have
copied these out and enclosed them. Now I will promise to ask no more
questions, if you will tell me a little about these. What I want to know
is, whether any or many of them are mountain plants of Chile, so as
to bring them in some degree (like the Chonos plants) under the same
category with the Fuegian plants? I see that all the genera (Edwardsia
even having Sandwich Island and Indian species) are wide-ranging genera,
except Myosurus, which seems extra wonderful. Do any of these genera
cling to seaside? Are the other species of these genera wide rangers? Do
be a good Christian and not hate me.

I began last night to r