y 18th, 1869.

I received your last letter shortly before leaving home for this place.
Owing to this cause and to having been more unwell than usual I have
been very dilatory in writing to you. When I last heard, about six or
eight weeks ago, from Mr. Murray, one hundred copies of your book had
been sold, and I daresay five hundred may now be sold. (680/1. "Facts
and Arguments for Darwin," 1869: see Volume I., Letter 227.) This will
quite repay me, if not all the money; for I am sure that your book will
have got into the hands of a good many men capable of understanding it:
indeed, I know that it has. But it is too deep for the general public.
I sent you two or three reviews--one of which, in the "Athenaeum," was
unfavourable; but this journal has abused me, and all who think with me,
for many years. (680/2. "Athenaeum," 1869, page 431.) I enclose two more
notices, not that they are worth sending: some other brief notices have
appeared. The case of the Abitulon sterile with some individuals is
remarkable (680/3. "Bestaubungsversuche an Abutilon-Arten." "Jenaische
Zeitschr." VII., 1873, page 22.): I believe that I had one plant of
Reseda odorata which was fertile with own pollen, but all that I have
tried since were sterile except with pollen from some other individual.
I planted the seeds of the Abitulon, but I fear that they were crushed
in the letter. Your Eschscholtzia plants were growing well when I left
home, to which place we shall return by the end of this month, and I
will observe whether they are self-sterile. I sent your curious account
of the monstrous Begonia to the Linnean Society, and I suppose it will
be published in the "Journal." (680/4. "On the Modification of the
Stamens in a Species of Begonia." "Journ. Linn. Soc." XI., 1871, page
472.) I sent the extract about grafted orange trees to the "Gardeners'
Chronicle," where it appeared. I have lately drawn up some notes for a
French translation of my Orchis book: I took out your letters to make an
abstract of your numerous discussions, but I found I had not strength
or time to do so, and this caused me great regret. I have [in the French
edition] alluded to your work, which will also be published in English,
as you will see in my paper, and which I will send you. (680/5. "Notes
on the Fertilisation of Orchids." "Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist." 1869, Volume
IV., page 141. The paper gives an English version of the notes prepared
for the French edition of the Orchid boo