Rock Island, Illinois, U.S., April 29th, 1864.
(176/2.

The words in square brackets are restorations of parts torn off the original letter.) More than thirty years ago I was introduced to you at your rooms in Christ's College by A.W.Grisebach, and had the pleasure of seeing your noble collection of British Coleoptera.

Some years afterwards I became a Fellow of Trinity, and finally gave up my Fellowship rather than go into Orders, and came to this country.

For the last five or six years I have been paying considerable attention to the insect fauna of the U.S., some of the fruits of which you will see in the enclosed pamphlets.

Allow me to take this opportunity of thanking you for the publication of your "Origin of Species," which I read three years ago by the advice of a botanical friend, though I had a strong prejudice against what I supposed then to be your views.