JDH suggests [Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone] Grant Duff become a Fellow of the Linnean Society. Asks after Grant Duff's continental tour with his wife. Complains that the Ayrton controversy is deteriorating further, JDH has brought it to the attention of Prime minister Gladstone & predicts it will end with the dismissal of himself or [Acton Smee] Ayrton.
Transcript
great a liberty in asking the question --
I hope that you enjoyed your Continental tour, & that Mrs Grant Duff is none the worse of the fatigue.
I am getting on worse than ever with Mr
Royal Gardens Kew
Nov[ember] 10/[18]71
Dear Grant Duff *1
We are anxiously looking out for Member new Fellows for the Linnean Society -- in the interests of our fine series of publications, which we give to all our Fellows, & distribute
to all foreign Academics that cultivate the Nat[ural] Sciences. It has appeared to me possible that you might like to join our body: & I hope that you will not think I am taking too
great a liberty in asking the question --
I hope that you enjoyed your Continental tour, & that Mrs Grant Duff is none the worse of the fatigue.
I am getting on worse than ever with Mr
*2 [Acton Smee] Ayrton, & have brought the matter officially under Mr [William Ewart] Gladstone's notice -- I cannot get on at all here -- one of us ought to be dismissed, or I retire.
Very si[ncerel]y y[our]s | Jos .D. Hooker [signature]
1. Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff (1829--1906). Scottish politician, author and administrator. He served as the Under Secretary of State for India from 1868 to 1874, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1880 to 1881 and the Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886. During the last appointment he took great interest in the gardens of Government Houses in Madras [Chennai] & Ootacamund [Udagamandalam]. Letters from Grant Duff to RBG Kew can be found in our online collection of Directors’ Correspondence hosted at http://plants.jstor.org/
2. There is an annotation on page 4 which appears to be a later addition and not written in the hand of Joseph Hooker. Written vertically up the lower left hand part of the page, in ink, is "Hooker 1871 about Linnean Socy".
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