Islands by the Gulf-stream, which returns southward from the Azores. What
poor papers those of A. Murray are in "Gardeners' Chronicle." What
conclusions he draws from a single Carabus (379/3. "Dr. Hooker on Insular
Floras" ("Gardeners' Chronicle," 1867, pages 152, 181). The reference to
the Carabidous beetle (Aplothorax) is at page 181.), and that a widely
ranging genus! He seems to me conceited; you and I are fair game
geologically, but he refers to Lyell, as if his opinion on a geological
point was worth no more than his own. I have just bought, but not read a
sentence of, Murray's big book (379/4. "Geographical Distribution of
Mammals," 1866.), second-hand, for 30s., new, so I do not envy the
publishers. It is clear to me that the man cannot reason. I have had a
very nice letter from Scott at Calcutta (379/5. See Letter 150.): he has
been making some good observations on the acclimatisation of seeds from
plants of same species, grown in different countries, and likewise on how
far European plants will stand the climate of Calcutta. He says he is
astonished how well some flourish, and he maintains, if the land were
unoccupied, several could easily cross, spreading by seed, the Tropics from
north to south, so he knows how to please me; but I have told him to be
cautious, else he will have dragons down on him...

As the Azores are only about two-and-a-half times more distant from America
(in the same latitude) than from Europe, on the occasional migration view
(especially as oceanic currents come directly from West Indies and Florida,
and heavy gales of wind blow from the same direction), a large percentage
of the flora ought to be American; as it is, we have only the Sanicula, and
at present we have no explanation of this apparent anomaly, or only a
feeble indication of an explanation in the birds of the Azores being all
European.