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Darwin Correspondence Project

To F. T. Buckland   15 December [1864]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Dec. 15th

My dear Mr Buckland

It would give me very great pleasure to see you here on your return from Galway; but I much fear when you hear what I am bound to say, that it will not be worth your while.2 We are six miles from Bromley Station. My health is so uncertain that I never know how I shall be & some few days I cannot speak to any one. On my best days I dare not talk for more than 10 or 15 minutes, though I can repeat the dose two or three times. As you are medical I may tell you that I have suffered from almost incessant vomiting for nine months, & that has so weakened my brain, that any excitement brings on whizzing & fainting feelings, when I cannot speak; & much of this makes me for days afterwards very unwell; so I find by experience I must be very cautious.

All I can say is that I shd be delighted to see you for a few minutes, but it would not be worth all the trouble of coming here.

I am so glad & cordially thank you about the otter-hound.—3

Believe me | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Summary

Would be delighted to see FB for a few minutes but his health is so poor he doubts it would be worth the trouble for FB to visit.

Thanks about the otter-hound.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-4717F
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Francis Trevelyan (Frank) Buckland
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (General Special Collections DC AL 1/8)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4717F,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4717F.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12

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