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Summary
He is “mad about Geology” and plans to ride through Wales in August with a few days at Barmouth.
Some humorous gossip.
Transcription
Shrewsbury
Tuesday
My dear Whitley
My conscience smote me much on receiving your letter.— The reason I did not write sooner, was that I kept on hoping that I might have come in propriâ personâ.— I am at present mad about Geology & I daresay I shall put a plan which I am now hatching, into execution sometime in August, viz of riding through Wales & staying a few days at Barmouth on my road.—f2 Even if I was to come there, I should not be of much assistance to Mr. D. B. or indeed Mr. D B to me, as I much suspect his pronunciation.f3 I get on very slowly with Spanish. the number of words is quite terrifying & the number of meanings to each word is still more discouraging.—f4 I must contrive to pay you a visit, & as for Lowe, the number of facts he must have picked up, must be worth any thing.—f5 I heard a Coachman the other day call a broken-winded, spavined horse, a “faggot of misery”. I thought to myself, the man must be a friend of Lowes. I heard from Watkins yesterdayf6 he says, he finds them so devilish familiar at home, that he is obliged to take a little tour in order to protect himself.— He intends seeing Grey & Cavendish at Tremadock, & most likely Barmouth.f7 I should like much to meet him there With Lowes assistance, we might have a good deal of instructing conversation.—
You do not deserve even so long a letter, as I have written. You do not even mention how you like Barmouth, whom you have there, what you do &c &c &c.— I think I shall most certainly see you in Augustf8 till then, believe me dear Whitley | yours Chas Darwin.—
Endorsement: Endorsement: `July 20 1831′
Footnotes
- f1
- The Tuesday before the date of the postmark. CD apparently held on to the letter before posting it.
- f2
- CD went on a brief geological tour in North Wales, part of it in the company of Adam Sedgwick,in August 1831 (see Correspondence vol. 1, letters from Adam Sedgwick, 4 September 1831 and 18 September 1831).
- f3
- Not identified.
- f4
- CD studied Spanish in July 1831 in the hope of carrying out a natural history excursion to Tenerife (see Correspondence vol. 1).
- f5
- Henry Porter Lowe was an undergraduate at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He and his younger brother Robert Lowe were in Barmouth in August 1831 (Martin 1893, 1: 19–20). See also Barrett 1974,p. 149.
- f6
- Frederick Watkins was a friend of CD at both Shrewsbury School and Cambridge.
- f7
- William Scurfield Grey and George Henry Cavendish were mutual friends of CD and Whitley at Cambridge.
- f8
- CD apparently visited Whitley in Barmouth. See Correspondence vol. 1, letter to Charles Whitley, [9 September 1831].