My dear Cousin,

I wrote last week to my Cousin M^rs. Nixon, & enclose you her reply.¹ She is Daughter to the late M^r. & M^rs. John Gisborne, & her mother was Millicent Pole, my grandmother’s youngest Daughter, by her first marriage.² M^rs. Gisborne was nine years older than my mother, & was very fond of talking over old times with her Daughter M^rs. Nixon. You will see she gives a different version of the cause which drew D^r. D. to Newmarket, & which certainly sounds more probable tho’ my mother always said it happened on his way to Margate.³ M^rs. Nixon spoke to me once about my Uncle Erasmus Darwin’s sad death, & said it was M^rs. Pole of Radbourne (Daughter in law to my g^dmother) who by her impatience to have some law matters settled caused him to overwork his brain.⁴

Another anecdote came into my mind the other day, shewing how much my grandfather was appreciated. Lady Charlotte Finch, governess to Queen Charlotte’s Daughters, had two granddaughters, the Miss Fieldings, who were much at court.⁵ M^rs. Fielding brought one of her Daughters to Derby to consult D^r. D. & the Miss Fieldings staid some little time at the House on a visit to my g^dmother. When they returned home, they visited their g^dmother Lady C Finch, & thro’ her, George the 3^d. heard of Dr Darwin’s fame, & said “Why does not D^r. D come to London. He shall be my Physician if he comes”, & repeated this in his usual way. My mother said that he & my g^d.mother disliked the thought of a London life so much, that the hint was not acted upon.⁶ I was talking to Emma about this, & she perfectly remembers my mother telling us this, & yesterday, on looking into Baroness de Bunsen’s memoirs, which we have just received, in page 68 she mentions M^rs. Fielding consulting D^r. D for her Daughter, & in page 38 she mentions paying a call at the Priory & being so struck with the beauty of the three Miss Darwins.⁷

You need not return M^rs. Nixon’s letter & with my kind remembrances to M^rs. Darwin

Believe me | very truly yours | E A Wheler