Cambridge
6 Feby 1832
My dear Darwin,
As tomorrow is the first Tuesday in Feby. I select today (my Birthday)
for keeping my promise, virtually made by your asking me to write to you on that day. I
heard of your adventurous departure thro' Mr Yarrel who was told of it by
Capt. King— You had a stout heart to resist the inclination which must
necessarily have come over you not to go on whilst you were in such a wretched state of
sickness as you are described to have suffered I trust however that it left you soon
afterwards & that you are now an experienced sailor— As you cannot yet
have quite lost all zest for Cambridge information I shall tell you a little about the
late examination, which seems to have been rather a merciless one, for besides that some
thirty men were frightened after the first day & cut & run, there [were]
29 plucked, & among them Lord Sandwich & a nephew of
Ld Grey's at Trinity—& an Hon. DeGrey at
St Johns— You see we are becoming quite radical.— You
will see by the papers which I suppose you get somehow or other that Trin. had
the Sr. Wrangler (quite unexpectedly)— I was absent from
Cambridge myself on a visit to my Father's—spent two nights in London very
pleasantly with attending at the Geologl. &
Linnean—where I heard of you from difft quarters among some of
the members. Pray are you yet a Whig? for I heard from Wood that your Brother told you
it was impossible to touch pitch & not be defiled.
Whatever you become I know it will be from honest conviction, & therefore tho' I
shan't change my principles myself I shall be quite content to allow you to change yours
without thinking the worse of you for so doing—not that I suppose you will
care if I should— Only as we used to agree in these matters we will now agree
not to let our disagreement (if it sd. turn out so) trouble
us— We have determined on erecting a mural Tablet to Ramsay's memory in the
Chapel of Jesus, It will be plain—with a medallion by Chantrey who has undertaken to assist us— I have a most admirable
miniature likeness, which impr<ess>es every one who sees it painted by
Miss Jenyns from memory, having merely the outline to guide her from an old miniature
taken by an instrument— I intend (at the request of his friends) to get it
engraved for them, & as you may possibly like a print will select one which you
may take or not as you like— If it is to be done by a first rate
artist—will cost the subscribers about 10/6.—any surplus to be
distributed to the poor— Worsley has resigned the
Tutorship of Downing— He was absent all this term & I acted for him as
Chaplain & dinner-eater on Sundays & other days when Dawes was
absent— He thoroughly disliked the duties of a
College life & has taken a wise step. Sedgwick is having his picture taken!! by
Phillips —to match a portrait of his of
Buckland. He makes the artist laugh so much that he can
hardly get on with it— The two will be engraved as a pair—
Whewell has resigned his Professorship from want of time
& I believe Miller will succeed him— Whitley
is a candidate for a Professorship of Mathematics in the new College about to be
established in Durham— I can't recollect any other Cambridge news worth
recording— My own household is flourishing— Mrs.
H. much improved in health & the Children blessed as usual—
We had so amply discussed your prospects at T. del Fuego that I do not know
what to say more till I shall have heard from you— I sometimes blame myself
for having hinted to you rather plainly little pieces of advice, lest you should have
thought me troublesome— but I am sure your good heart will ascribe my
suggestions to the right motive of my being anxious for your happiness—which
cannot be enjoyed in this troublesome world without daily restraint & submission
to mortifications sometimes trifling sometimes grievous—always when patiently
taken refreshing to the spirit— I feel the more anxious for you as I have been
so mainly instrumental in your adopting the plans you have—& should
your time pass unhappily shall never cease to regret my having recommended you to take
the step you have of devoting yourself to the cause of science— Much therefore
as [I] should like to see you return laden with the spoils of the Worl<d>
yet if you do not find yourself content I should much rather see you sooner
than I hope to do— You must by the time you get this have had ample experience
how far you are qualified to cope with difficulties & whether you can rise
superior to them—whether you can enjoy yourself amidst them, & rejoice
over them— If you have met with success hitherto be assured that you may go on
safely & securely <to> the end—but if you have failed,
then don't try any more—but come away— You will only be heaping up
greater troubles— I shall endeavor to keep up our correspondence as you may be
pleased to direct me how I am to succeed in getting my letters to you, & shall
always write to you as freely as I can on the subject of your enterprize, judging from
what I can learn from your letters may be the state of your wishes—
Believe me yrs ever affectionately & sincerely J
S. Henslow
