Shrewsbury.
September 27th 1833
My dear Charles,
The last letter we received from you was that dated April 12th,
from your first landing at Rio Negro. We recd it in August to our great
pleasure, and Caroline has written to you since, for the 1st of this
month, but she was in some doubt whether her letter went in time.
Erasmus was with us, when your letter arrived, as well as the Hensleigh Wedgwoods, and
we were all very much interested by it. I am very glad indeed to hear of Capt Fitzroy's
having bought the Schooner, it is a capital thing indeed. I cannot help being rather
grieved when you speak so rapturously of the Tropics, as I am afraid it is a still
stronger sign, how very long it will be, before we shall have you again, and I have
great fears how far you will stand the quiet clerical life you used to say you would
return to. Every body, who has heard of your beating about 23 days near Cape
Horn, gives you unfeigned pity for it.— I saw Tom Eyton lately, who enquired
much about you; he has been in Wales great part of the Summer he says, collecting; there
has been a report that he has been paying great attention to Miss Slaney, and has been
very much with the Slaneys, but how far that is true, I do not know. It seems very
improbable that he should have the love of money so strong, as one can scarcely believe
it to be any thing else.—
Mr & Mrs Henry Hope (Louisa Leighton that was)
are gone a Tour up the Rhine & to Paris. The old Mrs Hope will
not die, though the Leightons have been certain she could not live a month since the
beginning of the year. Louisa must find it intolerable to live with the nasty old woman
great part of her time.— I think Caroline wrote to you after the Biddulphs had
been staying with us. They are gone to Chirk Castle now, and the detestable old
Mrs & Miss Biddulph are come there, whom poor Fanny perfectly
hates, & who are intolerably proud and disagreeable to her.— Poor
Fanny is still very unwell; you would hardly know her, she is so changed, so delicate,
pale, & thin; but so very charming and affectionate, quite like her dear old
self. I wish you could have seen her pretty look, (when she was talking about you,) she
turned to me, and said ``I suppose he never mentions me''; with all her sweet old
manner.— She talked a good deal about you very affectionately &
warmly, & said how much she wished to see you again, & how very much she
wished for your happiness.— Susan has been staying twice at Chirk, before the
old Mrs Biddulph came there, and says Mr Biddulph appears
to be as much in love with Fanny as possible, so that I hope he is worthy of her, in
that respect.— Emma Owen is come out, & is exceedingly pretty; quite
one of the prettiest of them. Francis is living idle at Woodhouse, and Mr
Owen cannot tell at all what in the world to do with him. Mrs Williams is
come down to Eaton— She has no children.— I must now tell you about
your other old friend, Charlotte. We have all been staying with her at Onnibury,
Mr Langton's living, 4 miles from Ludlow. It is an uncommonly
pretty country about, & we had a very pleasant visit there.— We took
your last letter to Charlotte to read to her, and she was much amused by it.—
The present Parsonage house is such a miserable ruinous concern, that Mr
Langton is going to build in a very pretty situation close. This is thought rather
foolish of him, as he is very poor, but it would certainly be very provoking to spend
the necessary 200 or 300£ <on> their present old
affair.— Charlotte seems extremely happy, very full of scrattles &
household cares, (so unlike her.) Mr Langton is rather a talking,
visiting, chattering man; whom no one would ever expect Charlotte to have fallen in love
with; but so it is. The worst thing about him is to my mind, that he governs most
absolutely in all little trifling concerns, as well as in great matters. Susan
attributes this to his having been one year on board Ship when a boy, seeing absolute
authority; if this is the case, what will become of your poor wife, after so many years
apprenticeship in the art of governing? She ought to be apprized of Susan's alarming
theory.— Poor Charlotte has no brats, which I imagine to be a sore subject;
however in spite of all she seems extremely happy, & very agreeable &
nice, as of old.— Erasmus paid us a much longer visit than usual this summer;
he went to Maer for a week, which he enjoyed extremely, and was very happy there, with
Fanny Hensleigh, her Baby, Miss Snow, as it is called (short for Snowdrop) and
Emma Wedgwood; all his favourites around him.—
I am afraid Erasmus is too idle to write to you; which is very naughty of
him.—
Papa is very well, and is planning another little Journey, in the South of England to
see the Cathedrals of Winchester, & Salisbury. Travelling does him a great deal
of good.— He sends his most affectionate love to you, & with all our
best of loves, believe me | ever, dearest Charles | Yr very affecte
Sister | E. Catherine Darwin
