[Shrewsbury]
December 30th.
My dear Charles
Your last letter was dated Sept. 20th., Buenos Ayres,
& it was a most agreeable surprise as we thought you had started for your
endless Southern voyage— the account of your wild ride was extremely
interesting— how strange it still seems to think of you as realy leading a
Gaucho's life— a canter on the Oswestry road will feel rather flat I am
afraid, though you may depend my dear Charles if I am not superannuated when you come
home I will have many and many a happy ride with you— Erasmus is
become quite a grand man he has a Cab & a few weeks ago my Father gave him a
beautiful Grey horse a Hunter bred by Mr. Wynne—& we
hear from Eras that he (the horse) is as much at home in the streets of London as if he
had led a town life all his days.— I think you will hardly know Eras he is
become such a dissipated character & such a happy person. he seems
always in good spirits & enjoys visiting about & liking &
knowing many more people than he used— Hensleigh a short time ago had
determined upon resigning his Police Magistracy from a scruple of
conscience—he thought our Saviour's command ``not to swear'' was one which
ought to be taken literally & that a judicial oath was consequently
unlawful— I do not quite understand the reasons why he classed it among the
commands to be taken literaly & not with a latitude— however Uncle Jos
& his other friends have persuaded him to take time & study the subject
more before he decides, which he has done & the arguments of some of his friends
have I believe made him think differently, but this is not certain as he does not now
talk on the subject— it wd. have been very melancholy
to have had their happy household broken up & one knows of hardly any employment
which Hensleigh could have taken, as in almost all an oath is a necessary form for being
entered— I was staying at Maer whilst all this was in agitation & very
anxious it made Uncle Jos & them all— Aunt Bessy is sadly changed
since you saw her—her intellect much weakened & from a pain
in her leg unable to stand or move herself in the least She sits or rather lies down in
the big room upstairs which is now fitted up as a sitting room & makes a
tolerably comfortable one— they are very much interested about you—
Can you fancy any thing that the whole family would enjoy more than being transported to
the banks of the River Carcarana (I think you call it) the banks of which you describe
as being so thickly strewed with bones & fossil remains. I shall be very curious
to hear the result of your expedition there— Charlotte &
Mr Langton were at Maer for the winter—also Fanny Allen so
altogether we mustered a large party, but dear old Maer is not what it used to be
& never will again—
1834 Jany. 3d.— I wish you my dear
Charles a happy new year and many returns of it & very glad shall I be
when I am able to wish you the same in person— I
recd. the day before yesterday your letter of the
23d of October from Buenos Ayres, with the account of the disastrous
ending to your ride— I see by the papers that on the
28th. of Oct. trade was allowed to continue, so I trust
you were soon released from your very disagreeable & alarming situation in that
odious town— what a vilannous people they seem to be— We are
excessively anxious for your next letter and my Father as you may believe sympathizes
& felt very much for all your misfortunes & I am sadly afraid the great
dangers you have gone through when you wrote were not over. I wish you were out of that
town & safe again in the Beagle— My Father had not heard at the bank
of the £80 you speak of having drawn a month ago, but it will be paid
whenever it is asked for— the second part of your journal arrived quite safe I
read it to myself & we all read it aloud— it was extremely interesting
& I am very impatient for a third part—
The Cottons have been staying with us this week with Mattie who is come out & a
very pretty merry girl— she has some of the Owen spirit— Also Robert
Clive was here, he is exceedingly happy to be in England again & for life
without the thoughts of a return to India to damp his pleasure— I like him
very much he is the merriest & most taking of all the Clives & very
pleasant— he seems exceedingly fond of Mattie & if she was a little
nearer his own age I think he would not be long in trying his chance with
her. the William Clives have had a sad disappointment in having a dead
child— Marianne Clive is doing well now, but her life has been in the greatest
danger from her confinement & it was a melancholy endin<g> of
he<r> delight in the hope of a child— Poor Eliza Tollet is
thou<gh>t to be in a consumption she has had a cough now for
<n>ine months & is getting gradually weaker— Frank
Leighton has just been made Sub Warden of Magdalen College which the Leightons are much
pleased at—
Next week we are going to a Play at Eaton an immense party in the house 23 the
Biddulphs & all the Owens are to be there— Fanny Biddulph is still
very delicate, so altered from what she used to look, but I think still prettier even
than she used to be— Francis Owen goes to India next February— they
have very good accounts from Arthur—
I think my Father is looking very well, all the better for the gout that he had when
touring with Susan. leaving off his business in great measure, & not
altogether, has answered remarkably well to him— giving him a little
employment & not fatigue— I think when you come home you will be
amused to see in the hothouse, his Banana, with its two leaves that we all admire
& think so handsome. I cant say I do admire it now, for it is grown so tall that
the glass prevents even the few leaves it has from appearing in their natural
shape—
We have not seen Marianne Parker very lately She is educating her 4 little
boys very nicely I think, they are very happy & tractable Dr.
Parker & Marian are beginning to fret & puzzle about a school for
Parky— Susan is very happy this week scrattling she is sitting now at
the table I am writing from, with a long account book & innumerable
bills— Catherine is now quite the junketting person in this house so eager for
balls & visiting of all kinds— Pincher & Nina are both
well— I wonder if Pincher will be very glad to see you again. Joseph has still
your Grey horse. I am going to hire it this morning for a ride— poor old nurse
Tante, we hear, is reduced to wear spectacles. She has never yet appeared to us in them,
but when she is alone she can not resist them. She is deeply interested about you
& we always tell her the news out of your letters, though I suppose the ideas
she gains are but vague— You must take the will for the deed & not
mind my writing such very very dull letters— living quietly at home
it is really very difficult to find what to write about, but a letter to say all at home
are well, you shall have every month till we see your dear old face again My Fathers,
Susans, & Caths best & kindest of loves. Yrs most affcly
dear Charles | Caroline Darwin
I open my letter for my Father who says he hopes I have said every thing kind from him
to you. I did before I think give his love—
