Cholsey Wallingford
22 July 1834
My dear Darwin,
It is now some months since I received your last letter, with the intention of
answering it so soon as I should be able to give you an account of the safe arrival of
your cargo of skins &c These were delayed at Dr Armstrongs up to
the time of my quitting Cambridge & I have only just heard that he has at length
despatched them. He tells me however that every thing is safe, & that he had
used the precaution of opening the cases & airing every thing for you—
I recommended the fossils to be all sent to Mr Clift at Surgeons' Hall
who has kindly undertaken to repair them & prepare them so that they shall be
preserved without injury— Judging from what you sent before I did not hesitate
to do this as they will be well worth the carriage to London, & could not
possibly be in better hands than Clift's. I regret that I did not get the sweepings of
the granary before I left Cambridge as I fear the delay will spoil most of the seeds
which cannot now be sown before next Spring— Pray don't entirely neglect to
dry plants— Those sent are all of the greatest interest— Send
minute things, such the little ranunculus, & common weeds & grasses, not
to the neglect of flowering shrubs of which you have sent some nice species of Berberry
&c.— I have not your letter bye me to
answer your questions formally but I remember you enquire about a Goniometer—
I would not advise you to bother yourself with one— It is an instrument of no
use in the field, & of importance only in the hands of an experienced
mineralogist in his closet. Phillips's book must be
quite as much as you need for the detection of the few ingredients which form
rocks— Any that you can't make out you must describe conditionally &
we will set you to rights 10 years hence when you return— Fox
& his wife spent a day with us at commencement— He tells me that you
are very irate at not having heard from me—which I don't exactly understand,
as I should have thought that you ought to have received two letters at least from me by
the time he heard from you— That I have not written so often as I ought I will
readily admit for I never do any thing as I ought—but really & truly I
have written & I trust that you have had positive proof of it before now. I
don't know that I have much local news to tell you which is likely to be of any
interest— You will see by the papers that we have been in various kinds of hot
water, in which however I am happy to say that I have escaped
from scalding my own fingers, though I fear that the result has caused a few
burning<s> & cuttings among certain members of the University who
ought to be abov<e> such evils— Your Master, I suppose you know, is married, & soon to be a Papa if all
prospers— My own family is 3 ♀ +1 ♂, & if
you delay your return much longer & I am equally fortunate as I have hitherto
been you may be in time to stand Godfather to another.— I am at present
rusticating for the Vacation at my living—& enjoy the change from a
town to a country life most exceedingly— There are no immediate neighbours
& I am not bothered by morning visits— My parish abounds in poor,
& small farmers who leave every thing to the parson with-out attempting to
assist him— However I am quite satisfied with my visit, the only drawback
being the long distance which I have to bring my family—about
100 miles— I shall be very anxious as the time for your return
approaches, to hear of you & look forward with the prospect of great
satisfaction to the confabs we shall have together— Captn.
W. Ramsay is about to start as commander of a Steam frigate for the
W. Indies & if I had been a single or an independent man I should
certainly have joined him for a few months cruise— How you would have stared
to have seen me walking on the Quay at Monte Video.—
With kindest remembrances from all my family & most hearty good wishes from
myself believe me ever | Your affectionate friend | J S Henslow
