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Summary
CD’s servant [Syms Covington] will work his passage to Australia.
Returns a curious stone, of which he hopes to publish an account. [See Volcanic islands, p. 38.]
Transcription
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My dear Sir
I am extremely obliged to you, for your great kindness in making enquiries respecting my servant.— But by a great chance, the day after I saw you, I made an arrangement for him to work his passage out as cook to a vessel. I am very sorry you should have taken so much trouble in vain.—
I enclose the curious stone, which I take much shame to myself for not having returned earlier.—but I had stored it away so carefully, that it had utterly past from my mind. I hope before very long, however, to publish a short account of it, & the woodcut, which you permitted to be taken from it.—f1
Believe me | Very truly yours | Chas. Darwin
12 Upper Gower St
May 31st.—
Footnotes
- f1
- CD describes it as a ‘volcanic bomb of obsidian’ (Volcanic islands, p. 38 and fig. 4). It has since been identified as a flanged-button tektite produced by the impact of a meteorite (Dietz 1978, p. 345).