to
Summary
Contributes to a memorial for Richard Dawes.
Describes his health.
Transcription
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
May 7th
My dear Herbert
It has given me great pleasure to receive a letter from you after the interval of so many years.f2 I saw a good deal of poor Dawes when I was an undergraduate & was charmed with him, but I have never seen him excepting once since that period.f3 His subsequent career every one must honour & I will send by this post a subscription of 2 guineas to the treasurer for his memorial.f4 It has often amused me to reflect how little a man sometimes knows himself, or his friends know him, for I well remember Ramsay of Jesusf5 chaffing Dawes that he was a man who wd go through life laughing & doing nothing else, & Dawes himself & all of us quite agreed that this was true.
Thank you for your kind enquiries about my health; I had two or three bad years but am now much better, & am able to work; but Tyndall gave too flourishing an account, for I am never well for the whole day; this prevents me going any where, & we cannot accept your cordial invitation, which I shd in every way have much enjoyed.f6 Whenever you & Mrs Herbertf7 (to whom we both send our very kind remembrances) happen to be in London & have a little spare time, we should be extremely glad if you would pay us a visit.
Believe me my dear old friend | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
- f1
- The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. M Herbert, 3 May 1867.
- f2
- Letter from J. M. Herbert, 3 May 1867. The last known correspondence with Herbert is a letter to Herbert of 18 November [1856] (Correspondence vol. 13, Supplement), evidently a response to a letter from Herbert.
- f3
- See letter from J. M. Herbert, 3 May 1867, n. 1. CD spoke to Richard Dawes in or before July 1853 (see Correspondence vol. 5, letter to W. D. Fox, 17 July [1853] and n. 6).
- f4
- See letter from J. M. Herbert, 3 May 1867 and n. 1. CD recorded a payment of £2 2s. to `Dawes memorial’ on 6 May 1867 (CD’s Account books–cash account (Down House MS)).
- f5
- Marmaduke Ramsay was a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, while CD was an undergraduate at Christ’s.
- f6
- CD refers to John Tyndall. See letter from J. M. Herbert, 3 May 1867.
- f7
- Mary Anne Herbert.