Darwin Correspondence Project

My Dear Sir

Will you be so good as to inform me at what exact date, in about a fortnights time, it will suit you to receive my son Horace.— As you were so good as to say that you had heard from Dr Wrigley, I have not troubled you with his Quarterly characters, which as I have said, have all been as good as possible. As I previously mentioned, he is backward in Classics, but he tells me that he has been getting on better of late. I care about Classics only so far that he may pass his matriculation & afterwards his Little-Go— For mathematics he has a strong taste, & I suppose is fairly well advanced for his age of 17 years, considering, however, that he formerly lost 3 years from ill-health. As at present advised, & following my sons own wish, I intend that he shd try for the degree in the Sciences.— I beg leave to call your attention to a singular incapacity for spelling, & shd be much obliged, if you wd mark in all exercises his mistakes. He is anxious to improve & is ashamed of his ignorance. But the incapacity runs to a certain extent in our blood. I think that you will find my son anxious to please you in all ways, & I do not fear that he will be idle, but rather that he may work too hard.—