Darwin, C. R. to Sedgwick, Adam
- +
Thanks AS for congratulations on George Darwin's Trinity fellowship.
- +
Reminiscence of his geological tour of North Wales with AS and the encouraging messages received during the Beagle voyage.
Summary Add
Transcription
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Oct 13 1868
My dear Professor Sedgwick
I have been deeply gratified by your kindness in remembering me & sending your congratulations on my son's election as a Fellow of Trinity. This certainly is a very great honour to him & a source of much pleasure to me. I often think of the Geological tour in N. Wales, when you allowed me to accompany you, & which was so great a pleasure & advantage to me. You, also, during my expedition in the Beagle sent me several encouraging messages, the actual words of some of which I still remember. With these recollections & feelings you will believe how deeply I have been gratified by receiving your letter.
I am very sorry to hear that you suffer from so many
serious complaints; but considering how often you were
formerly unwell you seem to me a wonderful instance of
prolonged vigour of mind & body. As for myself I am always
an invalid, & fear that I shall never see Cambridge again,
though from the many happy days spent there I sh
With the most sincere respect pray believe me | your obliged friend | Charles Darwin
- +
- f1 6418.f1
See letter from Adam Sedgwick, 11 October 1868 and n. 2. - +
- f2 6418.f2
See letter from Adam Sedgwick, 11 October 1868 and n. 5; for more on CD's geological tour with Sedgwick, see Peter Lucas 2002a and Herbert 2005, pp. 38--47. - +
- f3 6418.f3
Sedgwick's letters to CD while he was on the Beagle have not been found; however, CD's sister Susan sent CD an extract from a letter from Sedgwick to Samuel Butler: `He is doing admirably in S. America, & has already sent home a collection above all praise.— It was the best thing in the world for him that he went out on a Voyage of Discovery— There was some risk of his turning out an idle man: but his character will now be fixed, & if God spare his life, he will have a great name among the Naturalists of Europe' (Correspondence vol. 1, letter from Susan Darwin, 22 November 1835).