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Darwin Correspondence Project

To John Lubbock   [before 13 February 1869]1

My dear L.

Some friends of Miss M. with Hooker amongst them, are getting up a petition to Government to put her name on the civil Pension list.2 I am going to sign & she has asked me to get a few other signatures.— As she has done nothing for science, you may, perhaps object to signing; but I shd be very much obliged for a line to say yes or no.— I hardly know when the Petition will be sent on, but if you do agree to sign, I will forward it to you in due time.— Miss M. wrote the life of my grandfather matern J. W. & it is really a magnificent work;3 she spent additional money on illustrations, & so I believe did not profit by the publication— Some of the Reviews speak of her history of the development of the art of Pottery, as valuable.4 She has supported herself by literary & [educational] work, but is now growing old & has lost an aunt, who aided in her support. She seems to me on the whole to have a very fair claim to be put on the list of pensioners.—

Forgive me troubling you & believe me   yours very sincerely | C. Darwin—

Footnotes

The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from John Lubbock, 13 February [1869].
CD refers to Eliza Meteyard and Joseph Dalton Hooker. Meteyard was awarded a Civil List pension of £60 on 5 April 1869 (Meteyard 1970, 1: introduction [25]).
CD refers to his maternal grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood I, and to Meteyard 1865–6. CD had provided Meteyard with material for the book (see Correspondence vol. 13).
For more on the reception of Meteyard 1865–6, see Meteyard 1970, 1: introduction [20–3].

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Meteyard, Eliza. 1865–6. The life of Josiah Wedgwood from his private correspondence and family papers … with an introductory sketch of the art of pottery in England. 2 vols. London: Hurst & Blackett.

Meteyard, Eliza. 1970. The life of Josiah Wedgwood from his private correspondence and family papers … with an introductory sketch of the art of pottery in England. Reprint edition, with an introduction by R. W. Lightbown. 2 vols. London: Cornmarket Press.

Summary

Asks whether JL would be prepared to sign a petition on behalf of Miss Eliza Meteyard who is seeking a civil list pension.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6612
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury
Sent from
Down
Source of text
DAR 96: 70
Physical description
ADraftS 1p

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6612,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6612.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17

letter