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Darwin Correspondence Project

To J. S. Henslow   [26 January 1842]

12 Upper Gower St

Wednesday

My dear Henslow

Robert Brown called here yesterday morning asking me to write to you about the election of the Librarian of the Linn: Soc. He thinks it very doubtful, whether Dr. Lemans1 election (in favour of which he says you signed a paper) will be carried without great exertion on the part of his friends;2 & he further states that he thinks the interest of the Society is most deeply concerned in the issue— Dr Leman will not practice as medical man—will, therefore, have nearly his whole time at the disposal of the Soc:— In short he wants to persuade you to come up on the 15th to vote & I want to persuade you for the sake of seeing you here.—3 Brown also is very anxious for you to mention the case to Babington or any others, whom there would be any chance of persuading to vote.— Do see if you cannot come: I am commissioned to say by my wife how very glad she should be, if Mrs. Henslow could be prevailed on to come— it is a wretched time of year to leave home, but there is always some business for everybody in London, so do state the case to her with our united request.—

As such antagonist powers as Brown & Lindley4 are so anxious for Leman’s election it must be a clear case & do try & come

Ever Yours | C. Darwin

Footnotes

At the meeting of 15 February 1842, especially called ‘to elect a Clerk, Librarian and Housekeeper in the place of Prof. Don’, Richard Kippist, Assistant Clerk and Librarian of the Society, was elected (Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London 1 (1838–48): 126–7).
CD was not a fellow of the Society and did not become one until 1854 (LL 3: 373).

Bibliography

LL: The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8.

Summary

CD relates that Robert Brown is anxious to have [C. M.] Leman[n] elected librarian of the Linnean Society and urges JSH to come to vote for him. CD joins in the request.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-615
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
John Stevens Henslow
Sent from
London, Upper Gower St, 12
Source of text
Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 615,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-615.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 2

letter