My dear Cousin,

When I wrote to you on Thursday last, I had read the life of our Grandfather rather hurriedly, as we were daily expecting the death of my Brother in-law—Edward Wheler— he lingered on till early on Sunday morn, when he ceased to breathe, at the age of 81—¹ In him, I have lost a most kind friend— My sister is dreadfully cut up—but she has one Son & one Daughter—who will be real comforts to her—² She begs me to tell you, how much interested she has been, in reading the Book, you kindly gave her—at times when able— She is sure you will excuse her writing herself—.

A few mistakes, the Printer has made, which I dare say, you have already noticed— viz

Page 29—Last line but 3. Boulton (not Bolton)³

" 87.—Line 10. He died Nov^r. 13^th. 1848 (not 1849) I always remember the year your Father died, as my Sister Lucy Moilliet died the week before; & the two deaths, quite upset my Mother⁴

Page 41. I have those lines, in my Grandfather’s writing “From Lichfield famed two giant critics come”

Page 7.8.9 The letters to & from Susannah Darwin are excellent—& one of my Grandfather’s earliest attempts to poetry was this, my Mother has often told us—

Page 40 & 81. The stammering— D^r. E Darwin’s daughter—Violetta⁵ also inherited his Stammering to a great degree & till the age of 12. could hardly make herself understood— He sent for a Person fr. Edinburgh, who cured her in a great degree   She could not pronounce the liquids L. M. N. R & Y— His remedy was, to put a vowel before each of those letters, when beginning a word—such— as Er—Yes— Er—NO— In the same way an E—between the letters Br—in Brothers, Bread, so Ber-others, Ber-ead— She always managed to do it so well, it was scarcely perceptible, to those who did not know her infirmity—& she cured many, who stammered in the same way

Page 54—I often heard my mother say, that the small pox so raged in Derby, when she was born (Ap^l. 1783) that her Father innoculated her when only six weeks old—tho’ it was a risk, but he thought the risk greater, as she was in a Doctor’s House where so many Patients came—

64. My Mother used to say, that when her Father visited the Robber in prison— He said— “Now tell me, as you are condemned, what is the best preservative against thieves”— The man replied—a little dog, so fastened that we cannot give him any thing to quieten him—a Light, or a Baby in the House—& an old fashioned rusty lock which makes a noise, when trying to do anything to it— My Mother, in consequence, always had one Light, burning all night in the House—

Page 116. Line 6. f^r. the Bottom   D^r. E Darwin had always a great objection to Nurses who squinted, & who had an unpleasant expression of countenance— He thought children were much influenced by it

118— Amongst other curious inventions, was a Clock, to watch the Watchman—it was invented by D^r. E Darwin & M^r. William Strutt—& we long had one in our possession— I think my Brother Darwin must have it now—⁶

126. I always understood my Grandfather had only regularly taken up his abode at the Priory about 3. weeks before his death, as several rooms had to be built after his Son Erasmus died⁷

Page 127—line 5—Evidently a mis-print   died April 18^th. (not the 10^th.)⁸

D^r. E Darwin had a severe illness 2 or 3. years before his death, & in his delirium, he often fancied himself a tree—& my Mother used to say, how painful it was, as she sat by his bedside—he would point to his heart & say— “If you would only cut out this decayed part, the tree would live”—

The Picture by Rollason was taken after his illness—⁹

In the Book—of Holland House, published ab^t. 1874— Some lines on one of the trees there, was quoted, as having been written by Rogers— An old friend of ours, & especially of M^r. Keir’s (D^r. Alex^r. Blair) then much upwards of 90—wrote to us saying, the lines were not Rogers, but Dr. Darwin’s— An ode to Swilcar Oak in Needwood Forest— On making enquiries, we found it, in the Phytologia—& originally written to M^r. Mundy—who wrote on Needwood forest & received complimentary verses f^m. D^r. E Darwin—His Son, Erasmus, Sir Brook Boothby & others—¹⁰

How well you have explained at Page 80—about my Grandfather having a large appetite—¹¹

We are glad to hear that your Son Horace is going soon to be married, in a way you all like¹²

With our kind regards to yourself & M^rs. Darwin & y^r. family | Believe me | Your’s very sincerely | E. S. Galton