To G. J. Romanes 27 June [1881]1
Glenrhydding House | Patterdale, Penrith.—
June 27th.
My dear Romanes
I am very glad the portrait affair has been arranged as it has been, but I fear that it must have caused you a good deal of bother.— I imagined that Murie spoke to me as the mouth-piece of some little committee; & otherwise he had no right to speak, but I rejoice that you have managed to tide over the affair without annoying him, for I like all the little which I have seen of him.—2
We return home on July 5th & I shall be busy for about a week with proof-sheets & miscellanea, & shd. be then ready for Mr. Collier, if it suits him.—3 On August 2d to 4th I must be in London for an engagement.—4 With respect to subscriptions, I think that I had better take no part & say nothing— It will clearly be Mr Colliers fault if he is not properly remunerated.—
We have all here been particularly interested in your account of the Bishop seance.—5
Have you ever been to the Lakes. This is a quite wonderfully beautiful place, but I think that Borrowdale, where we spent a day is even more beautiful.—6
You seem to be one of those men who find time for everything, otherwise I shd. advise you not to waste your time about portraits of old worn-out men.
My dear Romanes | Yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin
I am reading (but have read only about 100 pages) a very well written book, which interests me much, yet I suspect that several of his fundamental propositions have no foundation. It is “The Creed of Science” by W. Graham. He is, I think, a very able man, but who & what he is I know not. He sent me the book, which has so far interested me much.7
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Graham, William. 1881. The creed of science: religious, moral, and social. London: C. Kegan Paul & Co.
Romanes, George John. 1881d. ‘Thought-reading’. Nature, 23 June 1881, pp. 171–2.
Summary
CD is glad the portrait [of CD by John Collier] has been arranged; suggests dates, but feels he should have no say in the subscriptions or remuneration.
Thinks the Lakes are beautiful.
Is reading W. Graham’s The creed of science.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13221
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- George John Romanes
- Sent from
- Patterdale
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13221,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13221.xml