My dear Mrs Hughes

Charles desires me to join him in thanking you for your very kind, & especially for your expression of sympathy in the loss we have had, which is felt as much by the sons & daughter to whom Erasmus was more than most uncles are—¹

Charles begs me to say that he has not the least objection to the sentence in which you refer to him & he begs you will use whatever words you prefer.—only it looks a little like praising himself if you put it exactly in the way you propose viz. “I know from my cousin that he also gained his views by his (wonderfully acute) observations &c— If the words I have marked were omitted it would not have the effect I think—²

I often think of the happy days at Penally, & now my sister is gone there is no one to whom I can recall old times.³ I very often used to hear of you—

Will you give my kind remembrances to Mrs Fox & her son Charles whom we saw here⁴ & believe me with C’s kindest regards sincerely | E. Darwin