To W. D. Fox 10 August [1853]
Down Bromley Kent
Augt. 10th
My dear Fox
I thank you sincerely for writing to me so soon, after your most heavy misfortunes.1 Your letter affected me much. We both most truly sympathise with you & Mrs. Fox. We too lost, as you may remember, not so very long ago, a most dear child, of whom, I can hardly yet bear to think tranquilly;2 yet, as you must know from your own most painful experience,3 time softens & deadens, in a manner truly wonderful, one’s feelings & regrets. At first it is indeed bitter. I can only hope that your health & that of poor Mrs Fox may be preserved; & that time may do its work softly, & bring you all together, once again as the happy family, which, as I can well believe, you so lately formed.
My dear Fox | Your affectionate friend | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
Thanks WDF for writing so soon after his misfortunes, and again expresses sympathy.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1527
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Darwin Fox
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 85)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1527,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1527.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5
