To W. D. Fox 21 [July 1858]
King’s Head Hotel | Sandown | I. of W.
21st
My dear Fox
As you said you would like to hear how we were going on, I write to say thatwe are all very fairly well, & after some house-hunting are settled here till next Tuesday when we go to Norfolk House Shanklin, where there is a single row of Houses on the Beach. This place has evidently sprung up like a mushroom; & there are three hotels & many villas. Years ago you took me across the isld. & I have a great notion that the solitary sandy bay which I then saw must this be place.—1 It suits us very fairly & the little Boys are very happy.
We have just heard of my sisters Marianne Parker’s death,—a blessed relief after long continued & latterly very severe suffering.2 She was an admirable woman, & I thank God is at rest. We are all here, but my eldest son starts in a week’s time abroad, for a little tour before going to old Christ College.—3
After all, I am now beginning to prepare an abstract of my Species Theory. By an odd coincidence, Mr Wallace in the Malay Archipelago sent to me an Essay containing my exact theory; & asking me to show it to Lyell. The latter & Hooker have taken on themselves to publish it in Linnean Journal, together some notes of mine written very many years ago; & both of them have urged me so strongly to publish a fuller abstract, that I have resolved to do it, & shall do nothing till completed: it will be published, probably, in Journal of Linn. Socy. & I shall have separate copies & will send you one.— It is impossible in abstract to do justice to subject.—
There has been another child die in village of Down; which makes the fifth; so we rejoice we acted on your advice & left home.— We shall stay here to middle of August.—
With very sincere thanks for all your most kind sympathy. | My dear Fox | Yours most truly | C. Darwin
Dr. Lane has his house full, I am glad to say.4
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
After all, CD is now beginning to prepare an abstract of his species theory. Recounts the events leading to joint paper with A. R. Wallace at Linnean Society. Lyell and Hooker urge strongly that he publish a fuller abstract. It is impossible to do justice to subject in an abstract.
His sister, Marianne Parker, has died.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2312
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Darwin Fox
- Sent from
- Sandown
- Source of text
- Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 118)
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2312,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2312.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 7