To John Lubbock 11 August [1857]1
Down.
Augt. 11th
My dear Lubbock
I am going to do a most ungracious thing, viz to ask you not to call here on Thursday, for I heard yesterday that a very old friend is coming to spend the day here,2 & childish as it must seem to you, this is a very great exertion to me, & the last straw breaks the camel’s back,—especially such a miserable worthless camel as I am.— I am sure I need not say how much pleasure a talk with you gives me whenever you have time & inclination to call.—
Forgive me | Dear Lubbock| Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
I did not write in answer about the Chinese fowls, as I thought I shd see you before very long. When I do see you & hear about them, I will settle whether the long journey to Bromley is worth while.
I went yesterday to Crystal Palace for Poultry show, & returned rather soured in temper, as I saw nothing worth seeing in my line.—3
Footnotes
Bibliography
Secord, James Andrew. 1981. Nature’s fancy: Charles Darwin and the breeding of pigeons. Isis 72: 162–86.
Summary
Asks JL not to call as he has a "very old friend" [J. S. Henslow] coming to visit him.
Yesterday visited poultry show at Crystal Palace.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2481
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 263: 21 (EH 88206470)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2481,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2481.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 6