My dear Fox

Your note has followed us here, where we arrived 4 or 5 days ago.—¹ As we wished to try 6 or 8 weeks of sea-side for my eldest girl we thought we would make this awfully long (to us) stretch & come here. We are charmed with the view from this crescent & with the walks all around & we have got a very good House. But is no joke bringing 16 souls & $\frac{3}{4}$ tun of luggage so far.— My eldest girl is still a sad invalid; but certainly improves: she gets up twice every day now & can walk one or two hundred yards.²

I am glad for myself to have this outing & change for I have been a poor wretch for many months. You say not one word about yourself. Are you not a pretty sort of man? It seems indeed strange to hear of your having two daughters married.—³

Poor dear Henslow’s death has been a sad loss to many. He wrote me by dictation a most kind note from his death-bed.—⁴ L. Jenyns is going to write a biographical notice of him.—⁵

I shall not go to Manchester;⁶ but it would be a great temptation to get a sight of you.— How long it is since we met! Farewell my dear old friend | Yours affect^y | C. Darwin

My eldest son is going to join as Partner in a Bank at Southampton: I had so good an offer it seemed a pity to reject it.—⁷

We hear that the Darwins of—(Elston) are coming here.—⁸