To W. D. Fox [15 June 1838]
36 Grt. Marlbro’
My dear Fox
I have been in great trepidation for the last fortnight at the thoughts of receiving a letter from you: for the fossils only came to my house three days since. The casts were to have come yesterday, but have not yet. I do not doubt, however, I shall have them directly.— My chief object in writing now is to tell you than in a week, or 10 days, or at most a fortnight I leave London for about five weeks, so that if you want the fossils & casts sent anywhere you must let me know at once, or leave them till the beginning of August, when I shall be back here.— Owen was annoyed at having been the cause of the delay: but in fact he is worked out of life & soul. He has sent me a letter to forward to you, which I have not done, thinking I would wait, till I heard, whether you chose to have the fossils sent to you; or what plan was decided on.—1
Although I was in great fears at seeing your handwriting until I had the fossils safe & sound, yet I have at the same time been wishing very much to hear how Delamere gets on.—2 You must give up an hour of one of your solitary evenings, (for I suppose Mrs Fox has not yet joined you) & give me long account, of place & people.
I have not been very well of late, which has suddenly determined me to leave London earlier than I had anticipated. I go by the steam-packet to Edinburgh.—take a solitary walk on Salisbury crags & call up old thoughts of former times3 then go on to Glasgow & the great valley of Inverness,—near which I intend stopping a week to geologise the parallel roads of Glen Roy,4 —thence to Shrewsbury, Maer for one day, & London for smoke, ill health & hard work.—
Catherine came back yesterday from Paris, where she has been staying with party of Wedgwoods for a month— She stays a week in London & then returns ⟨to⟩ Shrewsbury.—
I am going today to dine at the great Herschel dinner, which you probably will have seen announced in the Papers.—5 it will, I am afraid be stupid but I trust Sir J. will give us some account, of his discoveries.—
My journal will not be out until the Autumn, I am crawling on with the geology,—but the Zoological parts6 murder much of my time.—
I am delighted to hear, you are such a good man, as not to have forgotten my questions about the crossing of animals. It is my prime hobby & I really think some day, I shall be able to do something on that most intricate subject species & varieties.
Good Bye my dear old Fox— make a noble return to this excessively stupid letter, & tell me all the &cc of Delamere. Yours most Sincerely | Chas. Darwin
Friday36 Gt. Marlbro’ St
Footnotes
Bibliography
Birds: Pt 3 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. By John Gould. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder and Co. 1839–41.
Fossil Mammalia: Pt 1 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle … during the years 1831 to 1836. By Richard Owen. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder and Co. 1839–43.
Mammalia: Pt 2 of The zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle. By George Robert Waterhouse. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder and Co. 1838–9.
Zoology: The zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle, under the command of Captain FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. 5 pts. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1838–43.
Summary
Has not been well.
Plans a geological trip to Glen Roy in Scotland.
Thanks WDF for remembering the crossing of animals, CD’s "prime hobby". "I really think some day I shall be able to do something on that most intricate subject species and varieties."
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-419
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Darwin Fox
- Sent from
- London, Gt Marlborough St, 36
- Source of text
- Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 54)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 419,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-419.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 2