My dear M^r. Darwin,

Since writing to you from the Cape, I have suddenly been called to England in consequence of the death of my father.¹

I have but a few months leave of absence, but hope to have the great pleasure of meeting you before I leave again (which will probably be early in November next).²

I can scarcely hope to see you at Edinburgh, to which place I mean to go on Monday next, for the Brit. Assocⁿ. Meeting:³ and it is not at all likely that you will be coming to town at this time of year, though it is more like early April than July, as far as the weather goes. But I heard, the other day, at Albury, Surrey, that a M^r. Darwin had taken a house called “Haredene” on the Heath there, for a short time; &, from sundry playful allusions to monkeys &c, I almost concluded that it must be the M^r. Darwin.⁴ If you are really going there for a time, I should venture to call on you soon after my return from the North, if I hear that you are feeling strong enough to see visitors.

I send you by book-post a copy of a modest publication called the “Cape Monthly Magazine” (June, 1871), in which there is a short notice of the “Descent”, which I wrote merely with the object of to some extent counteracting the false idea of the work afforded to the not very learned Cape public by stupid paragraphs & mangled extracts in the Colonial newspapers.⁵

Hoping to hear of your improved health, I remain | Faithfully yours, | Roland Trimen