To J. D. Hooker 23 February 1875
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.
Feb 23 1875
My dear Hooker
I have just heard from Miss Buckley of Lyell’s death.1 I have long felt opposed to the present rage for testimonials; but when I think how Lyell revolutionized Geology, & aided in the progress of so many other branches of Science I wish that something could be done in his honour. On the other hand, it seems to me that a poor testimonial would be worse than none; & testimonials seem to succeed only when a man has been known & loved by many persons; as in the cases of Falconer & Forbes.2 Now I doubt whether of late years any large number of scientific men did feel much attachment towards Lyell; but on this head I am very ill fitted to judge. I should like to hear sometime what you think, & if any thing is proposed, I shd particularly wish to join in it. We have both lost as good & as true a friend as ever lived.
My dear Hooker | yours affectly | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
DNB: Dictionary of national biography. Edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. 63 vols. and 2 supplements (6 vols.). London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1912. Dictionary of national biography 1912–90. Edited by H. W. C. Davis et al. 9 vols. London: Oxford University Press. 1927–96.
Summary
Mourns death of Lyell. Wonders whether enough men of science were attached to him to raise a fitting testimonial.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9866
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 95: 377–8
- Physical description
- LS(A) 3pp & ADraft 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9866,” accessed on 20 March 2023, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9866.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 23
