To J. M. Herbert [3 October 1828]
[Shrewsbury]
Friday
My dear Herbert
Very many thanks for your letter. owing to a mistake of not forwarding it, I only received a few days ago: I am very much obliged for all your labours in the science, & I daresay when I receive the treasure, it will be just as it should be. I saw Butler the day before yesterday, & he gave me an account of all your Welsh proceedings. Your last fatal trip to Drus ar (duzdy)1 appears rather to have cooled your courage, for, from what I hear you appear to have been very studious & quiet, after I left Barmouth. When I arrived home, I received such a letter from old Whitley.2 “weakness”, “folly”, “irresolution”, “idleness” & many other long & terrible words filled up the measure of his epistle: I sent a most submissive & humble answer: but in return, merely received an acknowledgement of my extreme candour, another charge of the same description as before: I suppose you are at present enjoying all the delights, which, by the many true & faithful accounts, we have all heard Montgomeryshire must posses:3 I suppose you are, in your accustomed manner, delighting all the little dear female hearts & receiving in return, those gentle insinivating smiles, which Squinny, Miss Jones & (“as hot as love”) used to cast on you: I hear many a parting tear was shed at your sorrowful exit; poor dear squinny could only ⟨I⟩ suppose, shed one, but He⟨aven⟩ knows, that is not her fault: I have been enjoying myself very much in Derbyshire, the Music meeting went off very well. I shot pretty well: my Entomological pursuits succeded, & the Miss Foxes are very pleasant girls, & so altogether I have spent a very pleasant month
But now for business. I hear from Butler that you have all the beettles & butterflies When you pass through Shrewsbury, you can give them me. of course you will pay me a visit I am almost sure of being at home. I shall go up early, but not quite so soon as the 10th.— Butler goes on Tuesday next
Believe me my dear Herbert | Yours, Charles Darwin
Exert your Zeal & try to add a few more beetles to the bottle. turn over a few old stones & roots of trees. Get the lady with a strong imagination to procure the beettle with a face so very dreadful
I cannot recollect your Christian name, so I shall Christen you G4
Footnotes
Bibliography
LL: The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8.
Summary
CD obliged for JMH’s labours in "the science". He reports having spent a pleasant month. Entomological pursuits succeeded.
Looks forward to receiving beetles and butterflies from JMH when he passes through Shrewsbury.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-49
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Maurice Herbert
- Sent from
- [Shrewsbury]
- Postmark
- Shrewsbury OC 4 1828 153
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.2)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 49,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-49.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 1