From J. D. Hooker 13 September 1876
“The Baths” Helensburgh
Sept 13/76.
My very dear friend
In the midst of my own happiness I have been daily thinking of writing to the one of all others who would rejoice with me, when I was startled at finding in the paper, the death of your daughter in law, My dear dear Darwin I cannot tell you how I feel for Frank & Mrs Darwin & yourself.1 It seems to open up my own all too recent loss, & to depress me utterly— poor poor Frank my heart bleeds for him: they were so happy, & she so loveable— how I envied them a few months ago!—2
It was not 5 minutes after I had heard from my son Willy of poor Sibson’s death, that I stumbled across that of Mrs Frank. in the Times. & it quite upset me.3
We are staying with Miss Smith of Jordan hill & leave tomorrow, to join Mrs Lyell Rosamund Arthur & Mr Symonds for a short time in the Western Highlands when we go to visit Sir J. P. Grant at Aviemore. & then Sir J. Colvill near Dunfermline before going south.4 Please write me a few lines addressed
c/o— Sir J. P. Grant K.C B.
The Doune Aviemore
N B
telling me how Frank is, & of what poor Mrs F. died.5 A very few lines will be enough; & give the dear fellow my most affectionate sympathy.— Oh dear, oh dear, what a weary weary world it is, & yet I should be the last to complain, for my wife is indeed a most good kind prudent & affectionate creature who makes me very happy.
Ever my dear old friend | Yr sincere & affec friend | Jos D Hooker
Footnotes
Bibliography
Allan, Mea. 1967. The Hookers of Kew, 1785–1911. London: Michael Joseph.
Burke’s landed gentry: A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank but unvisited with heritable honours. Burke’s genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry. By John Burke et al. 1st–18th edition. London: Henry Colburn [and others]. 1833–1969.
ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.
Summary
JDH’s condolences at Amy Darwin’s death.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-10597
- From
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Helensburgh
- Source of text
- DAR 104: 60–1
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10597,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10597.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24