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Darwin Correspondence Project

To George Howard Darwin   24 January [1868]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Jan 24th.

My dear old fellow

I am so pleased. I congratulate you with all my heart & soul.—2 I always said from your early days that such energy, perseverance & talent as yours, would be sure to succeed; but I never expected such brilliant success as this.

Again & again I congratulate you. But you have made my hand tremble so I can hardly write. The Telegraph came here at eleven.— We have written to W. & Boys.—3

God Bless you my dear old fellow— may your life so continue.—

Your affectionate Father | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

The year is established by the reference to George Howard Darwin’s examination (see n. 2, below).
George was second in the mathematical honours examination at Cambridge in 1868; the position was known as ‘second wrangler’. The results of the examination were published at the Senate House in Cambridge on 24 January 1868. (Cambridge University calendar 1868.)
CD refers to William Erasmus Darwin, who lived in Southampton, and to Horace and Leonard Darwin, who were at Clapham Grammar School.

Bibliography

Cambridge University calendar: The Cambridge University calendar. Cambridge: W. Page [and others]. 1796–1950.

Summary

Congratulations on GHD’s brilliant tripos success.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5796
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
George Howard Darwin
Sent from
Down
Source of text
DAR 210.1: 3
Physical description
ALS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5796,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5796.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16

letter