My dear Fox

I was very glad to receive your letter with some news of yourself.² We hope (but it is not quite certain) to be at 6. Q. Anne St on March 4^th & stay a week there, & I shall be very glad to see you there once again.—³ But if not, or indeed in any case, will you not come down here & pay us a visit?— We shall all be heartily glad to see you.— From what I remember of Sandown, I can quite believe it the “temple of the winds”. This horrid cold has made me miserable: nothing will keep me decently warm. I have resumed my rides, & am able to do a good deal of writing every day, but I never pass 6 hours without a fit of extreme discomfort, & so I shall go on to the last of my uncomfortable days. Yet with all my discomfort I am very happy, thanks to my dear wife & good children.

They are all pretty well, but George⁴ is not strong, & I greatly fear he will find the Bar too severe work. I regret this much for he is such an indomitable worker & has so clear a head that I think he w^d be very successful. He dined lately at M^r Bristowe’s,⁵ who has been very kind to him & advised him.— I hope you will get to know William at Southampton, who flourishes in his business & has got a little House at Basset near the common.—⁶ Frank, (no^r 3) is going to be educated as a Doctor, & is going next year to try for Honours in the Science tripos.⁷ Leonard is head man, ie, Divisional officer, at Woolwich, & will be sure of his commission as Engineer this time next year.—⁸ Horace is rather an invalid, at a tutor in Suffolk & has great mathematical aptitude, but is I fear too weak to do much⁹   Henrietta is staying in S. of France, partly for health & partly for pleasure, & Bessy alone is at home—¹⁰

By Heavens I have told you enough about us all! One of Caroline’s daughters is married to a clergyman, son of Judge Williams.¹¹

I hope we shall meet. Farewell my dear old friend. | Yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin