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Darwin Correspondence Project

To a librarian   [early September? 1854]1

Mr C. Darwin will return the books tomorrow (Thursday) with the exception of 2 vols. & begs to have ready for the porter2

Pepys’s Diary (without the first vol)3

Miss Mitford’s Our village4

Veillées du Chateau Mme. de Genlis5

Mrs Merediths Tasmania6

Down Bromley Kent Wednesday

Footnotes

The date is conjectured by a reference dated 16 September 1854 to CD’s reading the first three volumes of Samuel Pepys’s diary (Pepys 1848–9; CD’s reading notebooks, Correspondence vol. 4, Appendix IV, 128: 9).
The Down carrier service, operated by George Snow, went to London early on Thursdays (Post Office directory of the six home counties 1851). The letter may have been sent to Mudie’s Lending Library, which CD occasionally used (see Correspondence vol. 15, letter to T. H. Huxley, 7 January [1867]); he was also a member of the London Library (Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 March [1845]).
CD recording reading the first three volumes of Pepys’s diaries on 16 September (see n. 1, above).
Mary Russell Mitford’s Our village (Mitford 1824–32), a series of sketches of village scenes and characters.
Madame de Genlis’s Les Veillées du château, ou, Cours de morale à l’usage des enfans (Evenings at the castle, or, ethical lessons for use by children; [Genlis] 1784).
Louisa Anne Meredith’s My home in Tasmania (Meredith 1852).

Bibliography

[Genlis, Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de.] 1784. Les veillées du château, ou, cours de morale à l’usage des enfans. 3 vols. Paris: Lambert & Baudouin.

Meredith, Louisa Anne. 1852. My home in Tasmania, during a residence of nine years. 2 vols. London: John Murray.

Mitford, Mary Russell. 1824–32. Our village: sketches of rural character and scenery. 5 vols. London: G. and W. B. Whittaker.

Pepys, Samuel. 1848–9. Diary and correspondence. 3d edition. 5 vols. London: Henry Colburn.

Post Office directory of the six home counties: Post Office directory of the six home counties, viz., Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. London: W. Kelly & Co. 1845–78.

Summary

Will return all but two volumes; requests four titles, including Pepys’s Diaries, but not the first volume.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-1592F
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Librarian
Source of text
The British Library (Surrogate RP 9763)
Physical description
L 1p photocopy

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1592F,” accessed on 27 November 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1592F.xml

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