To W. E. Darwin 21 [July 1857]1
Down.
21st.
My dear old Willy or William
I am delighted that you went to Manchester, & had so prosperous an expedition.2 You seem to have worked capitally & seen it well. We are amused at your adoration of the haughty Lady.3 I quite agree with your admiration of Gainsborough’s portraits: one of the Pictures which has ever most struck me is a portrait by him in the Dulwich Gallery.— By the way how stupid it has been in us never to have suggested your riding to Dulwich & seeing the capital publick Gallery there.4 Then, again, there are some few good pictures at Knole.—5
You want a jobation about your handwriting—dreadfully bad & not a stop from beginning to end! After severe labour in deciphering we rather think that your outlay was, 1 12 0 & accordingly I send that, but I hope it is too little to punish you for such a scrawl. I am glad that you were tipped but that makes no difference in my repaying your outlay.—
By the way have you no paper, so that you cross your letter, or do you think your handwriting is too clear? You want pitching into severely.—
I have had a letter from Mr Mayor6 (about his Bankers mistake) in which he says he has heard so grand an account of your future master’s, Mr. Temple, attainments, that he wants to persuade me to leave you at Rugby till October.—7 Mr Mayor says he shall very much miss you.— Think over this well & deliberately, & do not be guided by fleeting motives. You shall settle for yourself, whatever you think will be really best, not pleasantest, shall be done— The school would be least trouble & expence; but I cannot help rather thinking that the Tutor would get you on best.8 Let me hear before very long. And if you still think of tutor, talk to Mayor, & then I will write to the Tutor to know whether he can take you. When ought you to go? & what summer vacations?
Your most affectte | C. Darwin
PS. | Though I have abused you so for your bad writing, I must say that you were very good to send us such a capital account of all you did & saw.—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
Writes of WED’s recent excursion to Manchester and his future educational plans.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2097
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 210.6: 16
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2097,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2097.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 6