To W. E. Darwin 29 [October 1857]1
Down.
29th
My dear William
I think clearly from what you say, we had better decide, notwithstanding whatever Mr Mayor may say, for you to go after Christmas Holidays to tutor to stay till October.2 Therefore soon have some talk with Mr Mayor, about what is customary in such cases. I presume I ought to write soon.— What with Christmas & summer vacation, you will not be with Tutor more than six months, I shd. think. Find out all you can, & let me hear & I will write to the Gentleman.—3
Your last letter was written splendidly & did one’s eyes good to see. Mamma is gone to London today to the Miss Tollets & returns tomorrow:4 she is gone to buy winter clothing. On Saturday Etty comes home for good & all.5 I have been so indifferent lately that I have some thoughts of going to Moor Park or Hartfield for a week.6 But I cant go just yet as Dr. Hooker comes here on Saturday next for a day or two.7
The Building goes on slowly:8 the scaffolding is down & outside plaistered & now they are plaistering inside, but the windows are not in yet.
Several of the children are not very brisk & I am poorly myself; so that the House is ready to sing miserere.
Farewell my dear old fellow: I am sorry that you cannot “grind” at present:—progress in life mainly depends on the great art of grinding; there can be no doubt of that.
Your affect | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
Discusses WED’s future education, the work on the extension, and other domestic affairs.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2147
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 210.6: 19
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2147,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2147.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 6