To W. E. Darwin 13 [June 1862]1
Down
13th
My dear William
Mamma returned with Horace very brisk yesterday.2 An hour before she came, Lenny arrived ill in carriage & this morning has decided Scarlet Fever.—3 So the House is in miserable state; but he is not bad.—
Please return my watch in some little Box, registered, & please return “Journal of Horticulture”.— I am so very sorry that you yourself are not very well.—
My dear old fellow | C. Darwin
Footnotes
The date is established by the reference to Leonard Darwin becoming ill with scarlet fever (see n. 3, below).
According to Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), she and Horace Darwin visited Southampton, where William lived, from 3 to 12 June 1862. Horace had been ill earlier in the year.
Twelve-year-old Leonard Darwin attended Clapham Grammar School in south-west London (see letter from Charles Pritchard, 17 June [1862]). Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242) records, on 12 June 1862: ‘Lenny came home with sc. fever’.
Summary
Leonard has scarlet fever; CD is sorry WED is unwell.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3601
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 210.6: 99
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3601,” accessed on 16 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3601.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10
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