From William Erasmus Darwin to Emma Darwin 28 February [1868]1
Southampton
Feb 28
My dear Mama,
Thank you for your letter I return Frank’s, which is always good fun. I am glad to hear he is taking up Nat. Science for scholarship.2
I am decidedly better, and I think Leith Hill helped to set me up;3 & I am out as much as possible Every day which is the best sort of cockering up.
this is for papa:
the tears first rolled out of eyes at 6 weeks, but young Mrs Burnaby says she was surprised & so was her mother to see the tears roll over on her (Mrs B’s) baby at one month or thereabouts, & she said that they observed to Each other at the time that they had never seen tears so soon in other children—4
As far as Sanford can judge the proper squalling mouth is an oblong & therefore both sets of muscles would be necessary to put the mouth in right shape.5
If you want a couple of those low wicker chairs I can get you them carriage free for 5/- each, they are made neat for drawing room & are very comfortable I am getting one for myself. The settee was £7.2.0 if you like to send me a cheque.6
Your affect son W.E.D.
I send M. Naudin & Wheatstone7
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Alum. Cantab.: Alumni Cantabrigienses. A biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900. Compiled by John Venn and J. A. Venn. 10 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1922–54.
Brooke, Christopher N. L., ed. 1988–2004. A history of the University of Cambridge. 4 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge University calendar: The Cambridge University calendar. Cambridge: W. Page [and others]. 1796–1950.
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1978. Charles Darwin: a companion. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Naudin, Charles Victor. 1862. Cucurbitacées cultivées au Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle en 1862. Description d’espèces nouvelles et de quelques formes hybrides obtenues de plantes de cette famille. Annales des Sciences Naturelles (Botanique) 4th ser. 18: 159–208.
Post Office directory of Hampshire, Dorsetshire, and Wiltshire: Post Office directory of Hampshire, Dorsetshire, and Wiltshire. Post Office directory of Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire, including the Isle of Wight. London: Kelly & Co. 1848–75.
Summary
Crying in babies.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5952
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Emma Wedgwood/Emma Darwin
- Sent from
- Southampton
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 86
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp † (by CD)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5952,” accessed on 26 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5952.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16