To Hugh Falconer 24 [June 1861]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
24th
My dear Falconer
I have just received your note & by good luck a day earlier than properly & I lose not a moment in answering you, & thanking you heartily for your offer of the valuable specimen; but I have no aquarium & shall soon start for Torquay so that it would be a thousand pities that I shd have it.2 Yet I shd. certainly much like to see it, but I fear it is impossible.— Would not the Zoolog. Soc be the best place, & then the interest which many would take in this extraordinary animal would repay you for your trouble.—
Kind as you have been in taking the trouble & offering me this specimen, to tell the truth I value your note more than the specimen. I shall keep your note amongst a very few precious letters. Your kindness has quite touched me.—
Yours affectionately & gratefully | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
LL: The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8.
Summary
Thanks HF for offer of valuable specimen, but CD has no aquarium. Suggests the Zoological Society would be the best place for it.
Will keep HF’s note among a very few precious letters.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3196
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Hugh Falconer
- Sent from
- Down
- Postmark
- JU 24 | 61
- Source of text
- Bellmans (dealers) (5 December 2019, lot 632)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3196,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3196.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9
