My dear old Leonardo.

I must write a few words to say how awfully glad, or as you used to say when you were a little chap with long silky hair.—how very awfully glad, I am at your appointment. It is grand to have you home for several years, and I am so low minded as to rejoice at your being so rich.¹ As far as I can make out you will have 800£. per annum— The only thing I am uneasy about is that I cannot think that you can have chemical knowledge enough for lecturing, and still less for analysing, and I hear from D. Ruck that this is expected of you.² If I were in your place I would begin at once reading Chemistry, as though reading does not do much, yet it must be a very great aid for getting up the science thoroughly. How pleased I should be if you ever took to any original work in chemistry. Poor dear Frank often makes his jokes, and the other day he was saying—“it is just as I wished, I shall now have a chemist, a mathematician, and an engineer to help me in my experiments”³ I think Frank will do good work in phys. Botany: everybody seems to have been much impressed with his teazle—protoplasmic—filament paper.⁴ By the way Col. Clarke at Southampton let it accidently slip out that George’s paper on the earth’s axis has been referred to him by the Royal Soc^ty., and he spoke in the very highest terms about George’s mathematics, as very profound.⁵ William is here now, and Miss Shaen, and we are a very pleasant party⁶

Be sure let us hear all about your plans | My dear Leonard | Your affectionate Father | Ch. Darwin