From W. E. Darwin 29 April [1879]1
Bank, Southampton,
Ap 29th.
Dear Father,
This is a hyacinth growing downwards in Hankinson’s garden.2 It had to be dug out and a flower was developed underground though small & bleached. I have the hyacinth. I enclose a letter from Leslie Stephens, perhaps Frank could look to Cradocks Memoirs.3
Your affect son | W.ED4
[Enclosure]
13, Hyde Park Gate South. | S.W.
25.4.79
My dear Mr Darwin,
I am ashamed of having left your note so long unanswered.5 My wife was unwell for a day or two & then I was unwell & consequent idleness has left a legacy of business.6 I am getting free again & I mean to go to the Club in a day or two & see whether I can hunt up anything for you.
I am afraid, however, that I am not likely to find anything worth while. My own knowledge of your great-grandfather comes from Miss Seward chiefly & I presume that you know all that she had to say—a spiteful old précieuse as she seems to have been.7
I have been trying to think of any other probable sources; but I have so far beaten my brains to no purpose. However as I have said I will have a look round & let you know if anything occurs worth notice. It would be a real pleasure to me to help your father in any way. You know the remarks upon Dr Darwin in Lewes’s histy of philosophy of course.8
Your’s very truly | Leslie Stephen
I hope that if you are coming to town again at any time, you will let us know. We should be very glad to see you here.
There are, I have just found, 2 or 3 trifling anecdotes of Dr Darwin & a letter from him in Cradock’s Memoirs Vol IV pp. 143, 198, 270.9 They are hardly worth turning to.
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Cradock, Joseph. [1774?] Village memoirs: in a series of letters between a clergyman and his family in the country, and his son in town. London: T. Davies.
Cradock, Joseph. 1828. Literary and miscellaneous memoirs. 4 vols. London: J. B. Nichols.
Gaines, James F. 2002. The Molière encyclopedia. Westpoint, Conn., and London: Greenwood Press.
Lewes, George Henry. 1867. The history of philosophy from Thales to Comte. 3d edition. 2 vols. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
Seward, Anna. 1804. Memoirs of the life of Dr. Darwin. London: J. Johnson.
Summary
There is a hyacinth growing upside down in Hankinson’s garden. Sends picture of it. Leslie Stephen knows of no worthwhile sources of information on Dr Erasmus Darwin.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12017F
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Bank, Southampton
- Source of text
- Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 73); DAR 177: 254
- Physical description
- ALS 1p, diag 1p, encl 2pp † (by CD)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12017F,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12017F.xml