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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Lawson Tait   13 February 1880

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station| Orpington. S.E.R.

Feb. 13th. 1880.

My dear Sir

Although you tell me not to write I must thank you for your congratulations, your two notes, the articles in the Daily Post & the copy of the Address.—1 Nothing can be more honourable to me than the article & the Address, & according to my judgment no one could possibly have written them in better taste. I fear that you have expended much time & trouble in this whole affair.

Accept my sincere thanks & believe me | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Of course whenever I receive the Address I will send a formal answer.2

Footnotes

The letter and notes from Lawson Tait have not been found. Two cuttings of articles from the Birmingham Daily Post are in DAR 226.2: 44 (1 and 2). The first article is headed ‘Charles Darwin: a birthday note’ (ibid., 12 February 1880, p. 4); the second is headed ‘Birmingham Philosophical Society. Address to Dr. Darwin’ (ibid., 13 February 1880, p. 5).
The address from the Birmingham Philosophical Society was presented by Tait when he visited CD in London on 4 March 1880 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242); LL 3: 227).

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

CD thanks RLT for his two notes, a newspaper article, and a copy of RLT’s address honouring him.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12475
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Robert Lawson (Lawson) Tait
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library
Physical description
ALS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12475,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12475.xml

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