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Darwin Correspondence Project

To T. H. Huxley   27 December 1880

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

Dec. 27th 1880

My dear Huxley.

Spottiswoode, Allman, Flower, Ld. Aberdare & Ramsay have signed & all have expressed themselves strongly in favour of the Memorial.1 There has been much delay in getting the signatures, but I hope there will be less delay in future, for I will send addressed envelopes with notes, one within another.— The D. of Argyll highly approves, & has written to Mr. Gladstone.—2

Now I want your decision on a knotty point. I suppose a small Deputation wd. be the best plan, but under present circumstances I shd. think Gladstone could not spare time, & we shd. be shunted off to his secretary, or altogether refused.—3 It has therefore occurred to me that perhaps the best plan wd. be for me to write a short note to Mr. G. with the Memorial, saying why we did not ask him to receive a Deputation. I could somehow show how anxious I was on subject, & call his attention to the fact that all the men who signed were from their studies or their positions qualified to judge.— I could offer to answer any questions with respect to Wall4 But then wd. it suffice for me to say that I had been asked to send the Memorial to him, if the asking is only by you & myself: ought you or I to consult at least some one else? Shd I write to Spottiswoode, or wd this be troubling him for nothing? If on the other hand you think we had better ask Mr. G. to receive a Deputation, of whom shd. it consist? Would you attend? I wd. gladly come up, & I cd. ask Lubbock,5 but I do not in the least know whether he wd. agree.—

Please let me hear what you decide.—

Ever yours truly | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

CD probably alludes to the political ramifications of the recent potato famine in Ireland (1879–80) and the Land League agitation (ODNB s.v. Gladstone, William Ewart).
‘Wall’: Wallace.
John Lubbock was the Liberal MP for London University.

Summary

Has obtained signatures for the memorial. Wonders whether Gladstone would see a deputation and offers to write to Gladstone instead. Asks THH’s advice.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12941
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Thomas Henry Huxley
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 354)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12941,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12941.xml

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