My dear Darwin

It was very kind of your son to try to find my boy at Cambridge—but he had left it.¹ In a few weeks after he went there he became unwell with pain in the side—and as two Cambridge men have told me many suffered from complaint of the liver from the low damp situation—and as I always doubted his having strength to stand the hard work I decided that he should give it up—as the great uncertainty of his being able to provide for himself by College success after taking his degree, did not seem to warrant the risk of his health.²

At the same time I found I could get a nomination in my old office for him at Board of Trade.³ That is to compete with ten for three vacancies—as mathematics were not allowed & the competition was simply in writing—Précis—arithmetic &c. and he was the youngest—some being several years older who had been up a year before & failed—he did not succeed in getting one of the appointments & will have to try again.

I have been reading your new book with great interest—There is one point connected with the Horses feeding under snow that I think you did not quite understand me in.⁴ You appear to think it is the wild horses only, but an English Horse, and Mares direct from the Pampas, did just the same & kept in good condition through a winter so severe that cattle died in large numbers, even tame ones. Sheep seem to have the same habit as the Horses & scrape [up] feed as they go though coming from River Plate⁵ where they could not have seen ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠

With our kind regards to M^rs Darwin and all your circle Believe me very sincerely Yours | B. J. Sulivan