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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Henry Johnson   23 December 1871

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Dec 23. 1871

My dear Johnson

I am much obliged for yr letter & very kind invitation; but I am sorry to say that the exertion of coming to Shrewsbury wd be far beyond my strength.1 I am particularly obliged to you for being willing to go to Wroxeter; for the observations will be difficult to make, & you may not succeed in finding sim⁠⟨⁠ple⁠⟩⁠ sections.2 I send by this p⁠⟨⁠ost⁠⟩⁠ my old paper, which will shew you a little what I am after. Now I have succeeded in ascertaining the exact weight annually cast up by earth worms over a square yard: it amounts to 16 110 tons of dry earth per acre.3

I thank you for telling me your family news & I wish it was in my ⁠⟨⁠12 page missing⁠⟩⁠

P.S. We are reading Miss Meteyard, but find it full of inacuracies & lament that she obtained letters never meant to be published.4

Footnotes

1
Johnson’s letter to CD has not been found.
2
CD cited Johnson for information about the depth of soil over the Roman ruins at Wroxeter in Earthworms, pp. 221–8.
3
CD probably sent a copy of a paper he read in 1837 before the Geological Society of London, ‘Formation of mould’. See also letter from L. C. Wedgwood, 20 November [1871] and n. 2.
4
Eliza Meteyard had published a biography of Josiah Wedgwood I (Meteyard 1865–6; see Correspondence vol. 13); she had used letters supplied by CD (see Correspondence vol. 13, letter from Eliza Meteyard, 17 November 1865).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.

‘Formation of mould’: On the formation of mould. [Read 1 November 1837.] Transactions of the Geological Society of London 2d ser. 5 (1840): 505–9. [Shorter publications, pp. 124–7.]

Meteyard, Eliza. 1865–6. The life of Josiah Wedgwood from his private correspondence and family papers … with an introductory sketch of the art of pottery in England. 2 vols. London: Hurst & Blackett.

Summary

Is unable to accept invitation to Shrewsbury. Is grateful for offer of assistance at Wroxeter.

The weight of dry earth cast up by worms is 161/10 tons per acre annually.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8118A
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Henry Johnson
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Private collection
Physical description
L 3pp inc [signature & valediction excised]

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8118A,” accessed on 25 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8118A.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19

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