My dear Fox

Very sincere thanks for all the trouble which you have so kindly taken for me about the Turkeys: your information will be of use to me, whenever circumstances will permit me to finish my half completed volume.—¹ Your ancient case of the woman with a hairy face is curious;² for, as perhaps you know, there has of late occurred an instance in the Malay archipelago; & the peculiarity was hereditary & accompanied by peculiarities in the teeth.³

Thanks for all your sympathy about us: we have been most unfortunate; Horace⁴ seriously ill, in a strange manner, all the Spring; & then Leonard came home from school with Scarlet Fever, had recurrent fever, with serious mischief in his kidneys & then bad erysipelas.⁵ At last we started for this place; but he suffered much from the journey & at Southampton Emma had Scarlet-fever pretty sharp: we have been here for about 10 days & both my patients are going on admirably, & we have two Houses so that I trust the other children will escape. I have never passed so miserable a nine months.—⁶ I hope we shall all get safe home in about 3 weeks. I had thought of going to Cambridge;⁷ but now I feel very doubtful & shall not make up my mind till the time arrives & I see how I am. If I do go it will be only for 2 or 3 days. It would indeed be most pleasant to meet you there; but I never know what I can do. All this misery has shaken me a good deal; but I am righting now.— Emma sends her kind remembrances to you.

My dear old friend | Yours affectionly | C. Darwin

If you go to Cambridge please tell me.