To W. D. Fox [24 April 1845]1
Down Bromley Kent
Thursday
My dear Fox
It is some time since we have had any communication. I write now chiefly to say, that I heard some little time ago from Shrewsbury, in which they said they had wished to have asked you to have come to the Shrewsbury Agricult. Meeting,2 but some invited & more self-offerers have filled the house, more in my opinion than ought to have been allowed. I shall keep out of the way. Mr & Mrs. Wilmot of Nott:3 will be there & Mr & Mrs. Miss Gifford that was G. Holland & E. Holland.4 By the way, was it not an odd & friendly thing, Mrs. Darwin & young Mr D. of Elston5 called on my Brother a few weeks ago; & it seems the young man, whose appearance my Brother liked, has called several times formerly at Grt. Marlborough St. They would not let my Brother return the call.— I have forgotten to add that they desire me to say that they shall be particularly glad to see you at Shrewsbury, if you are inclined to go there any other time either before or after July. My Father has been pretty well lately; but yesterday we heard that his leg has suddenly inflamed & was very painful I hope it will not last; I intend going there for a week very shortly.6
We have had Ellen Tollet staying with us, & heard indirectly much of you: the Tolletts & you seem to have many acquaintances in common.
Our children are very well, notwithstanding this most cold-catching weather: poor Emma is as bad as she always is, when she is, as she is. (this last sentence is quite Shakespearian)7
As for myself, my most important news is that I have agreed with Murray for a second Edition of my Journal in the Colonial Library in three numbers; & thanks to the Geological fates, I have written my S. American volume the first time over.8
The only other piece of news about myself is, that I am turned into a Lincolnshire squire! my Father having invested for me in a Farm of 324 acres of good land near Alford.9
Have you read that strange unphilosophical, but capitally-written book, the Vestiges,10 it has made more talk than any work of late, & has been by some attributed to me.—at which I ought to be much flattered & unflattered.
Ever yours My dear Fox.— | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
[Chambers, Robert.] 1844. Vestiges of the natural history of creation. London: John Churchill.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Keith, Arthur. 1955. Darwin revalued. London: Watts.
South America: Geological observations on South America. Being the third part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1846.
Summary
Murray will publish a second edition of the Journal [of researches].
CD has finished first version of South America.
A strange book, The vestiges [of creation (1844)] has appeared and some have attributed it to CD. He is "flattered and unflattered".
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-859
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Darwin Fox
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 69)
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 859,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-859.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 3
