To Phillip Parker King [21 January 1836]
[Bathurst, New South Wales]1
My dear Sir
I arrived here yesterday evening, certainly alive, but half roasted with the intense heat.— If my horses do not fail, I shall reach Dunheved2 on Sunday evening & if you are at home, shall have much pleasure in staying with you the ensuing day.— I have seen nothing remarkable in the Geology or indeed I may add in anything else: It appears me, very singular, how very uniform the character of the scenery remains, in so many miles of country. At Mr Walker’s Farm3 I staid one day, & went out Kangaroo hunting, but had not the good fortune even to see one. In the evening however, we went with a gun in pursuit of the Platypi & actually killed one.— I consider it a great feat, to be in at the death of so wonderful an animal.— I shall take advantage of your note of introduction to Mr Hughes & sleep there tomorrow night: if I should hear of anything remarkable in rocks of the neighbouring mountains I might be delayed there one day, in which case I should not reach Dunheved till Monday evening.—
Believe me, Dear Sir | Very sincerely Yours. | Charles Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
‘Beagle’ diary: Charles Darwin’s Beagle diary. Edited by Richard Darwin Keynes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988.
Summary
CD informs PPK of his impending arrival at Dunheved, Penrith; news of his journey thus far.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-293
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Phillip Parker King
- Sent from
- Bathurst , N.S.W.
- Postmark
- Bathurst NSW
- Source of text
- Bathurst District Historical Society
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 293,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-293.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 1