My dear old Herbert.

As I have not seen you to wish you good bye in propriâ personâ, I must do it, on paper. for I suppose you will not be in Cambridge at the latter end of the week when I return.—¹ I do not know when I have spent a merrier evening than yesterdays. It was like the old times, sitting by you & hearing prodigies. I shall not in a hurry forget your awful appearance, as you lay on the sofa with a great snow ball in the place of your head. Jem² certainly victimized you in capital style. I suppose we shall have the Gentleman in the Plaid Coat, hawking “this is the head of that well know character—fellow of S^t Johns³ &^c & ^c.” I certainly will put my name down for a proof before letter⁴ if there are such things— I was wishing so much that we had agreed to take a walk. I went into Kings & heard Saul’s dead March.— What a glorious sight the whole is.— I never formerly knew how properly to admire it.

Adios, you best of good old Fellows | Cha^s. Darwin. 3. Fitz William S^t. ⁵