Has found nice rooms in [Christ’s] College, which he has furnished with some very good prints. Lives almost entirely with W. D. Fox and entomology.
News of John Price, B. H. Kennedy, and Charles Whitley. Fanny Owen is as charming as ever.
Requests to JW III and EAD as trustees of the marriage-settlement, to make some funds available.
Writes about canal shares EAD holds as trustee.
Discusses the division of R. W. Darwin’s estate.
Asks EAD to forward a message of Anne’s improved state to Down.
Writes about the death of Anne. Wishes EAD to insert an announcement of the death in the newspapers.
Writes concerning marriage trust.
His friend Trenham Reeks [Secretary of Museum of Practical Geology] would give Carlyle information and help. This note will serve as introduction.
Forwards an enclosure for CD, at Archdeacon John Sinclair’s request [extract from J. Sinclair’s Life and works of Sir John Sinclair (1837) 2: 83–5], showing how Dr Erasmus Darwin anticipated Justus von Liebig [in recognising the importance of phosphorus-rich manures].
Has heard nothing about the Copley Medal. Is grateful for Hugh Falconer’s interest [see 4546].
Supplies details about circumstances of his voyage on the Beagle.
Does not believe that his sea-sickness was the cause of his subsequent ill-health.
Encloses the requested list of publications [see 4550].
Encloses letter [missing] which he believes will clear up the part he played in Edward Sabine’s Presidential Address. Does not wish CD to think that he did not support the Origin.
HF merely wanted to correct a false impression given by a sentence taken out of context.
At the request of his sister, Marion Bell, he sends a copy of his essay on the nervous system. It contains a view of the development of the animal kingdom in illustration of Charles Bell’s classification of the nerves. Human powers are held to be more dependent upon the structure of the mouth than that of the hand.
References to works on probability;
statistics on proportion of sexes in births in England and Wales.
Asks [EAD] to get signatures as opportunity offers.
Wants to sell some shares held in trust by EAD and Josiah Wedgwood [III].
Consults about the wisdom of Frank’s becoming CD’s assistant rather than practising medicine.
Outlines his finances.
[Copy in EAD’s hand.]
Informs EAD of Anthony Rich’s proposal to bequeath his property to CD.
Wishes EAD to sign some road bonds and then forward them to CD so that they may be paid off. [EAD note to CD enclosed, saying he does not know where the money will go.]