Charles Darwin has asked for William Kemp’s address in order to send him a copy of his paper on Glenroy and to ask him some questions.
The William Kemp Collection
Epsilon’s William Kemp Collection comprises 80 letters (1840-1861) from the scientific and Scottish Borders community to William Kemp (1788-1864). Kemp was an engineer and businessman, manager of the Galashiels Gas Company, and a prominent local geologist. The collection includes a series of letters from Charles Darwin and Robert Chambers.
The letters were collated and bound into a single volume, and taken to Australia by John Kemp, a water engineer and son of William Kemp, when immigrating on SS Great Britain to Victoria in 1868. A full transcription of the collection was drafted in the 1980s in Australia by Ruth Cramond, a family connection. The collection was donated to Cambridge University Library in 2018 and has now been fully conserved and digitised.
Transcriptions, edited to Darwin Correspondence Project principles and practices, and images of the correspondence between Kemp and Darwin, together with a more detailed biography of William Kemp are available from the Darwin Correspondence Project website.
Images of all letters in the collection, including images of the original bound volume, are available from the Cambridge University Digital Library website.
Charles Darwin has asked for William Kemp’s address in order to send him a copy of his paper on Glenroy and to ask him some questions.
Encloses a copy of his Glen Roy paper. Asks for more details of Kemp’s work on the terraces of the Eildon hills.
The bearer of the letter, Thomas Smibert, is a friend of RC and his brother, William Chambers. RC would like WK to show him the raised beaches.
Thanks WK for his help recovering her belongings, and enclosing half a sovereign.
The bearer of the letter, Lady Scott Douglas, wishes to see the terraces at Galashiels if she can do so without exertion. Thomas Smibert’s visit has been delayed.
Thanks for sending the publication the Galashiels Weekly Journal.
Returns Mr Kemp’s paper on the morrains of the Tweed and the Gala.
Has seen WK’s article in the Kelso Chronicle about Glacier Theory.
Would like to see Bedshiel Kaimes and Dogden Moss with WK.
Has been away so has not seen article in Kelso Chronicle.
Suggests walking from Kelso to Greenlaw to see James Cunningham, surveyor, and investigate the Lammermuir Hills.
Sending some specimens of scales of the fossil Holoptychius Nobilissimus to William Kemp via WK’s brother in Hawick.
WB will be arriving by the following morning’s coach and would like WK’s assistance examining the terraces.
The communication arrived too late for that day’s paper, but will appear next week.
Thanks for Maclaren’s Sketch (Maclaren 1839 bibl_5120).
Has seen WK’s views on Rubers Law and commiserates with him on William Buckland’s disapproval.
David Milne (later David Milne Home) is preparing a paper on the geology of Roxburghshire. (Presumably Milne, David. 1842-3. Geological account of Roxburghshire. Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (15) 1844, pp. 433-502.)
CD will sent seeds to specialists for identification.
Has not yet heard from R. Brown, but John Lindley thinks species will probably turn out to be common ones.
Thanks for the account and drawings of the plants.
Longing for a letter from WK. Describes various excurions through Fife.
Seeds sent by Kemp have germinated and been identified by Lindley as Rumex acetosella and an Atriplex which has been sent on to J. S. Henslow.
Requests WK to send samples of rock commonly found around Cupar to enable TW the more easily to identify them.
Will have a close look at the plants in a few days’ time.