From Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin 5 March 1882

My dear George

Your voyage will be an old story by the time you get this; but it was most unfortunate to have had so bad an attack. I think you were in great luck to have such friendly & agreeable companions— We shall want to know how you stand the heat— I see Leo has been writing to you; but we shall tell different things. Laura came down w. little fatigue in an invalid carriage which made Hen. so sea-sick   She was afraid she should have had the disgrace of giving up the post of nurse & following in a Hansom, however she got better—

Laura was so exhilarated by finding herself safe here that I was afraid she w^d have a reaction. It has certainly given her a great step forward & she sat some h^rs in the drawing yesterday & saw a good many— Prof. Max Müller & his wife called from High Elms & we rec^d them in the smoking room— He was very interesting in his talk; telling us of 2 Japanese priests who are living with him in order to learn Sancrit to be able to translate some ancient Buddhist M.S. No one in Japan or China knows Sancrit— It has been such an immense difficulty to them that Max M. felt quite hopeless more than once & advised them to give it up, but they at last conquered— They are most nice amiable little men, but dull. One of them has left a wife, & when M^rs Müller asked him whether he was not very sad away from her, he answered No—it was his duty to come away—he was bound not to love his wife, only to pity her— Some official of the Japanese Ambassador is translating a Japanese novel of 1000 y^rs ago–- 10 vols in length— however we are only to have a sample of 3 vols— Still more extraordinary, it is written by a woman— Poor Claude is at home in bed with pleurisy. I am afraid it was dreadfully rash of D^r Clark ordering him back to school— His passion for keeping people at work carries him too far— I am afraid there are fears for his lungs & his mother's family was consumptive— I am superstitious because he is so much the nicest of the 3 brothers.

Horace & Ida's visit has been perfectly smooth, in Bry Sq^r & the baby much admired—

They are staying on a little longer to see how Claudie goes on—

Yours my dear old man E. D.

I have written to M^r Young to tell him you are in Jamaica.