From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin 31 October [1878]

My dear William

Your account of that Stockbridge country is most charming & just what I sh^d like to live in— I suppose Beechnut & Rollo lived somewhere there. I was so glad to hear that Arthur c^d after all go with you—

You are now settled in Cam. again & your last days will be come by the time this reaches you.

I was glad to hear from Sara's letter to Hen. that Mr Richards is in England & that ""Nans"" affair is again prosperous I hope it will now take place without further delay—

Two days ago it was downright winter but it is pleasant today— George has been m. pleased by some conversations w. Sir W. Thompson who sent to ask him to come & talk over viscosity & obliquity— ""After a few minutes ordinary talk we set to worth w. a tremendous battle about axles. It was an hour before we got well in, & by that time I think I had rather staggered him; but he didn't cave in.— — — G went away to hall dinner & returned at 9. "" & we went at it again. After a time he allowed that the thing was possible but did not seem satisfied — — — — — We left off talk about 10$\frac{1}{4}$— He agreed that my hypothesis of viscosity was perfectly legitimate— — — This mg I got a note from him ""Last night I almost satisfied myself of your discovery that the obliquity of the ecliptic is augmented by viscosity""— This heartens up poor old G. but it is provoking that it takes a Sir W^m.^ T. to understand his work. G. has had a dissipated time dining w. Sir H. Maine—meeting Graham Bell at lunch who told them of the extraordinary development of telephones in America. Dined at Newtons & met Cap. Godwin Austen just returned from India, so that Afghan raged a good deal—""

Going to dine at Gerald Balfour to meet Gladstone & Sidgwicks."" We go to London for a week about the 18^th Nov. We shall be impatient to see you & Sara when you can come— Give my best love to Theo— I was v. grateful for her letter from Stockbridge & I shall write to her after you are gone—

yours my dear W— | E . D

I am glad you will have Dean. I. in the Bothnia. How odd that Fr lecture at Keston shd turn up in America

My dear Theo.

After all the poor souls will be on the sea when this arrives, so read it tho' it is rather Axly—