From H. E. Darwin to G. H. Darwin 23 March 1866

Dear Brother George—

Fancy me in furrin parts & sitting down to write to you!! It seems so precius odd, I do not realise it—and I always made up my mind that you were to take me ""abroard"" for the first time. I do so wish you were here— I shd like to have someone to do a little more with me than Elinor is up to as yet—& sight seeing with a maid is not so agreable— It wd be too nice tho' & man can't have every thing in this world. I don't feel as if we had had every thing tonight— Oh! my dear Boy if ever you come to Arles don't go to the Hotel du Nord. We had such a dinner and such a tea & heaven only knows as to how the beds may be— The tea tasted of luke water & the metal of the pot—& Oh! the soup! So mind you go to the Hotel du Forum— I daresay you won't have time to read this—poor boy—working at all your mathematics & the time drawing so awfully near. I shall be awfully aggravated when I shall know it is all over, & I know nothing— By the way if you'll write me a letterkin to Poste Restante Cannes—France—please tell me about Oxford & Cambridge boat race— How you sped—I don't know whether Galignani wd mention it—& that is our only channel— You needn't bore y^r. self with a tremendous long letter, but write to me as I was in England. I was rash enough to tell Mama to forward my first letter to you—wh. knowing how foreign letters are sneered was injudicious—but I'll only expec you to read whats addressed to your own self for the future. We have come very quickly from Paris Dijon, Lyons, Arles Marseilles & then Cannes— I expected to find Dijon very dull—we had an hour or two to spare before setting off—but was agreably disappointed. It is not very much of a town but there are several rather amusing thengs to see—& a lounge in the streets is very amusing I think when the smells are not too powerful— How ugly central France is— Today we had a very interesting line of rail from Lyons here. Luckily the sun shone & I saw my first Olives to perfection as far as light went—they were very poor specimens of their race—& did not look cheerful with their twisted old trunks & dusty foliage—but in character with the rest of the scene— We had a most lovely view after Avignon—a quite flat plain dotted over in the most picturesque manner with Houses, Cypresses, Olives, & the light green of the budding willows & some trees (name unknown) in flower. (The Horse Chestnuts buds are just opening! & here roses are in flower! Isn't that delightful) and in the distance a most beautiful dove coloured range of the Dauphiné Mountains—some of them with snowy tops. It was so lovely—with the blk Cypresses standing up against them & waving in the wind— After our unhappy dinner Elinor & I set out for a walk in Arles & now I do feel myself in utterly strange lands— I've just been taking my evening dose of Murray so you will excuse a little of it diluted— Arles is famed for its roman remains & the beauty of its women, & I should add for the odours. We haven't devoted ourselves yet to the Roman remains but have amused ourselves with gandering up & down the funny little narrow old world streets & staring at all the women—they are very handsome—all with bright blk eyes & well made noses & they look well in their costume though it is really hideous— The market looked so french & picturesque—you go thro' the Hotel de ville & come out upon a little square with an old Church on one side & a great roman obelisk in the centre—& we came out upon it suddenly in the bright sunshine with all the old women seated by their heaps of vegetables chattering away & groups of people etc about—but I think I'm getting too Murrayish— Elinor is such a capital courier—it makes all our traveling easy— She never gets X or agitated & always speaks in calm deliberate french which commands attention. I shouldn't like the work at all even if I cd speak French. I felt so ashamed in Paris when a small Russian boy of 13 spoke so much better English than I did french, besides knowing german quite well—so there were 4 languages he knows already— I enjoyed Paris very much. We had such pleasant company in the Hotel & fine weather & altogether it was a bright little stay— It beats poor dear old London there is no doubt in every single particular but yet I feel my heart drawn to its dear smoky streets. As I always take longer to fetch Elinor and as she makes very short work of her letters and as you'll have had enough I'll say adoo— I shall hear from home tomorrow thank the mercies— I can't make up my mind whether this shall be forwarded to home or Hope or waste its sweetness on the desert air—i.e. you—I'll read him over & judge according—

yours ever dearest George | H. E. D.

P.S. I think it may be sent home & then I shan't have to repeat my account of Arles— goobye