From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 1 February [1870]

Dearest Mother

I cant tell whether I wrote since your second letter to Menton or not. If not many thanks for it. Naples is quite given up & I don't think we shall get further than Genoa—any way I'm glad I've come. It is such a wonderful chance to get a suitable travelling companion—it signifies more almost than the tour. Our weather hasn't been all we could wish—but we have really no cause to grumble—up till one we have bright sun & then clouds boil up either from the sea or mountains—& it gets black & ugly till about 5 when it begins to settle again at the same time the sun sets. Yesterday we went rather too long an exped. for Godfrey— An hour up on donkeys to a little town which was the dirtiest town we have been into yet—& that is saying a great deal. I was remarking that none of the lower animals kept their holes in such a state, but Godfrey said from what he had heard he thought a foxes hole might be as bad as this town. We dismissed our donks there having done all our up hill, & it would have been most charming only the sun took a freak & instead of shutting up at one, retired at 11.30. We were surrounded by the mountains on 3 sides, but they all got their heads into great black clouds, & the earth all looked scratched & bare & the Olives a cold dismal [grey]  Most countries want sun, but this more than any other I ever was in. All the same, these people sat down to sketch & I walked on to get a little warmth into my bones. The country is getting v. full of life now—Human & donkey life that is—for if [we] hear one bird a walk it is all. All the vine terraces etc are having the winter savages mended up. Violets & a blue flower name unknown & rosemary & marigold & a nice brown [illeg] are the only flowers I have seen yet, but I expect we ought to find anemones if we knew where to look— After they had done sketching we eat our lunches with much pleasure. [Lunch] out of doors is so good—the toughest [mutton] tastes sweet. I sometimes wonder what people who can't eat tough meat do out here— It really is more like shoe leather than anything else. However this is a parenthesis—& then we set off home, going what we meant to be a slight round & wh. of course turned out a good deal more of a round— This is a most deceptive country for finding your way—you are sure to turn out two or three valleys further off home than you think. We were most fortunate in having a perfect view of Corsica with all its snowy mountains illuminated by the setting sun. It looked exactly like a bit of another world. The air was wonderfully clear, with a deep indigo line of horizon—& hardly resting on it we saw the mountains, ghost like below & with the sun catching their snowy peaks. It is very rare to see Corsica except at sunrise—but it had been raining over at sea & it had given the air that sort of peculiar ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠clearness.⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠

We sat & looked till the glory was all gone, & then staggered home— I cant say I was staggering—but Godfrey & Amy were rather killed. We were out from 10 till 5 which is a long day—& I must have walked a good deal for till the sun came out again at 4 or so I found it rather ⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠chilly⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ for sitting— I v. often feel a sort of sore throat, which I suppose is what people call the exciting air. It is an exciting air— I'm certain— I feel wonderfully well—& vigorous— It is a g^t. thing for me to have begun with QQQQ.

yours H.E.D.

Uncle Ch. is all right again. They have had Snow at Cannes I've had a nice little note from Edmund saying he is sorry I am to be away so long [&] a nice long letter from William.