From B. A. Cookson to G. H. Darwin 12 February [1878]

Dear M^r. Darwin

I am delighted to know that your journey was so prosperous a one but where oh where can the prescription be. It was sent off the day after it came from Down. & I believe it went in your envelope to the Hotel Noailles (?) I did not forget it & many's the time I have wondered whether you found it of use.

Your account of Algiers is tantalizing  Here in London we have had endless rain & [clinging] fogs. Colds are chronic & theres more coughing than talking where two or three are gathered together. We are all in a state of wild excitement over the East—each day the rage of party feeling runs higher & even in drawing rooms the discussions become very often most unpleasantly warm. Frederic Harrison & all are the Positivists are strong Turks or more truly violently anti-Russian & the gospel of the Turk is preached every Thursday evening in Southwick Place when M^rs. Frederic "receives" the crew dining with the Tom Brasseys on Saturday night & met a number of "House" people. Sir W. Harcourt M^r. Fawcett Sir C. Dilke M^r. Treveylan Sir H. James etc. It was amusing to listen to the compliments passing between those of the forlorn hope who stayed to vote & those who walked out. one rejoinder of Sir W Harcourts on the point is worthy of record. M^r Fawcett was roundly abusing him for "turning tail". "Ah my dear fellow" said the great man ``you see you viewed the division as politicians—now I & the fellows who walked out viewed it as statesmen"'! This struck me as delicious—said from Vernon Harcourt to Professor Fawcett  I am very glad you have come to know the A Dilkes. I fancy you will like them much. I can't say that Sir Charles Dilke is very pleasant. From all accounts his brother must be greatly his superior

M^rs Fawcett told Montague a funny little tale about H.R.H. of Wales which you may not have heard  Before he arrived at Cambridge to unveil his fathers statue, he was asked by the Master of Trinity (with whom he was to stay the night) whether there were any special arrangments for his comfort etc to be made—to which came back the answer that H.R.H. only required one thing & that was a hot supper a 2.A.M. The Master need not trouble himself to sit up etc etc— And so it was provided & eaten by H.R.H. & three men of the baser sort whom he had brought from London to make up the rubber & to eat the supper without which he can't end his day— I know you love "high" life & scandal & this is the only bit I can provide for you. I am sorry but times are dull & nothing is stirring but politics.

Montague is wonderfully well. His Chichester speech went famously & his fears about W. Morris were not realized. he was not ferocious—only dull. There is to be a field day at Chichester some time during the Easter Recess. Tom Brassey & one or two other established M.Ps are going down with him to inform the Chichester voters how lucky they are to have such a candidate!

⁠⟨⁠1 or 2 words missing⁠⟩⁠ go this time & have some of the fun. Dagnells finger is all right now. I was frightened about it at first—no doubt foolishly—but my mind is easy now that the dog is to be seen walking about with its wicked owners. To begin with it was thought to be without a master—& that was rather terrible

I was so glad to see your mother here & to shew her the boys—very demure they were—& well behaved— It is only you that bring out the latent demon in them— Your youngest sister came to our "Brandram" but neither M^r. nor M^rs. Litchfield did I am sorry to say, for he was unwell again, but when I called to enquire a day or two after the servant told me he was all right again so that it was not as I feared—a return of his illness—we had a large gathering of all the "Herzogovinians" that night—Harrisons Gurneys Galtons etc etc–-& very pleasant it was. "Gretchen" looked sweeter than ever. She was going to start for Rome the next week M^rs. Galton is I hope really better. She is certainly fatter & she speaks so hopefully of herself that one cannot bear to think that it may be a delusive hope after all—

I hear that Mathew Arnold gave a splendid lecture at the R. Institution last week—delivered in his best style & which kept his audience in one ripple of laughter from beginning to end—

You must let me know how you are later on & when you will be turning homewards— we talk of running over to Paris for Easter— It will either be that or up to Howtown— I suppose you heard to Frederic Harrison's appointment as successor to Sir G. [Creasy]—we are all very happy about it for the work will suit him exactly & it will be £500 a year in his pocket— They are still casting about for a house but they are difficult to please—

Now goodbye | With all our best wishes & the boys "duty" | yours ever sincerely | B. A. Cookson