From G. H. Darwin to H. E. Darwin [21 February 1870]

My dear Henrietta

After a very long time I have at last screwed my courage up to the sticking point & have at last began a letter to you.— We have been having a great deal of skating this last week & so I haven't been working very hard. One day Fatham sent Crowder (a fellow pupil) & me up to Highgate much against our will with an introduction to his wife— we were repaid however by very good skating & some lunch. There were five Miss T's, so it was rather awful; it appears to be an overpoweringly orthodox house— infact I think Old T. wanted to cook me as easily as poss: & not to let me contaminate too much.— However this is mere inner consciousness.—

I went on Friday night to hear Clifford lecture on Theories of Physical forces at the Roy. Inst., I think shou^d have been pretty good only that he tried to say twice as much as was poss. in the hour & so had to scurry fearfully I don't believe there were 20 people in the room who followed him— I did pretty well as I knew more or less what he was talking about— Uncle Ras & A^t. Fanny didn't I know; he also went for astounding people rather his moralQQQQ [illeg] fault.— His chief point was that matter is crumpled space— As far as I can see it maybe true or it may be false but he didn't adduce a simple fact to show that he might be right. By crumpled space he means that as a paper (2' dimensions) he might be crumpled in space (3 dimensions) to space (3 dimensions) may be crumpled in a higher space of 4 dimensions of wh. we have no cognisance.— Uncle Ras has stood me a most magnif^t. tif— he has made me a life member of the Roy. Inst. s-xt-ther- p-ds He does know how to do it if any one does. The chief adv. is that there is a very good scientific library.— I have been moving heaven & earth to get a horse for Father— my plan was to go to Riding Schools & hire their quietest pack— as dealers won't give a trial— I got one down that I thought wd do, but unfort. he turns out as John say "too much of a orse for master". He is a most charming little cob. As they wd only let him for a month & not less, I am going to have the riding of him in town for the remaining fortnight. I have been doing all I can to stop Father riding [Ton], as I'm sure he's not safe— but I'm afraid he's going on at present.

Tuesday 4.15

Of course now the cob has come up to town it has set in freezing— I am however going off to try whether the Row is soft enough to ride in; I shall feel quite the nob prancing round so beautiful. Tonight I have to toil right away to Cadogan place to a perf^r. at M^rs. Greys— that sort of thing is sort frightfully dull in 9 cases out of 10 & the cabbage is so bitter cold this weather.—

I went the other night to the Century & heard Mundella (at least I'm as certain as I can be that it was him) holding forth for a long time upon Education.— I heard that there is some surprize that Foster's bill sh^d go as far towards compulsion as it does— but I'm ashamed to say I don't know how far that is— I exhausted myself so completely over Gladstone's Irish speech that I hadn't pluck to tackle the other.

——-

I have been nitwit enough to endure a sharp frost & I'm nipt nearly to the bone . . . & Rotten Row was as hard as nails altogether rather nasty. It'll be very hard lines if it freezes the whole of my fortnight. I was thinking of riding down to Woolwich one day & seeing this Arsenal & Lenny in the glories of gold lace & a sword belt.—

You are very fortunate in falling in with H^y. Parker it must add so much QQQQ to your party.—

I hear a sort of report that you've given up the idea of Italy later on— what's the truth.— The consequence of my being so near Down is that I hear very little about you for the Parish think that being so near of course all the facts in yr letters will soak thro' to me by nature— & when I get home I find your letter is gone gadding off somewhere.— I'm going to Cambridge next Sat & Sund & I think to S'thampton the Sun^d after when the Parish is in town. The new telegraph arrangements are so nice that it is almost worth tel.^g merely for the pleasure of doing so— I did use it the other day on very slight provocn (legal abbrevion for "ation")

I'm just going to dine with old Strick here (Cluby, I don't see much of him in a gen^l. way— he has actually taken Chambers at Lincoln's Inn & is down there every day & I think seems jollier for it— tho' I sh^d think it w^d be a long while, before he pays his expenses.—

By the bye I spent a pleasant Sunday at Oakley at the begin^g of this long frost & met Miss [Someu] whom curisouly eno' I never happened to come across before. She seems to me rather a doll & also just a leetle of a fine [Girl] The Hamiltons have all gone to town because their house is being altered.—

Must be off to my soirée this is the longest effort I ever made— I dont know y^r address | Y^rs G H Darwin

W^m. Frank George & Beny | Spring [illeg] | 1870