From Horace Darwin to G. H. Darwin 1 May 1876

DEAR GEORGE—

I HAVE BEEN STAYING UP HERE ALL THE TIME WITH THE PARENTS, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN RATHER SEEDY WHICH HAS TURNED INTO A SLIGHT ATTACK OF GOUT SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE. IT WAS HARDLY WORTHY TO?BE CALLED GOUT, & ONLY MADE ME FEEL RATHER SEEDY, BUT I AM MUCH BETTER NOW. FATHER HAS BEEN VERY WELL SINCE HE HAS BEENHERE. I EX PECT YOUR CYLINDERS WILL BE DONE VERY SOON NOW, I LEFT INSTRUCTIONS WITH ONE OF THE PUPILS TO SEND THEM OFF AS SOON AS EVEN THEY WERE DONE. I EXPECT I SHALL BE GOING BACK TO ERITH IN A FEW DAYS THOUGH. I’M VERY GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU MAY MAKE OUT SOMETHING ABOUT THE EARTH PROBLEM .I SHOWED MY DYNAMOMETER AGAIN TO MR. ANDERSON, & HAD LONG TALK WITH HIM ABOUT IT, HE CONSIDERED IT WELL & THEN SAID— ‘THAT HE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD MAKE A VERY GOOD SLOW SPEED DYNAMOMETER.’ HE HAS GOT AN ORDER FOR ONE WHICH IS TO RUN AT A GREAT SPEED & HE SAID THAT HE DID NOT LIKE TO TRY MY PLAN ON ACCOUNT OF THE SPEED. BUT I THINK I HAVE PROVED THAT THE SPEED WILL NOT MATTER : I HAVE WRITTEN THE PROOF OUT & SHOWED IT TO HIM BUT HAVE NOT SEEN HIMSINCE HE HAS LOOKED OVER IT, I THINK THAT THERE IS JUST A CHANCE OF HIS MAKING IT YET. WHICH EXCITES ME VERY MUCH. UNCLE RAS IS VERY WELLNOW , HE HAD A VERY BAD ATTACK OF AGUE ONE DAY BUT BEFORE THAT HE WAS MOST REMARKABLY WELL, & SINCE THEN HE HAS BEEN VERY NEARLY AS WELL AS BEFORE ITHINK

YOURS AFFEC. BRO. | H O R AC E D A R W I N .