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

DEAR GEORGE—

I SHOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN WITH YOU WHEN YOUGOT MY FIRST LETTER , I THINK IT MUST HAVE ASTONISHED YOU SO MUCH .YOU MUST HAVE GUESSED BY THIS TIME THAT FATHER HAS GOT ATYPEWRITER' & A VERY NICE TOY IT IS . THE REASON HE GOT IT WAS HIS HAVING READ AN ARTICLE IN THE TIMES ABOUT IT ,WHICH A GLOWING ACCOUNT OF IT . FRANK & I WENT OFF TO SEEITIN THE CITY ,& WERE SO MUCH STRUCK WITH IT THAT WE BOTH WANTED FATHER TO GET ONE AT ONCE & ESPECIALLY ASIT ONLY COSTS £21— . IT IS A LITTLE LIKE THE OLD WRITING BALL BUT YOU PLAY ON KEYS & IT ISNOT DIFFICULT TO LEARN TO DO IT SLOWLY AT ANY RATE ; IT ONLY CAME AT ABOUT 12 THIS MORNING , &I DONT DO IT MORE THAN 2 OR 3 TIMES AS SLOWLY AS WRITING I SHOULD THINK . IT IS THE NICEST TOY I EVER PLAYED WITH & I HAVE BEEN PLAYING WITH IT NEARLY ALL DAY . I ENCLOSE ONE OF THE ADVERTISEMENT AS I KNOW YOU WILL WANT TO GET ONE, & IF FRANK FINDS THAT HE CAN LEARN TO WRITE QUICKLY WITH IT I SHOULD THINK IT WOULD BE WELL WORTH WHILE FOR YOU TO DO SO , AS YOU WRITE SO MUCH. UNCLE RAS SAYS THAT YOU WILL INSTANTLY TELEGRAPH ON RECEIPT OF MY FIRST LETTERTO—KNOW WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED , BUT I DONT THINK THAT THIS LIKELY OF COURSE HE IS INTENSELY PLEASED WITH IT .BUT NO ONE CAN BE SO MUCH SO AS I AM . I THINK I SHALL HAVE TO GET ONE FOR MYSELF . FATHER HAS JUST GOT YOUR SECOND NOTE ABOUT THE EARTH.

YOURS EVER | HORACE DARWIN