Ɛpsilon

To T. H. Huxley   1 November [1875]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

Nov. 1st

My dear Huxley

I am astounded & disgusted at what you say about Klein. I am very glad he is a foreigner; but it is most painful as I liked the man.—2 No doubt there will be severe & ruinous legislation against physiology.—

Of course I will attend; it will do me no harm, except probably knocking me up for some days. I hope I shall not be nervous, so as to be able to answer any questions reasonably.3 I will come up to 6. Queen Anne St early on Wednesday morning, & will you be so very kind as to let me have a note then telling me the place & hour on Wednesday where I must attend.—4 If Wednesday will not do, will you be so very good as to telegraph to me. If I do not hear, I will be in Q. A. St on Wednesday morning, for my wife thinks I shall get through it best on the same day.— If my head should fail on that day, I would send a note & inform you & attend on Thursday.—

I am very very sorry to trouble you with all your present troubles. Yours affecy.— | C. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from T. H. Huxley, 30 October 1875.
2
Huxley had heard that Edward Emanuel Klein had professed entire indifference to animal suffering in his testimony to the Royal Commission on vivisection (see letter from T. H. Huxley, 30 October 1875). Klein had assisted CD in his research on insectivorous plants and had visited CD at Down House on 11 April 1874 (see Correspondence vol. 22, letters from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 and 10 July 1874; Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
3
CD had been asked to appear before the Royal Commission (see letter from T. H. Huxley, 30 October 1875).
4
Six Queen Anne Street was the home of CD’s brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin. CD gave his testimony on Wednesday 3 November (Report of the Royal Commission on vivisection, pp. 233–4).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.5 hour on Wednesday] interl above del illeg
2.5 must] after del ‘can’
3.1 present] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10235,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10235