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To Nevil Story-Maskelyne   29 December 1875

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

Dec 29. 75

Dear Mr Maskelyne

I am much obliged for your very kind note. I do not know Mr Judd personally, but I have signed the certificate under “general knowledge” with the greatest pleasure, as it is many years since I have read more admirable papers than his.1

Pray give my kind remembrances to Mrs Maskelyne whose acquaintance I was extremely glad to make.2 I hope that she will not forget about the Linnean Socy., at 8 pm on Feb 3d as the more I reflect on Prof: Lankester’s case the more hard & cruel it seems to me3

Pray believe me | Yours sincerely | Charles Darwin

LS(A)

1
See Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Nevil Story-Maskelyne, 26 December 1875 and n. 1. Story-Maskelyne had asked for CD’s support in proposing John Wesley Judd for fellowship of the Royal Society of London. CD had greatly admired Judd’s paper on the ancient volcanoes of the Scottish Highlands and Inner Hebrides (Judd 1874).
2
CD may have met Thereza Mary Story-Maskelyne when he was in London from 10 to 20 December 1875 (Correspondence vol. 23, Appendix II).
3
Edwin Ray Lankester had been blackballed by the Linnean Society (see Correspondence vol. 23, letter from J. D. Hooker, 2 December 1875 and n. 5). CD canvassed members of the society to support Lankester at the next meeting (ibid., letter to G. J. Romanes, 17 [December 1875]). Thereza Story-Maskelyne was a keen botanist; as a woman, she could not be a member of the Linnean Society, but CD may have asked her to canvas members.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.2 at … 3d 2.3] interl in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10331G,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10331G