To Sara Sedgwick   29 September [1877]1

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

Sept. 29th

My dear Sara

I must tell you how deeply I rejoice over my son’s good fortune—2 You will believe me, when I say that for very many years I have not seen any woman, whom I have liked & esteemed so much as you.— I hope & firmly believe that you will be very happy together, notwithstanding that you may find Southampton rather a dull place, about which my son feels such great fears. His dread that you are sacrificing too much in giving up your American home is natural, but I trust will prove groundless.—3 Judging from my own experience life would be a most dreary blank without a dear wife to love with all one’s soul.

I can say with absolute truth that no act or conduct of William has ever in his whole life caused me one minute’s anxiety or disapproval. His temper is beautifully sweet & affectionate & he delights in doing little kindnesses. That you may be happy together is my strong desire, & I thank you from the bottom of my heart for having accepted him.

My dear Sara | Yours affectionately | Charles Darwin

photocopy

1
The year is established by the reference to Sara Sedgwick and William Erasmus Darwin’s engagement (see n. 2 below).
2
William Darwin and Sara Sedgwick were married on 29 November 1877 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). See also letter from J. D. Hooker, 19 October 1877.
3
William was a partner in a bank in Southampton. Sara Sedgwick’s family lived in Massachussetts.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11158,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11158