Ɛpsilon

To William Spottiswoode   7 July [1878]1

July 7

To W. Spottiswoode

My dear Mr Sp.

I hope that you will excuse me troubling you with a question, busy as you must now be. A Mr Pinker has written to me that Mr Willett wishes to pay for & present, a bust of me to the R. Institution; & that he had seen you & that the Institution is willing to accept the bust.—2

The whole affair is a mystery to me; for I never saw Mr W. & cannot conceive why he wishes to present my bust to the R. Institution, with which I have not the honour to be connected.; & I never heard of Mr Pinker, except in connection with this affair.

Therefore will you kindly tell me how far the account is accurate. I do not know what to do; I hate the fatigue & loss of time from sitting; & yet it seems so ungracious to refuse.— If you could tell me that busts were accepted only of men who had served your excellent Institution, all wd be [simple sailing] for me.—3 Do you by any chance know anything of Mr Pinker & whether he is even a moderately good sculptor.

Pray forgive me troubling you in my perplexity, & believe me

ADraft

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from William Spottiswoode, 10 July 1878.
2
Henry Willett does not appear to have any connection with the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Henry Richard Hope Pinker’s letter to CD had not been found.
3
Spottiswoode was secretary of the Royal Institution (Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain 8 (1875–8): 668).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.3 he … that the] above del ‘I R.’, & ‘Managers of the R.’
1.3 is] above del ‘was’
2.1 The whole] below del ‘Is this account;’
2.1 & cannot … connected.] interl
2.1 why] ‘y’ over illeg; after del ‘& do not know’
2.2 present] above del ‘present’
2.2 not … be 2.3] beside del ‘never had the honour of being’
3.2 from] over ‘for’
3.2 it] interl; above del ‘‸ would’
3.3 busts] final ‘s’ added; after del ‘my’
3.3 were … Institution, 3.4] above del ‘is not wanted at a place, with which I have no connection’
3.00 all … me.— 3.00] del and stetted

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11594,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11594