To C. G. Semper   19 July 1878

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

July 19th. 78

My dear Sir

I have heard from my son, that you have been enquiring about a Printing Machine.1 Now I have one, which is of no use to me, & under these circumstances, I trust that you will permit me to have the real pleasure of giving it to you. It is in good order, but requires cleaning. As soon as I hear from you, I will send it to the Makers to be cleaned, packed in case & despatched; but please inform me, as soon as you can (as I leave home before very long)2 which will be best manner of sending it, as it is heavy.— Would it be possible to send it by steam-boat some way up the Rhine, or all the way by Railway by luggage-train?

I earnestly hope that you will grant my request & accept the machine.—

Believe me with the highest respect, My dear Sir, | Yours sincerely | Charles Darwin

1
See letter from Francis Darwin, [12 July 1878]; in reply, CD suggested that the typewriter he had purchased in 1876 be given away to Semper (letter to Francis Darwin, 14 July [1878]; Correspondence vol. 24, letter from Francis Darwin, [1 May 1876] and n. 4).
2
CD left Down on 7 August 1878 for a holiday visiting family (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Kent.] before del ‘Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11617,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11617