To J. F. Fisher   8 August [1878]1

at. J. Wedgwoods. Esqre. | Leith Hill Place, Dorking | (address till Augt 11th.) at T. H. Farrer Esqre. | Abinger Hall. Dorking. | (address till Augt 16th.

Augt. 8th

Dear Sir

I do not consider your letter any intrusion, & your cause is an excellent one—2

My health is always weak, & it has lately been worse and I have left home for 3 weeks complete rest at the houses of my near relations.3 Therefore I am therefore unwilling to undertake any thing laborious & reading a long M.S. always fatigues me much.

But if your M.S. is short or if you think it worth while to give me an abstract of your views I shall be happy to express my opinion whatever that may be worth.— I really cannot undertake to read a long M.S. & on my return home,—I must go on with a long & difficult investigation.—4

I remain | Dear Sir. | Yours faithfully. | Ch. Darwin.

Copy

1
The year is established by the address (see n. 3, below).
2
The letter has not been found.
3
The Darwins left Down on 7 August 1878 and visited Leith Hill Place, Surrey, the home of CD’s sister, Caroline Sarah Wedgwood, and her family. From 12 to 15 August, they stayed at Abinger, Surrey, the home of Thomas Henry and Katherine Euphemia Farrer, who was Emma Darwin’s niece. Lastly, they travelled to Barlaston, Staffordshire, the home of Emma’s brother Frank Wedgwood and his family, and returned home on 22 August (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
4
No separate manuscript has been found, but see the letter from J. F. Fisher, 13 August 1878. CD was investigating movement in plants and the function of bloom, the waxy or powdery coating on leaves and fruit.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11645,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11645