Ɛpsilon

To R. I. Lynch   4 December [1878]1

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

Dec 4th

Dear Sir

I fear that the enclosed will be of very little use to me, but I send it with pleasure.—2 You are aware that I know absolutely nothing of your Horticultural skill or of your power to superintend an Establishment, & therefore I could say nothing on this head.—3

Wishing for your success, I remain | Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to the syndics of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, 4 December 1878.
2
CD enclosed his testimonial on behalf of Lynch, who was applying for the curatorship of the Cambridge Botanic Garden (see letter to the syndics of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, 4 December 1878).
3
Lynch was foreman of the propagating department at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; he had provided CD with many specimens as well as making observations and experiments on CD’s behalf (see Correspondence vol. 25 and this volume).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 You] over ‘Your’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11769,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11769