Ɛpsilon

To Henry Johnson   24 September 1879

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

Sept 24th— 1879

My dear Johnson

It gives me pleasure to do as you ask & send my signature on the next page.—1 I had not heard that you had taken up your abode in Ludlow, & hope that you find it a pleasant retreat. As far as I can remember it is a beautiful place. You have my sincere sympathy in your state of health, & I much hope that you do not suffer greatly. I am blessed with almost everything, except strength & better health, which a man can desire; nevertheless I find old age a dismal time.—

I am at present working at the movements of plants. As you probably do not see German works & periodicals on physiological botany, you will perhaps like to hear that your experiments on the tension of parts &c &c are still often quoted.—2

Believe me with all good wishes | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
Johnson had requested CD’s autograph in his letter of 22 September [1879].
2
Johnson had published several articles on plant movement, reporting experiments on stem growth and elasticity in a wide range of common plants (Johnson 1835a and Johnson 1835b).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

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

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12236A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12236A