To G. H. Darwin   5 March [1880]1

6. Q. Anne St.

March 5th—

My dear George.

I am glad that I wrote to the Colonel, for the enclosed shows that he is pleased.—2 I will write to Frank to send the M.S. to you.—3 If you settle to give him more money, I will subscribe or give alone, but you must manage it.—4 I am very sorry my poor dear old fellow to hear so bad an account of you.—5 Letter this morning shows that Jos, as we think, is dying.6

Maclennan must be a good deal better. He seems & all of them much attached to you.—7

Your affect Father | C. Darwin

I am going to send Life of Erasmus Darwin8 to the Colonel

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from G. H. Darwin, 4 March 1880.
3
Francis Darwin. Chester had sent CD a manuscript containing his research on William Darwin of Cleatham, one of Erasmus Darwin’s ancestors; see letter to J. L. Chester, 2 March 1880 and n. 1. Erasmus Darwin was CD’s grandfather.
4
In his letter of 4 March 1880, George had suggested that they pay Chester more for his family research. CD recorded a payment of £25 under the heading ‘Col Chester pedigree’ on 27 March 1880 (CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS)).
5
George had been suffering from a bad cold; see letter from G. H. Darwin, 4 March 1880.
6
Josiah Wedgwood III was gravely ill; see letter from W. E. Darwin, 6 January [1880]. The latest extant report on his health was quoted in a letter from Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, 2 March 1880 (DAR 219.9: 224): ‘I will only send a line to say since Sat. there have been no more of those suffering attacks, but he is weaker & more ill, tho’ he has no pain’.
7
With his letter of 4 March 1880, George had enclosed a letter from John Ferguson McLennan.
8
Erasmus Darwin.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.3 or … it.] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12514,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12514