Ɛpsilon

From W. E. Darwin   20 August 1880

Bank, Southampton,

Augt— 20th 1880

My dear Father,

I telegraphed to you to say that I had asked Wm James to call on you at Q. A. St.1 He sails for America on Wednesday; it is cruel to worry you directly you get home, but in case he did not see you, and you are fairly well and have a boy at home,2 could you ask him down to lunch or sleep on Sunday or Monday? He is very modest about going, but is very anxious to do so and is extremely pleasant.

His address is

3 Bolton Street

Piccadilly

I am very sorry I cannot come to meet him, if you do ask him let me know when in case I possibly could come.

I am very glad you had so pleasant a visit at Cambridge, and am sorry poor Mother was not quite brisk.3

Sara4 comes tomorrow I am glad to say, I hope she saw you in London

Your affect son W. E. Darwin

1
William James had met William Erasmus Darwin in 1877 (E. Taylor 1990, p. 10). CD stayed at Erasmus Alvey Darwin’s house at 6 Queen Anne Street, London, from 19 to 21 August 1880 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).
2
William probably meant one of CD’s other sons.
3
CD and Emma were in Cambridge visiting Horace and Ida Darwin from 14 to 19 August (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12694F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12694F