Ɛpsilon

To G. H. Darwin   20 November [1880]1

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

Nov. 20th

My dear George

According to my memory the sleeping plant of fig. 149 was copied from photograph; but if more copies are struck off, I will look to the originals photographs.— I am almost certain that the sleeping leaf is 147.. So, as I thought, with 162.—2

I am very glad that you have been able to go on with ripple-marks, & I hope that you will publish the results.—3 How about ripples made by the wind, as is said to be the case.— If you make out theory of ripples they might give important information about some of the most ancient deposits.

I grieve to hear about your astronomical difficulties;4 but I daresay some light will dawn on you; anyhow it has often done so before.—

We have had Snow here for a week, whilst making drawings of Aunt Elizabeth’s house & rooms.—5

What damnable weather it has been.

Farewell my poor dear old George. | Yours affectly | C. Darwin

I have been wonderfully glorified in the Times & I marvel who could have written it—not a physiological Botanist.—6

Our dear old mother has been much better of late, owing to her freedom from wearing anxiety.—

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from G. H. Darwin, 19 November 1880.
2
George had remarked that several illustrations in Movement in plants had been drawn from nature, and not from photographs, as stated in the captions (see letter from G. H. Darwin, 19 November 1880 and nn. 2 and 3).
5
Snow was Frances Julia Wedgwood. Elizabeth Wedgwood had died on 8 November 1880 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)); her house was advertised for sale in The Times, 4 June 1881, p. 15.
6
A highly favourable review of Movement in plants appeared in The Times, 20 November 1880, p. 9.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added
1.2 photographs.] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12830,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12830