Ɛpsilon

To H. W. Bates   [before 29 December 1880]1

[Down.]

Private

Huxley thinks that the Presidents had better sign in a body, so that the Memorial shall be sent to you afterwards for your signature with an envelope addressed to Sir J. Hooker, if you will forward it without delay.—2

C. D

As I do not know Ld. Aberdare’s address I have not enclosed an envelope: could you write outside the envelope “To be forwarded if not at home”; for it is very important that the Memorial shd. reach Mr Gladstone before Parliament meets—3 I have got the Duke of Argyll to write a private letter to Mr. G. in favour of the pension.—4

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to H. W. Bates, [29 December 1880].
2
Thomas Henry Huxley was advising CD on the memorial for a government pension for Alfred Russel Wallace. CD had explained that he wanted Joseph Dalton Hooker to sign near the end of the memorial ‘so as to end the short list with a flourish’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 December 1880).
3
Henry Austin Bruce, first Baron Aberdare, was president of the Royal Geographical Society; Bates was assistant secretary. William Ewart Gladstone was the prime minister.
4
See letter to G. D. Campbell, [before 27 December 1880]. George Douglas Campbell, eighth duke of Argyll was a member of the government (lord privy seal), so could not sign the memorial.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 for your signature] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12951,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12951