Ɛpsilon

To G. H. Darwin   20 January [1881]1

Down

Jan. 20th

My dear George.

Your letter to Nature was despatched registered.2 I enclose letters for you.—3 There is a Norwegian letter to me— Can you make out what it is about & let me hear, returning the letter.4

I have a swarm of letters to answer. Gladstone has dated Wallace’s pension from last July 1st & this is splendid.—5

Yours affect | C. D.—

How I do wish to hear that you have arrived alive at Madeira.—6

1
The year is established by the reference to Alfred Russel Wallace’s pension (see n. 5, below).
2
No letter from George to Nature has been found.
3
The letters have not been identified.
4
George translated the letter from Alexander Kielland, 31 December 1880 (Correspondence vol. 28).
5
Alfred Russel Wallace had been awarded a civil list pension (see letter from W. E. Gladstone, 6 January 1881); these were officially granted by the Crown, and recommended by the prime minister and first lord of the Treasury, William Ewart Gladstone. On the backdating of the pension, see the letter from A. R. Wallace, 29 January 1881; no earlier letter informing CD of the backdating has been found.
6
On George’s trip to Madeira, see the letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 February [1881] and n. 5.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 to Nature] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13019,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13019