Ɛpsilon

To W. E. Gladstone   2 May 1881

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

May 2d. 1881.—

My dear Sir

I am much obliged for the honour which you have proposed to me, & this I should have gladly accepted, had my strength been sufficient for anything like regular attendance at the meetings of the Trustees.1 But as this is not the case, I think that it is right on my part to decline the honour.—

I beg leave to remain with the greatest respect, | My dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Charles Darwin

To the | Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone M.P.—

1
See letter from W. E. Gladstone, 30 April 1881. Gladstone had invited CD to become a trustee of the British Museum.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

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

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13142,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13142