To G. J. Romanes   4 July [1881]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R. [Glenridding House, Patterdale.]

July 4th

My dear Romanes

We are off for Penrith in a few hours, where we sleep. & tomorrow night, thank all the powers, shall be at Down.—2 I write merely to say that we have heard from Collier & my wife has arranged everything.3 I rejoice to hear about your book & am astonished at your progress.4 I shall be very curious to hear at some future period what you think about the German Physiologico-Evolution book & about the Creed of Science.—5 The latter I have read almost through with much interest, though often doubting, sometimes disagreeing, sometimes not at all understanding his conclusions.— I rejoice for my own private eating that you have taken to review & write so much in Nature, & if it does not waste too much of your time you thus do a public service.— Nature seems to me an excellent Journal, & I look forward weekly with pleasure to reading or skimming the whole.

But I must pack up | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from G. J. Romanes, 1 July [1881].
2
The Darwins were in the Lake District from 2 June, arriving back at Down on 5 July (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II), Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
3
The letter from John Collier, who was to paint a portrait of CD, has not been found.
4
Romanes was working on his Animal intelligence (G. J. Romanes 1882).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.3 about] after del ‘that’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13232,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13232