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To John William Lubbock   2 April [1859]1

Down.

April 2d

Dear Sir John Lubbock

I am glad to hear for your sake & pro bono publico that the water rises so quickly in your well.—

We have no means of judging accurately, but as far as my servants can judge, the water has risen 12 inches in last fortnight.—

We draw very little, only about one great Bucket per day; but we must now commence drawing 3 or 4, as our Tanks are getting low, & this would disarrange any further observation on rise of water.

Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

1
Although the letter is written on stationery with an 1858 watermark, it seems likely that the year was 1859. See letter to John Lubbock, [November 1858], in which the subject of wells is also discussed. The water-level would have been of interest since there had been a prolonged drought in 1858 followed by a great deal of snow in February 1859. Some of CD’s notes on wells and the water-level at Down are displayed at Down House.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1846,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1846