Ɛpsilon

To John Lubbock   12 [June 1856]1

Down.—

12th

Dear Lubbock

Many thanks for your note just received.— Pray do not get an insect-catcher made, for I do not know whether it would answer, & I cd. get it made, if I wanted it.—2 I had one, & my foolish Boys lost it.— But I write now chiefly to say, to prevent you having a journey for nothing, that I shall be out all Saturday, & in next week from Wednesday to Saturday inclusive.3 After (or before) that time I hope to be at home every day.—

I am very glad that you are well again.— Have you heard that we have Small Pox in the village. We have had a cruel death in the little Boy, after only 18 hours illness, of our servant Parslow.—4

Your’s most truly | C. Darwin

1
Dated by the reference to CD’s intended trips to London (see n. 3, below).
3
CD went to London and back on 12 June 1856 and again from 18 to 21 June (Emma Darwin’s diary).
4
Joseph Parslow was the Darwins’ butler.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 get] ‘g’ over illeg
1.4 having] ‘h’ over illeg
2.1 well] after del ‘all’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1900,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1900