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To Smith, Elder, and Company?1   17 February [1860]

Down Bromley Kent

Feb. 17th

Dear Sir

I am infinitely obliged to you for so kindly offering to ship the Box with ear-trumpet & pay the charges for me thereon.— I will give as little trouble as possible.—   I have paid the maker (W. Harrowin)2 & told him to put Trumpet in a Box & address it to

Mr Syms Covington3 Post-Office Pambala Twofold Bay Australia

To be left at your house.—

I thank you sincerely for aiding me in this little act of charity for the poor man writes to me that he cannot get Ear-trumpet which will suit him in Australia.—4

I will write to him & say that the Box will be sent by the next P. & O. Steamer after Feb. 20th, for the Box will not be in time for 20th—

Dear Sir | Yours faithfully & much obliged | Charles Darwin

Endorsement: ‘1860 | March 2’

1
The identity of the recipient is suggested by a previous occasion on which CD sent an ear-trumpet to Syms Covington. The publishing firm of Smith, Elder, and Co. sent CD’s present in one of their regular shipments to their agent in New South Wales (see Correspondence vol. 2, letter to Syms Covington, 7 October 1843).
2
William Henry Harrowin. There is an entry dated 3 February 1860 in CD’s Account book (Down House MS) that reads: ‘Ear-trumpet. 13s . 6d’.
3
Covington was CD’s servant and assistant during the Beagle voyage and for some years afterwards. In 1842 he had emigrated to Australia (see Correspondence vol. 2).
4
Covington’s letter has not been found. In a previous letter, he asked CD to send him a book on curing deafness. See Correspondence vol. 7, letter to Syms Covington, 16 January [1859].

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 the charges] ‘the’ interl
1.2 for me] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-2702,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-2702