Ɛpsilon

To John Lubbock   25 May [1860]

Down.

May 25th

Dear Lubbock.

I have no comment to make on your Report.—   I have forwarded it to Innes1 with your query about E. Town,2 which I cannot answer.— I have suggested to Innes that the Report ought to be sent to Mr Stephens3 for his approval, as he is ex officio on Committee.4 Remembering that you asked Mr Stephen to take the account (as well as asking me) on account of your manifold employment & that Mr S. refused I have asked Innes whether he had not better suggest to Mr Stephens to undertake this slight labour & thus relieve you.—   Whether he will of course I know not.— I am pretty sure (from manner alone) that Mr. S. was a little sore at not being appointed to the School committee, so that some time ago I mentioned this to Mr Innes, & he said that he had no doubt that he was ex officio on committee & I informed M Stephens of this; & I suspect that this soreness led him to refuse to take the accounts.—

Many thanks for your enquiries about Etty; her fever runs on & is mild, but it is terribly wearing to her as it has now lasted 4 weeks tomorrow.—

Dear Lubbock | Yours very truly | C. Darwin

Endorsement: ‘1860’

1
John Innes was the perpetual curate of Down. Innes no longer resided in Down owing to his inability to secure suitable accommodation for his family.
2
There is a Daniel Town, carpenter, listed as residing in Down in the Post Office directory of the six home counties 1859. E. Town may have been a relative.
3
Probably Thomas Selwood Stephens, who is listed in CD’s Address Book (Down House MS) as residing in Down. His name appears (misspelled) in the 1862 Post Office directory as curate of Down. Only in 1865, however, was he first listed as such in the Clergy list.
4
CD refers to the committee overseeing the national school in Down, of which John Lubbock and his father, John William Lubbock, were benefactors. The school was funded by charitable donations from the local gentry and administered through a committee appointed by the parish vestry.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.5 & that Mr S. refused] interl
1.8 (from manner alone)] interl
1.9 committee] before del comma
1.11 & I informed … this;] added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-2815,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-2815