From E. A. Darwin   14 November 1822

Dear Bobby.

I am going to honour you again by writing, & first of all, I think it would be an improvement in the Lab:¹ to have some more shelves fixed up. The places I have thought of are, 1^st. a shelf to go over the window

I have drawn a picture of what I mean, & have put some bottles on the shelf to ornament it.

It is to extend from wall to wall, so that the shelf of y^e lamp & also of y^e cork bottles must come down NB. the little shelf for y^e test glasses may stay up, & if it is possible, let there be one over the door, so as to be a continuation of y^e one over the fire place, & if that takes place, the little shelf on which the pounded marble &c is, must also come down, but the little ones above may stay up. Perhaps the shelf over the window had better not be more than a foot wide, otherwise I shall be knocking my head against it.— Get it done as soon as you conveniently can, & pay for it, & I will then have the remainder of y^e cow² sent up to me, & I will spend it in chemical instruments.— I have ordered a small goniometer (an instrument to measure angles) so that we shall be able to seperate the different crystalls in your cab: I have not yet procured any of the minerals you mentioned. Hensleigh has promised me a bit of asphaltum which he obtained at Teignmouth. I dont think you have any, it is a kind of bitumen very light, will burn, & is of a snuff colour.—

I have bought a book which will be very useful. there are directions for finding out the names of minerals &c. &c. & the rules are not very difficult.—³ I dare say I shall be able obtain some specimens of rocks for you, for Professor Sedgwick⁴ said that at the Gog Magog hills (about 4 miles distant) there were a vast number of specimens, which I shall certainly some day go & explore.— I am attending Professor Cumming’s⁵ Lectures on Chemistry which are very entertaining. I have written all his experiments down as far as we have proceded, which we shall be able to try over again This is y^e shape of y^e Lecture Room

	aa the seats
	c.c. 2 large tables
	b. ye Lecturer
	dddd, a long place like a blacksmith chimney, under wh: are furnaces &c
	G. a private room.—

He has 3 men to assist him so that we get over a good deal of ground in an hour. he lectures every day, all this term. I think my vacation & your holidays will about fit, as my term divided, a few days ago i.e. half the term is over.—

I have just been to chapel, in wh: respect we are better off than you, as we are only obliged to attend 7 times a week. Some evenings preceding St^s days we go to Chapel in surplices, wh: look for all the world like sheets, & indeed one man of St Johns went, for a wager, into chapel dressed in a sheet, & sat before the master without being discovered. I was yesterday matriculated, in wh: you swear that you will not do this & that, wh: one does every day, you swear you wont wear a hat, wont ride, wont play at cricket &c before 12 o clock & half a hundred other things.⁶ They have affixed a notice, that if you submit yourself humbly after any offence they wont consider you guilty of perjury. I suppose you have heard of black Frank Lightons⁷ being rusticated. When he came up his Tutor asked him, why he had not read the things he was desired; he answered “why to be frank with you, one gentleman should be frank to another, in the first part of the vacation I was at some very pleasant places and it was impossible quite impossible, you know to read; & in the last, what with shooting & hunting it was impossible”— “Then perhaps M^r Leighton it wont be impossible for you to go down to the country” replied the Tutor, & so down he went.

Give my love to Massie, Pearson, J Lawson,⁸ & all others. I remain your affectionate brother | E. Darwin. *S 2

Thursday. 14^th—