Ɛpsilon

To [Camilla] Ludwig1   22 December 18622

Down

In all money affairs it is better to have a memorandum in writing. I thought it so hard a case that your Father should be told that the £200 would be given him & then the offer partially retracted, that I, under these circumstances alone, offered to give the £200, which I have now done:3 but I understand that if Miss Davies kept to her original intention, then, as I know perfectly well, you would repay me the £200;4 under any other circumstances, I must freely & cordially give you the £200. This note is ill expressed but is written in a hurry.

My dear Miss Ludwig | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

incomplete5

1
The recipient is identified as Camilla Ludwig, who was the Darwin children’s governess at the time. In family letters, the appellation ‘Miss Ludwig’ or ‘Camilla’ refers to Camilla Ludwig, while ‘Louisa’ or ‘Louisa L.’ is used to refer to her younger sister (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [27 May 1862] (DAR 219.1: 57)). See also n. 4, below.
2
The date is given in the sale catalogue.
3
On her return to Down in November 1862 after visiting her family in Hamburg, Ludwig reported that her family was in great poverty and that she had advanced her whole salary to them (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [6 November 1862] (DAR 219.1: 64)). CD’s Account book–banking account (Down House MS) records a payment to Miss Ludwig of £200 on 21 December 1862. Next to the entry CD wrote ‘(Class as Invested)’ (square brackets in original). CD’s Account book–classed accounts (Down House MS) records a payment of £10 to ‘Ottocar Ludwig’ on 4 July 1866. ‘Ottocar’ is probably the name of Camilla Ludwig’s father, but he has not been further identified.
4
CD’s Account book–banking account (Down House MS) contains the following entry for 14 March 1863: ‘Miss Davies Repayment of advance to C. L. (do not class) £200’ (square brackets in original). Miss Davies has not been further identified.
5
The original letter is complete and is described in the sale catalogue as being two pages long.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3873F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3873F