From B. J. Sulivan   31 May [1865]1

Board of Trade. S.W.

May 31st.

My dear Darwin

I am very sorry to hear such a poor account of your health—& I am half afraid of causing you any excitement by coming to see you.2 do not hesitate to say if you would prefer my postponing it.3 We leave so soon that I can only run down in the middle of the day for an hour or two. My wife4 and I go tomorrow evening for a farewell visit of a night to a sister near Lewisham,5 and I purpose if it is convenient to you going to Bromley by train that reaches there at 12 21.—and returning by the 3.54.—on Friday— would you send me a line to Mrs. Sweetlands 10 Granville Park, Blackheath SE—?6 and I shall get it there on Friday morning. If you are not well enough do not hesitate to say so.

with our kind regards to Mrs. Darwin   Believe me | very sincerely yours | B. J. Sulivan

My last note from Board of Trade as I finish this day.

1
The year is established by the references to Sulivan’s retirement and move to Bournemouth (see n. 5, below).
2
Sulivan had suggested coming to Down for a night in his letter of 8 May [1865]. For part of CD’s reply, see Correspondence vol. 30, Supplement, letter to B. J. Sulivan, [9 May 1865].
3
There is no evidence that Sulivan visited CD during 1865.
5
Sulivan retired from his post as the chief naval officer in the Marine Department at the Board of Trade and moved to Bournemouth, Hampshire (see letter from B. J. Sulivan, 8 May [1865] and n. 3).
6
Mrs Sweetland of 10 Granville Park, Blackheath (Post Office directory of the six home counties 1865), has not been further identified.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4844,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4844