From Frances Harriet Hooker   [27 January 1865]1

My dear Mr. Darwin—

I am sorry to say that Joseph must give up his visit to you tomorrow— instead of being better, as he wrote you word yesterday,2 he is worse, & seems to have a regular attack of influenza, so that he certainly cannot leave home tomorrow—

He bids me say how sorry he is—especially as he had hoped to have seen your boys at home for the holidays—3

With kind regards to Mrs. Darwin,4 believe me | yours afftly. F H Hooker

Kew— W—

Friday

We have just heard that Dr. Falconer is very ill—with rheumatic fever & bronchitis—5 They are very anxious about him—

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. D. Hooker, [26 January 1865], and by the reference to Hugh Falconer’s illness (see n. 5, below).
5
Following an attack of ‘acute rheumatism, with disease of the heart and lungs’, Falconer died on 31 January 1865 (DNB).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4879,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4879