Ɛpsilon

To F. W. Farrar   3 February [1866]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Feb 3.

My dear Sir

I shall have real pleasure in signing your certificate if you can send it to me here, for I have not strength to go to London.2 For the same reason I can be of little use in speaking to other members of the Royal Soc—which otherwise I shd have had much pleasure in doing.

Do not be disappointed if you are not elected this year, for the number of applicants in all branches of science is great; & very many excellent men are not elected the first year.3

With my best wishes for your success | I remain my dear Sir | yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

LS

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from F. W. Farrar, 5 February 1866.
2
Farrar had asked CD to sign his certificate as a candidate for fellowship of the Royal Society of London (see letter from F. W. Farrar, 1 February [1866]).
3
Farrar was one of fifteen new fellows, excluding foreign fellows, elected on 7 June 1866 (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 15 (1866–7): 189).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4995,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4995