To J. J. Weir   1 September 1868

Down, Bromley, Kent. S.E.

Sept. 1, 1868

My dear Sir

I suppose you have returned from your trip to the Continent, as we have from the I. of Wight.1

I write now to ask whether you will give me the real pleasure of seeing you here on Sat. the 12th. I will try to get Mr. Wallace and Bates to come at the same time.2 Your best route will be to join the S.E. Railway at New Cross and come to Orpington Station. If it will suit you to arrive at Orpington Station at 5.44 (which will be in good time for our dinner) I will send my carriage to meet you and I can send you back on Monday morning, at whatever hour you like. I do hope you may be able to come and that I may have the pleasure of thanking you in person for your great kindness.

Pray believe me | Yours sincerely | Charles Darwin.

Copy

1
The Darwins returned home from the Isle of Wight on 21 August 1868 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). No letter mentioning Weir’s trip to the continent has been found.
2
Annie and Alfred Russel Wallace, Edward Blyth, and Weir visited the Darwins on 12 September 1868 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Henry Walter Bates was not able to come (see letter from H. W. Bates, 10 September 1868).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6343,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6343