Ɛpsilon

To [Edward William Blore]   [October 1870 or later]1

Dear Sir

I hope that you will excuse the l. which I take in troubling you.— My son H.2 has had bad health for several years, & partly in cause of this is extremely backward in Classics & many other subjects. He is now much better but Dr Bence Jones3 not very long ago said that he must not work hard. My son has a strong taste & some capacity for mathematics. I have [therefore much] fear that he will not be able to pass his little-go4 & have advised him to get a private tutor for this sole object; but as he has a strong taste & some cap. for math. I have allowed him to attend Mr Routh’s l but I doubt whether he will he will have strength or time for both Private tutor & the College Lectures.5 Under these peculiar circumstances wd it be possible for you to excuse him at present attendance at College Lectures.— I hope that you will forgive me for calling your attention to my son’s case & that you will not think of answering this note; but inform my son what you may think right to do.— Dear Sir

Draft

1
The date is established by the fact that Horace Darwin matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in the Michaelmas term of 1870 (Alum. Cantab.); the Michaelmas term begins in October. There is a payment to Blore of £25 ‘for Horace (last year)’ recorded in CD’s Classed account books (Down House MS) on 31 January 1871, which suggests that Blore was Horace’s tutor at Trinity.
4
The little go, or previous examination, was an examination in Latin, Greek, mathematics, and theology usually taken in the second year of residence (Winstanley 1947, pp. 144–5).
5
Edward John Routh, a highly successful mathematics tutor at Cambridge, had been private tutor to George Howard Darwin (see Correspondence vol. 13, letter to Edward Cresy, 19 October [1865]; for Routh’s career, see Warwick 2003, pp. 229–40).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 I hope] after del ‘My’
1.3 My son…mathematics. 1.4] circled ink
1.4 said] above del ‘thought’
1.5 I have] after del ‘Under these circumstances’; ‘have’ above del ‘am’
1.5 [therefore much]] interl
1.5 that he will] ‘that’ above del ‘very doubtful whether’
1.7 I have allowed … l but] interl
1.7 attend] altered from ‘attending’; after del ‘he is’
1.9 excuse] above del ‘permit’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7049,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7049