Ɛpsilon

To Vernon Lushington   24 July [1871]

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

July 24th

My dear Mr. Lushington

Many thanks for the official Turtle Soup—which some of us had never tasted & none of us for very many years. It was very good—probatum est, for I had two helps.—1

I ought to feel grateful to you & Mrs. Lushington for your aid in giving us a son-in-law, whom we have every reason to be pleased with & to be proud of.—2 But I confess that I have so much selfishness in my nature that I cannot yet endure to think of the loss which Henrietta will to us. My wife like a true & good woman rejoices, & can sympathise with her whole heart with our daughter’s happiness.

Most truly yours | Ch. Darwin

When a sulky child “pouts” or “makes a snout” or “makes a lip”, what is the form of the protruded lips? do they become at all tubular? How far do they protrude, relatively to the nose? Does the lower lip project beyond the upper lip.? Does the child generally make any sort of noise whilst pouting? Does the child frown at same time? Any such or other particulars with age of child or children.—3

Do Keep this as I have no copy

Postmark: JY 25 71

1
According to Isabella Mary Beeton, turtle was the most expensive soup; mock turtle soup, made with veal and other meats, was often served instead. Beeton comments that turtle was apt to disagree with weak stomachs. (Beeton 1869, pp. 91, 102.) Probatum est: it has been proved (Latin).
2
Vernon and Jane Lushington were friends of Richard Buckley Litchfield, Henrietta Emma Darwin’s fiancé (J. Browne 2002, pp. 356–7).
3
CD discussed pouting in Expression, pp. 232–5.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

5.5 or other] interl
5.5 or] ‘or’ over full stop
6.1 Do keep … copy] pencil; ‘Do’ added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7880F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7880F