To W. D. Fox   [13 February 1845]¹

My dear Fox

I am very glad to be able to tell you that my Father is at present very well; he has, however, till lately been suffering a good deal from a cough.— When do you intend to pay your Shrewsbury visit? Thanks for your letter & all your news of your Noah’s Ark;² it w^d really be a curiosity to see the place, besides other pleasures. Emma would have as much pleasure I think, as myself, in accepting your very cordial invitation, but I fear there is a reason against it, which even you will admit to be paramount, viz her confinement in the middle of July³ & as soon as the Baby can travel viz Sept 1^st we must visit Maer⁴ & Shrewsbury.— It really is one of my heaviest grievances from my stomach, the incapability & dread I have of going anywhere: I literally have not slept, I believe, out of inns, my own, Erasmus’ Shrewsbury & Maer houses, since I married.— My stomach continues daily badly, but I think I am decidedly better than one or two years ago, as I am able with rare exceptions to do my three hour’s morning work, which at present is on the Geology of S. America, & very dull it will be.—

You ask about Down, the house is now very comfortable; & the garden will be tolerably so, when the evergreens are grown up; I continue to like it very well; & its thorough rurality is invaluable.— By the way, do not ask about the Vesta stove (& thanks for your remembering it) for after hearing it from other quarters, also, highly praised, I saw lastly an Arnotts stove in action, & that struck the balance, & I have got one, & it answers admirably, requiring feeding only twice in 24 hours, & once will do.—

I am very glad to hear you are coming to London, & do, if you possibly can, come on here; we shall be heartily & cordially glad to see you, & you now know, how quietly & in the eyes of most, dully we go on.—

I have not heard anything lately about Mesmerism; except Sidney Smiths dream, (who is said to be dying)⁵ that he dreamt he was in a madhouse & that he was confined in the same cell with Miss Martineau & the Bishop of Exeter.⁶ It is said that the remarks on Miss. M. in the Athenæum, were by Brodie;⁷ I thought them much superior to the general writing in that paper.— I hear Miss. M. is in so excited a state about Mesmerism, that she can hardly keep on peace with her old friends, who are unbelievers; I wonder how she & Erasmus will get on.—⁸ I simply feel, that I cannot believe, in the same spirit, as it is said, that ladies do believe on all & every subject.

I read aloud Arnolds Life⁹ to Emma & liked it very much; I wish he had had rather a more lightsome & humorous spirit: as Carlyle would say, he was no “sham”.¹⁰

Farewell my dear Fox. | I hope we shall soon meet here. Ever yours | C. Darwin

P.S. I sh^d. like very much sometime a few of my potatoes,¹¹ & chiefly to get true seed from them, & see whether they will sport or not readily.—