Ɛpsilon

To Rifle Volunteer Corps   23 April 1872

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Ap. 23. 1872.

Gentlemen

I am sorry that the state of my health will prevent my attending the proposed concerts in aid of the Rifle Corps Fund1 & therefore I must decline the honour of having my name

[he must decline the honour of being a patron; wishing them nevertheless all success in the undertaking]2

Ch. Darwin

LS incomplete3

1
The Rifle Volunteer Corps was established in 1859, funded by public support. By the early 1860s some government funding was made available (for more on the funding of the Corps, see Beckett 1982, pp. 125–38).
2
The first page of the letter (down to ‘name’) has been transcribed from an image on Bonham’s website; the part in square brackets and the signature are from the description in the catalogue.
3
The original letter is complete and is advertised in the sale catalogue as being two pages long.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8299F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8299F