Ɛpsilon

From C. L. Sutherland   [9–19 June 1872]1

Cicely Hill | Cirencester.

Dear Mr. Darwin,

Professor Wrightson, of The Royal Agricultural College here, will be staying with me for a few days at our place Coombe, near Croydon, & is anxious to have the pleasure of an introduction to you. I therefore propose to drive him over to call upon you between 3 & 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon next the 22nd. if you will chance to be at home at that time.2

My address will be as above at Cirencester up to Friday next when I leave here for Coombe. I am going through a course of lectures at the College.3

With my compliments to Mrs. Darwin & hoping your sons are all well | I remain, | Yours truly | Charles L Sutherland

1
The year and month are established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from C. L. Sutherland, 12 September 1872, and the date range by the date of Sutherland’s proposed visit to Down (see n. 2, below). Sutherland may have been writing as early as Sunday 9 June 1872, referring to the Friday and Saturday of the following week, or as late as Wednesday 19 June 1872, referring to Friday and Saturday of the same week.
2
There is no reference in Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242) for 22 June 1872 to a visit by Sutherland and John Wrightson, but Sutherland, whose second home, Downe Hall, was close to the Darwins, did meet CD at some point in June 1872 (see letter from C. L. Sutherland, 12 September 1872).
3
Sutherland was a keen animal breeder and later served on the Royal Commission for Agriculture (WWW).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8378,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8378