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To W. B. Dawkins   3 February 1873

Down, Beckenham, Kent.

February 3, 1873.

My dear Sir,

I have great pleasure in expressing my opinion that you are very well fitted to fill the Woodwardian Chair in Cambridge, now vacant by the death of its former venerated occupier.1 You have paid close attention to the geological history of the more recent periods, and I think every one will admit that these present an extraordinary amount of difficulty; so that your success in this line of research offers an excellent test of your ability.2 It will also, I think, be admitted that the study of the more recent periods is not only very difficult, but of the highest importance. Therefore I earnestly hope that you may be successful in your application, and if so, I do not doubt that you will be the means of encouraging the study of geology in the University.

Believe me, my dear Sir, | Yours sincerely, | Ch. Darwin.

To W. Boyd Dawkins, Esq., F.R.S.

1
The previous Woodwardian Professor of geology at the University of Cambridge was Adam Sedgwick, who had held the chair from 1818 until his death in January 1873. The post went to Thomas McKenny Hughes (ODNB). No letter from Dawkins soliciting a reference has been found. This letter has been transcribed from a printed pamphlet of testimonials for Dawkins.
2
Dawkins had a particular interest in human prehistory and had published on British mammals of the period.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8757F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8757F