To Charles Lyell   [13 January 1874]1

6. Q. A. St.

Tuesday Evening

My dear Lyell

I will call tomorrow morning a little after 9. in hopes of seeing you.—

You will understand if I do not appear that I am not very well.2

Ever yours | Ch. Darwin

I return with thanks the Saturday Rw.—3 The Coral-Reef Book has been invaluable to me.—4

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 January 1874, and by CD’s stay in London from 10 to 17 January 1874 (see ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). During CD’s visit, Tuesday fell on 13 January 1874.
2
According to Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), CD fell down the stairs on Monday 12 January 1874.
3
Saturday Review was published weekly; it is not certain which issue CD borrowed.
4
CD was preparing a second edition of Coral reefs. In a letter to Joseph Dalton Hooker of 8 January 1874, he had asked to use a copy of the book for corrections. CD evidently used Lyell’s copy instead.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9240,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9240