RECORD: Browne, Buckston G. 1957. [Recollection of Darwin, 9.1868]. In J. Dobson, Sir George Buckston Browne. Edinburgh: E. & S. Livingstone, pp. 36-7.
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Terry Pyle and edited by John van Wyhe and Christine Chua 12.2022. RN2
NOTE: George Buckston Browne (1850-1945) bought Down House from the Darwin heirs in 1929 and handed it over to the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) to preserve it for the nation. The stone plaque set in the front garden wall of Down House reads: "HERE DARWIN THOUGHT AND WORKED FOR FORTY YEARS AND DIED 1882". The words were composed by Buckston Browne. His recollection of when he saw Darwin may be inaccurate.
[page] 36
[…]
This eminent comparative anatomist, Robert Edmond Grant, born in 1793, was described by Charles Darwin as being 'dry and formal in manner, with much enthusiasm beneath the outer crust'. [LL 1: 38]
[page] 37
[…] These lectures made a life-long impression upon me. Huxley was the apostle of Charles Robert Darwin who, just ten years ago, had shaken the whole world, especially the theological world, by his publication of the Origin of Species. Controversy had run, and still ran, high. It was bitter, and often very bitter. Darwin was a figure of intense interest to me. I saw him only once in the flesh and this was at one of Huxley's afternoon Jermyn Street lectures. Darwin came in, sat amongst us and waited patiently for his interview with Huxley after the lecture, about 4 p.m. I shall never forget his tall figure and massive high-domed head. He wore a long black cloak and carried a large black sombrero hat. His general appearance was grave and impressive and could nowhere pass unnoticed. […]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 27 December, 2022