1

Belmont, Bath.

June 3. 1882

My dear Sir,

I take the liberty of writing to you from having seen in "Nature" of this week, your notice as to the correspondence of your late Father. –But before I come to this subject, I must express the great grief I felt when I just read in the Times, so little expected, the announcement of his death. I hope too, I may be allowed to offer my condolences & sincere sympathy with yourself. Mrs Darwin and the other members of the family, on the occasion of the severe affliction & bereavement they have had to sustain. The death of your late dear Father is a loss, not to his friends alone –but to the whole world: certainly to all the scientific world, from his vast work & long-continued researches in every department of Natural History –bearing increased fruits each year as it passes by, — & of that value to cause his name and character never to be forgotten. –I feel his loss the more myself from having known him so long. There must be few indeed still living (not relations) who remember him, as I do, when he was yet but an undergraduate at Cambridge, associating with my late brother-in-law, Professor Henslow, and myself, in one joint Nat. Hist. pursuits and excursions. -But I will not dwell on those by gone days of happiness & enjoyment, but speak to the more immediate purpose for which I write.

–I have about thirty, or more letters to myself from your Father, written mostly many years back but a few of later dates, —all which I should be most willing to let you see, & make any use of you please. –But there is some difficulty in making any arrangement to this effect, from the circumstance of your Father's letters being bound up with a large number of others from various other naturalists &c. to myself, & forming 4 vols. in the "Jenyns' Library' at the Bath Lit. Institution; the above home being applied to a room built expressly to contain my Nat. Hist. Library, which I presented to the Institution now many years back. –The volumes of Letters could not be removed from the room in which they are placed; & the only plan that suggests itself to me is –that I should myself copy them for your uses whereby I should be also able to add a few words of my own in explanation –if needed. It would not be a difficult or very tedious task –indeed to some extent –it wd be a labour of love to do this; only, as I am naturally a slow-writer, & cannot hurry myself in anything –now –at my time of life. (I have just entered my 83rd year) – I should be glad to know how much time you could allow me? –whether it would be sufficient if you had the letters by the end of the summer, as I am likely to be from home a great part of July & August?

Awaiting your reply, believe me,

 

Sincerely yours

L. Blomefield.

(later Jenyns)