RECORD: Huxley, T. H. 1882.04.21. Letter to Francis Darwin. CUL-DAR215.10k. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 11.2021. Corrections by Anne Secord 4.2022 4.2022. RN4

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.


[10k]

April 21. 1882

My dear Frank

It is very kind of you to have thought of me in the midst of your great trouble and I was very glad to get your letter

I was seriously alarmed

[2]

by what I heard of your father's symptoms from Litchfield and as I doubt not you know I wrote to beg him to have a regular medical supervision of himself established– I thought the evil day might be staved off in that way for some time perhaps – I got back one of the heartiest & kindest of the many hearty & kind letters I have had from him & hoped for the best.

You could have given me no greater pleasure than by telling me of your fathers request for me

For thirty years my love & reverence for him have simply grown & strengthened

I have never known & never hope to know a better or a more lovable man and I confess it is a poignant grief to me to think that I shall

[3]

never hear his cheery welcome & feel his cordial grasp again

My wife & I wrote to your mother last night – She has always been so good to us that I think my wife has come to consider herself as a kind of supplementary daughter

I am very glad to hear that she is not wholly broken down

 With best love from all of us

I am my dear Frank

Yours very truly

T.H Huxley


Return to homepage

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 25 September, 2022