The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, Emma. [1857.11.17]. Letter to William Erasmus Darwin. CUL-DAR210.6.20. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 8.2023. RN1

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. The volume CUL-DAR210.6 contains correspondence of William Erasmus Darwin and family correspondence (1851-1896).

Robert Bickersteth Mayor was William's housemaster.
Edward Meyrick Goulburn (1818-97) was headmaster (1850-1857) at Rugby school where William was at. He was succeeded by Frederick Temple.
Darwin was at Moor Park from 5-12 November.
Emma Darwin's diary recorded Darwin "went to town" from 17-20 November.
Miss L. refers to Mary Harriet Lubbock, John Lubbock's sister. She married Robert Birkbeck at Down, Kent on 8 December 1857. (Birkbeck, 1891. Notes on the history and genealogy of the family of Lubbock, pp. 42-3.)
Mary Ann Pugh was governess from 1857-1859.
Bullsig/Bullzig was Henrietta's cat.
'Little Babs' probably refers to Charles Waring, born 6 December 1856.

[1]

Tuesday [1857.11.17]

My dear Willy

Pray thank Mr Mayor for sending us Mr Temple's testimonials which we return today. They are most remarkable & I wish he had been elected some years ago. We were very much amused with your speech & we should particularly have liked to hear the

[1v]

solemn & pathetic jaws.

Papa came home wonderfully well on Thursday. He is going to town today for 3 or 4 days. Etty & I went to call on the Lubbocks yesterday as Miss L. is going to be married to a Mr Birkbeck a very rich man.

We only found Mrs L. who is a very nice innocent little woman.

Miss L. is to be married

[2]

early in Dec. & I don't think there will be such a flare up as there was before. Miss Pugh is lame & rides the donkey, but she can't manage him very well. He is very cunning for he is as good as possible with me.

We had Mary Peters to tea & her brother William came to fetch her home. He is so like Jack Lewis only not

[2v]

near so well mannered.

Poor Bullsig has been shot he wd get in the pigeon houses so it was in vain to keep him.

Etty did not much mind & she has hopes of a kitten from Graysy.

Poor little Babs is quite jolly now & likes his puddings very much.

Goodbye my dear old man. yours E.D

[from page 1:] I remember about Gregs now very well, but we had forgotten his name

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