RECORD: Downing, John. 1882.06.26. [Recollection of Darwin in a letter to Francis Darwin]. CUL-DAR198.60. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 4.2021. Corrected 2.2026. RN2
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library. The folder CUL-DAR198 contains letters, mostly to Francis Darwin, regarding his appeals for letters from Darwin in order to create Life and letters (1887).
[60]
Ashfield,
Fermoy.
Co' at Cork
June 26: 1882
Dear Sir
I enclose letters (6) received by me from your illustrious father as I have observed in the Press that you are anxious to get the loan of them.
I also send copy of
[60v]
my letter upon Shorthorn breeding to which he referred.
When I had the pleasure of writing him he told me that it afforded him great satisfaction to have my practical knowledge of the breeding of cattle
[60b]
in correspondence with the news he had expressed antagonistic to long continued close interbreeding.
Many persons, he said had told him that he was wrong –that he merely propounded a theory — that their experience went against his notions.
Believe me
Yours faithfully
John Downing
To Robt. Darwin Esq
Down
[Enclosure, Enclosure: Shorthorn Breeding and type, is in CUL-DAR198.59]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 24 February, 2026