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Wednesday [date added later:] 1875.09.15

Dear George, Here we are still. I am ashamed of being too tiresome & hanging on in this way – but we have now ceased to threaten to go for a week – […]

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Father wasn't very well on Sunday – but he is better since & has borne up very well against an invasion of a Russian

[The Russian visitor was Nikolai Alekseevich Severtsov (1827-1885).]

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ornithologist which took place on Monday. Father let himself in for it by writing very civilly to say how grieved he was to miss him. Understanding that he wd be on his way back to Russia & so the wretched man put off his journey for a day – He was quite the most awful foreigner that has ever set foot in the house – very big & very dirty & hideously ugly – They say scratch a Russian

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& you find a savage – but you hadn't got to do that with this man- & yet he was we believe a man of good position – had estate & serfs at any rate. He had been travelling in Kashgar & Khokand & all these places & if he hadn't spoken with a voice uglier even than his face, & ben also as unintelligible as he was repulsive, he might have had interesting adventures to tell. He had had his head almost cut off & great gashes & scars made him uglier than

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nature did. He was brought down by a Mr Dresser who formerly lived in that house like a Swiss chateau in Locksbottom - & has now taken to ornithology. He was the best satisfied man I ever came across. Even his dogs die for love of him – he can fire a gun quicker with his left hand than anybody else can with their right-

We had a farewell call from Carlyle on Sunday – It was very lucky for us he came on Sunday as R. had never seen him & had a great wish to do so – He harangued us for an hour

[Henry Eeles Dresser (1838 – 1881), had published numerous ornithological works.]

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or more. Jemmy [Horace Darwin] went off to Eastbourne on Monday but I don't know when he comes back – He enjoyed his Portsmouth tremendously & came back n Sat. night full of it all. He said he'd seem so much it was the hardest day's work he had ever had in his life. He didn't see any gun practice he cldn't quite see over the workshops as thoroughly as he wanted. Bessy comes home today. She seem to have had

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a nice visit – […]

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Carlyle yesterday – but didn't find him in & R & I walked home thro' Holwood Park. […]

[From p. 1:] Mother has a headache on Monday but is all well since.

Yours dear Geo H.E.L. […]