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Barachah
West Cliff
Bournemouth

My dear Hooker

you may suppose what an additional trial it was to me to be in bed with scarlet fever at the time of my dear old friends death, so that I was unable to join those who were round his grave at the Abbey: though I would share in the deep gratification that all

[end of letter:]

My wife joins me in very kind regards to yourself and Lady Hooker.

Believe me

Very sincerely

Yours

BJ Sulivan

[2]

his friends must have felt, at the general desire that this public testimony to his character and his labours should be shown; though I can fancy that his own and dear Mrs. Darwin's wishes would have pointed to a more private grave at Down.

Another regret to me is that there was no one present to represent the

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[memoirs] of his old Beagle shipmates, by whom he was so much esteemed, but I was the only one near enough, or in good health enough, to have attended, even had I not then been so singularly laid up. & one of our party, Adml. C.M. Johnson, died the same week.

It was indeed a sad but real pleasure to read

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such frequent statements in the press of all kinds of opinions— of the general admiration of his life, his character, and his labours, even where some differed from his conclusions, but only those who knew him most intimately would know the peculiar amiability of character and kindness of heart for which he was so

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remarkable, and which I think is so unusual when combined with such a powerful brain and intellect, which generally give more or less force or hastiness of temper to the character. Yet I can confidently express my believe that during the five years in Beagle he was never known to be out of temper, or to say one unkind or

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hasty word of, or to, anyone. You will therefore readily understand how this, combined with the admiration of his energy and ability, led to our giving him the name of "The dear old Philosopher".

Stokes has given a good idea of the way in which he struggled against sea sickness – but he has

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[sketch of hammock, seat, table, seats, drawers]

not said that the narrow space at end of the chart table was his only accomodation for working, dressing, and sleeping, the hammock being left hanging over his head by day when the sea was at all rough, that he might lay in it with a book in his hand when he could not any longer sit at the table. His only stowage for clothes being several small drawers in the corner

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reaching from deck to deck, the top one being taken out when the hammock was hung up, without which space there was not length for it, so then the foot clews took the place of the top drawer.

For specimens &c he had a very small cabin under the T[op].G[allant]. Forecastle.

It is always a great satisfaction to me to look back on my having been instrumental in his trying Hydropathy which he said "had given him a new lease of life." Before going to Falklands – I think it must have been about 1849 – I was staying a few days with him; he was

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very weak and could only take a very short walk. I had heard many strong statements of Hydropathic cures, and had been reading a small book of Capt. Claridge on the great value of the treatment in all stomach cases, and especially very weak digestion and I thought his seemed just the case for it. I urged him to go to Gully's and give it a fair trial, at first he was very hopeless about it, but after pressing it more he said

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he would write to his father about it. I urged him not to depend on his opinion, as I believed Doctors were prejudiced against it: but I was much pleased when his father's answer saw a decided approval, only he advised that as it was the depth of winter he had better put it off to about April or May. I was greatly pleased some time after at receiving at the Falklands a

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letter, saying he had got better so quickly at Gully's that he would only remain there two months, so that he might get home again to his work, and have all the appliances fitted up for carrying on the treatment at home. He said he was better than he ever hoped to be again, and that it seemed to have given

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him a new lease of life. I think in later years he told me, that getting weaker in about eight or nine years he had gone to Gully's again and got much benefit but that the good effects wore off sooner.

I have moved into another house while our own is being doctored. While I was ill my second daughter had an attack of measles, and my wife sprained her ankle, which keeps her now on a couch, so true it is that misfortunes do not come singly.

[end of letter written across first page]