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- Darwin, George Howard, Sir, 1845-1912 (x)
- 1879-08-23 (x)
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Show moreLetter to Mrs. Cookson about the stay at the Hotel and the people he has met there, such as Mark Twain and Ruskin. George speaks of his father, and his father's conversations with Mark Twain, "Amusing and interesting tho' not the least a joker". Transcription: "Waterhead Hotel Comston Sat. Aug. 23. 79 My dear Mrs [Cookson], I was very sorry to hear of poor young Ancrum's death, which I somehow missed in [the] Times. My brother Leonard who was here some days ago says he was very highly thought of in his service. How unfortunate you seem in your summer place this year, it does indeed sound dismal. I think you are right in making [] [] than this place, but at the same time this is very beautiful + has some -thing that the [] region has not, in as far as the hills are less rounded + more craggy than here. We have found this hotel remarkable comfortable + con- sidering the enormous press of tourists wonderfully quiet. We have a great advan -tage in having the permission to wander all about Victor Marshall's woods + garden. It is a much nicer place than Hallstead to my taste. He is away + has been so generous as to put his [Carriage] at our disposal + it has been of use several times for my father + mother - being much pleasanter than a fly. We are near neighbours of Ruskin + he has been quite cordial + indeed very friendly to my father, which is a [] surprising, seeing how he has abused my father's writings in [Fors] [Clairgera]. Frank + I went over to dinner there the other day + had a remarkably pleasant evening. The party consisted of Mr R. Mr and Mrs Severn, who look after him + take care of him [the] young Oxford man Wedderhorn(worth a slight smack of young Oxford - His is Camb. prejudice-for he was a good soon of fellow too)-R's secretary Mr. Halyard + a Miss Anderson. I dare say you wonder how a rank Philistine like me, got on with this great man, but in fact he was very easy + agreeable + my good luck I had just been reading an interesting book- the (autobio) life of Ben Collins + I spoke of it + it set him off talking very pleasantly. It is very curious that he has alluded two or three times to having been "crazy". Mrs Severn says they have to take great care not to excite him now + I don't think he is really quite right now, for he always talks of the clouds + the weather in an odd slightly excited rambling way - not the least like making talk out of the weather. We have had another celebrity here in the shape of Mark Twain (Mr Clemens) + my father came across him in the hall of the hotel + had some talk with him, + found him amusing + interesting his' not the least a jokes. To return to Ruskin again I believe his finances are in a long bad way, tho' he has many thousands locked up in Turners; + I don't wonder at it. mrs I told us that whenever a german band came to the house he used to give them a sovereign + that their visits became very frequent so that they have had five in one day (I think they must have been like a stage army - round+round), + then he dropped to 10s + 5s. At last they became such a nuisance that he finally went out + told them himself that he wouldn't give anything; whereon the germans assured him that it was a mistake for [niece?] was a gentleman [niece] who always gave to them. I have been one or two long walks-former up in cold man + down another way, but I'm afraid I've turned unwell again. I am going on the [] on Monday, for about 10 days + then am going to visit Sir W Thomson on the Clyde + []. After that I am afraid I must go out to Switzerland to see poor Maclennan who I fear is dying. I shall only stay a week there I think. So I have journeying [] []. I am afraid you won't be in London until after I have gone back to Camb but I hope I shall be down again in Nov. I shall see you + hear of you [] [] if you won't honoour me by writing again. I wonder whether Mr [] ever got a pamphlet I sent him + still more whether he ever read it. [] I dont want an answer to this last wonder. You see by this note paper I am using up my last memories of my [] W Algers are the only paper I have yrs sincerely GH Darwin" Letter, signed by sender. Sent from Datehead Hotel, Comston.
The Robert M. Stecher Collection of Charles Darwin Books and Manuscripts
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