4 THE DARWINS. [ch. i. 



membered from a few words of description occurring in 

 Carlyle's Reminiscences (vol. ii. p. 208). A truer and more 

 sympathetic sketch of his character, by his cousin, Miss 

 Julia Wedgwood, was published in the Spectator, Septem- 

 ber 3, 1881. 



There was something pathetic in Charles Darwin's affec- 

 tion for his brother Erasmus, as if he always recollected his 

 solitary life, and the touching patience and sweetness of his 

 nature. He often spoke of him as " Poor old Eas," or 

 " Poor dear old Philos." I imagine Philos (Philosopher) 

 was a relic of the days when they worked at chemistry in 

 the tool-house at Shrewsbury a time of which he always 

 preserved a pleasant memory. Erasmus was rather more 

 than four years older than Charles Darwin, so that they 

 were not long together at Cambridge, but previously at 

 Edinburgh they shared the same lodgings, and after the 

 Voyage they lived for a time together in Erasmus' house in 

 Great Marlborough Street. In later years Erasmus Darwin 

 came to Down occasionally, or joined his brother's family in 

 a summer holiday. But gradually it came about that he 

 could not, through ill health, make up his mind to leave 

 London, and thus they only saw each other when Charles 

 Darwin went for a week at a time to his brother's house in 

 Queen Anne Street, 



This brief sketch of the family to which Charles Darwin 

 belonged may perhaps suffice to introduce the reader to the 

 autobiographical chapter which follows. 



