ch. i.] THE DARWINS. 3 



ecdote with some such phrase as, " My father, who was the 

 wisest man I ever knew," &c. It was astonishing how clear- 

 ly he remembered his father's opinions, so that he was able 

 to quote some maxim or hint of his in many cases of illness. 

 As a rule he put small faith in doctors, and thus his unlim- 

 ited belief in Dr. Darwin's medical instinct and methods of 

 treatment was all the more striking. 



His reverence for him was boundless, and most touching. 

 He would have wished to judge everything else in the world 

 dispassionately, but anything his father had said was re- 

 ceived with almost implicit faith. His daughter, Mrs. 

 Litchfield, remembers him saying that he hoped none of his 

 sons would ever believe anything because he said it, unless 

 they were themselves convinced of its truth a feeling in 

 striking contrast with his own manner of faith. 



A visit which Charles Darwin made to Shrewsbury in 

 1869 left on the mind of the daughter who accompanied 

 him a strong impression of his love for his old home. The 

 tenant of the Mount at the time, showed them over the 

 house, and with mistaken hospitality remained with the 

 party during the whole visit. As they were leaving, Charles 

 Darwin said, with a pathetic look of regret, " If I could 

 have been left alone in that green-house for five minutes, I 

 know I should have been able to see my father in his wheel- 

 chair as vividly as if he had been there before me." 



Perhaps this incident shows what I think is the truth, 

 that the memory of his father he loved the best, was that of 

 him as an old man. Mrs. Litchfield has noted down a few 

 words which illustrate well his feeling towards his father. 

 She describes him as saying with the most tender respect, 

 " I think my father was a little unjust to me when I was 

 young ; but afterwards, I am thankful to think I became 

 a prime favourite with him." She has a vivid recollection 

 of the expression of happy reverie that accompanied these 

 words, as if he were reviewing the whole relation, and the 

 remembrance left a deep sense of peace and gratitude. 



Dr. Darwin had six children, of whom none are now liv- 

 ing : Marianne, married Dr. Henry Parker ; Caroline, mar- 

 ried Josiah Wedgwood ; Erasmus Alvey ; Susan, died unmar- 

 ried ; Charles Robert ; Catharine, married Rev. Charles 

 Langton. 



The elder son, Erasmus, was born in 1804, and died un- 

 married at the age of seventy-seven. 



His name, not known to the general public, may be re- 



