[CHAP, xii 



CHAPTER XII 



18531859 



Eastbourne and Chobham Camp Miss Langdon at Hartfield Syd- 

 ney Smith's Life A month in London Florence Nightingale 

 A High-church wedding Sarah Wedgwood's death Our early 

 life at Down Letters to William Darwin His speech at 

 Cambridge Moor Park The Origin of Species Two letters 

 from my mother to my father on religion. 



THIS year we had an unusually dissipated summer, going 

 first for three weeks to Eastbourne and thence to the Harry 

 Wedgwoods. Their house, The Hermitage, was not far 

 from Chobham Camp. At that time summer manosuvres 

 on any large scale were almost unknown, and our visit was 

 planned in order to see what we could of the camp with its 

 mimic warfare. I well remember my father's intense enjoy- 

 ment of the whole experience. Admiral Sulivan, his old 

 shipmate on board the Beagle, showed us about and 

 greatly added to our pleasure. I remember sharing in the 

 glow of my father's happy excitement, and can almost 

 hear the jingle of the galloping horses. We nearly had 

 the same experience as that of Mr Pickwick at Chatham, 

 and had to run for our lives between two advancing 

 armies. 



We were now six children at home. I have no clear recol- 

 lection of my mother's often playing with us, although the 

 picture comes back to me of the furniture pushed on one 

 side, and a troop of little children galloping round the room, 

 whilst she played what was called the ' galloping tune," 

 composed by herself, and very well suited for its purpose. 

 Another memory is of several nursery songs she used to sing 

 to us " When good King Arthur ruled this land," and 



There was an old woman as I've heard tell," and a par- 

 ticular lilt for the babies when they were being joggled on 

 her knee. She was courageous, even rash, in what she let 

 her children do. My brother William was taught to ride 



