1 62 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xn 



will aloud. She desired her funeral to be as quiet as possible, 

 and that no tablet should be erected to her. She has left a 

 great deal of money to very many charities. . . . Hem- 

 mings and the maids will stay here about a month more I 

 should think; so that you, Georgy, will see them again, but I 

 fear Willy will not at present. . . . 



This had been a suffering year for my mother. Her last 

 child, Charles Waring Darwin, was born on December 6th, 

 1856. I remember very well the weary months she passed, 

 and reading aloud to her sometimes to help her bear her dis- 

 comforts. The poor little baby was born without its full 

 share of intelligence. Both my father and mother were 

 infinitely tender towards him, but, when he died in the 

 summer of 1858, after their first sorrow, they could only feel 

 thankful. He had never learnt to walk or talk. 



Charles Darwin to his son William. 



DOWN, 21st [18571. 



MY DEAR OLD WILLY OB WILLIAM, 



I am delighted that you went to Manchester, and had 

 so prosperous an expedition. You seem to have worked 

 capitally and seen it well. We are amused at your adoration 

 of the haughty Lady. 1 I quite agree with your admiration 

 of Gainsborough's portraits: one of the pictures which has 

 ever most struck me is a portrait by him in the Dulwich 

 Gallery. By the way how stupid it has been of us never to 

 have suggested your riding to Dulwich and seeing the capital 

 publick gallery there. Then, again, there are some few good 

 pictures at Knole. You want a jobation about your hand- 

 writing dreadfully bad and not a stop from beginning to 

 end ! After severe labour in deciphering we rather think 

 that your outlay was 1. 1:2. 0. and accordingly I send that, 

 but I hope it is too little to punish you for such a scrawl. I 



1 Mrs Graham by Gainsborough, now in the Edinburgh Gallery. 

 Her husband, afterwards Lord Lynedoch, outlived her many years 

 and, as the story goes, could not bear to see the picture, and had it 

 sealed up behind panelling. It was forgotten and only discovered 

 60 yeara after his death. 



