1 62 Charles Darwin. 



of character. They lived at the " Crescent," and 

 later at the " Mount," in Shrewsbury, where all but 

 one of their children were born. The old house, a 

 large red-brick building, is now owned by Mr. 

 Spencer Phillips. It stands on the banks of the 

 Severn, commanding a fine view, and supplied with 

 all the acceptable features of an English country 

 home. 



Dr. Darwin was something of a botanist, though 

 not in a scientific sense. He was tall, like his son 

 Charles, standing six feet two inches, and very large 

 and fleshy. His mental characteristics were similar 

 to those of his son, having a broad, tender nature, 

 with great sympathy for others. He was a man of 

 remarkable memory, and could recall the names of 

 so many persons and the date of their birth, mar- 

 riage, and death, that it was absolutely painful to 

 him. He was extremely skilful in prognosticating 

 disease, and was so prophetic in many of his sayings 

 that he was considered a wonder by the ignorant. 

 Dr. Darwin became the father of six children — 

 Marianne, Caroline, Erasmus Alvey, Susan, Charles, 

 and Catherine, of whom Charles and Erasmus are 

 the best known. The latter studied medicine, taking 

 a degree at Cambridge, but never practised, living a 

 retired and single life in London. Carlyle thus refers 

 to him in his " Reminiscences " : 



" Erasmus Darwin, a most diverse kind of mortal, 

 came to seek us out very soon (' had heard of Car- 

 lyle in Germany, etc.'), and continues ever since to 

 be a quiet house-friend, honestly attached, though 

 his visits latterly have been rarer and rarer, health 



