1887 POEM ON ME. DAEWIN 139 



approval and esteem, to all such fortunate souls 

 these letters and verses will appeal. For it is no 

 small matter in a man's life that he should have had 

 a passionate friendship for a great man, a real leader ; 

 and it is a still greater matter that the younger man 

 should have found his confidence, his devotion, his 

 reverence worthily bestowed. 



To Francis Darwin, Esq. 



18 Cornwall Terrace, Kegent's Park, N.W. : January 13, 1885. 



Dear Darwin, I will think over the conversations 

 and write you again whether there is anything that 

 would do for publishing. 



Meanwhile I send for your perusal some verses 

 which I have written at odds and ends of time since 

 he died. This was only done for my own gratifica- 

 tion, and without any view to publishing. But having 

 recently had them put together and copied out, I 

 have sent them to two or three of the best poetical 

 critics for their opinion upon the literary merits of the 

 poem as a whole. The result of this has been more 

 satisfactory than I anticipated ; and as one of them 

 suggests that I should offer the verses as an 

 addendum to the biography, I act upon the coinci- 

 dence of receiving your letter and his at about the 

 same time. 



It seems to me there are two things for you to 

 consider : first, whether anything in the way of 

 poetry, however good, is desirable ; and next, if so, 

 whether this poetry is good enough for the occasion. 

 The first question would be answered by your own 



