306 WORK ON 'MAN.' [1870 



prostrated me ; so that we left Cambridge next morning, and 

 I have not recovered the exhaustion yet. Is it not humiliating 

 to be thus killed by a man of eighty-six, who evidently never 

 dreamed that he was killing me ? As he said to me, " Oh, 1 

 consider you as a mere baby to me ! " I saw Newton several 

 times, and several nice friends of F.'s. But Cambridge with- 

 out dear Henslow was not itself ; I tried to get to the two 

 old houses, but it was too far for me. . . . 



C. Darwin to B. J. Sulivan* 



Down, June 30 [1870]. 



MY DEAR SULIVAN, It was very good of you to write to 

 me so long a letter, telling me much about yourself and your 

 children, which I was extremely glad to hear. Think what a 

 benighted wretch I am, seeing no one and reading but little 

 in the newspapers, for I did not know (until seeing the paper 

 of your Natural History Society) that you were a K.C.B. 

 Most heartily glad I am that the Government have at last 

 appreciated your most just claim for this high distinction. On 

 the other hand, I am sorry to hear so poor an account of your 

 health ; but you were surely very rash to do all that you did 

 and then pass through so exciting a scene as a ball at the 

 Palace. It was enough to have tired a man in robust health. 

 Complete rest will, however, I hope, quite set you up again. 

 As for myself, I have been rather better of late, and if noth- 

 ing disturbs me I can do some hours' work every day. I shall 

 this autumn publish another book partly on man, which I 

 dare say many will decry as very wicked. I could have 

 travelled to Oxford, but could no more have withstood the 

 excitement of a commemoration f than I could a ball at 



* Admiral Sir James Sulivan was a lieutenant on board the Beagle. 



\ This refers to an invitation to receive the honorary degree of D.C.L. 

 He was one of those nominated for the degree by Lord Salisbury on as- 

 suming the office of Chancellor of the University of Oxford. The fact 

 that the honour was declined on the score of ill-health was published in 

 the Oxford University Gazette, June 17, 1870. 



