20 THE DARWIN FAMILY. 



Dr. Darwin had six children : * Marianne, married Dr. 

 Henry Parker ; Caroline, married Josiah Wedgwood ; Eras- 

 mus Alvey ; Susan, died unmarried ; Charles Robert ; Cathe- 

 rine, married Rev. Charles Langton. 



The elder son, Erasmus, was born in 1804, and died un- 

 married at the age of seventy-seven. 



He, like his brother, was educated at Shrewsbury School 

 and at Christ's College, Cambridge. He studied medicine at 

 Edinburgh and in London, and took the degree of Bachelor 

 of Medicine at Cambridge. He never made any pretence of 

 practising as a doctor, and, after leaving Cambridge, lived a 

 quiet life in London. 



There was something pathetic in Charles Darwin's affec- 

 tion for his brother Erasmus, as if he always recollected his 

 solitary life, and the touching patience and sweetness of his 

 nature. He often spoke of him as " Poor old Ras," or " Poor 

 dear old Philos " — I imagine Philos (Philosopher) was a relic 

 of the days when they worked at chemistry in the tool-house 

 at Shrewsbury — a time of which he always preserved a pleas- 

 ant memory. Erasmus being rather more than four years 

 older than Charles Darwin, they were not long together at 

 Cambridge, but previously at Edinburgh they lived in the 

 same lodgings, and after the Voyage they lived for a time to- 

 gether in Erasmus' house in Great Marlborough Street. At 

 this time also he often speaks with much affection of Eras- 

 mus in his letters to Fox, using words such as "my dear good 

 old brother.' In later years Erasmus Darwin came to Down 

 occasionally, or joined his brother's family in a summer holi- 

 day. But gradually it came about that he could not, through 

 ill health, make up his mind to leave London, and then they 

 only saw each other when Charles Darwin went for a week at 

 a time to his brother's house in Queen Anne Street. 



The following note on his brother's character was written 

 by Charles Darwin at about the same time that the sketch of 

 his father was added to the ' Recollections ': — 



* Of these Mrs. Wedcrwood is now the sole survivor. 



