i6o SIR GEORGE DARWIN 



Down, Jan. 24th [1868]. 



My dear old fellow, 



i am so pleased. I congratulate you 

 with all my heart and soul. I always said 

 from your early days that such energy, per- 

 severance and talent as yours would be sure 

 to succeed : but I never expected such brilliant 

 success as this. Again and again I congratu- 

 late you. But you have made my hand tremble 

 so I can hardly write. The telegram came 

 here at eleven. We have written to W. and 

 the boys. 



God bless you, my dear old fellow — may 

 your life so continue. 



Your affectionate Father, 



Ch. Darwin. 



In those days the Tripos examination was held 

 in the winter, and the successful candidates got 

 their degrees early in the Lent Term. George 

 records in his diary that he took his B.A. on 

 January 25th, 1868 ; also that he won the second 

 of the two Smith's Prizes — the first being the 

 natural heritage of the Senior Wrangler. There is 

 little to record in this year. He had a pleasant 

 time in the summer, coaching Clement, the nephew 

 of Sir Charles Bunbury, at his beautiful place 

 Barton Hall in Suffolk. In the autumn he was 

 elected a Fellow of Trinity, as he records, "with 

 Galabin, young Niven, Clifford, [Sir Frederick] 

 Pollock, and [Sir Sidney] Colvin." W. K. Clifford 

 was the well-known brilliant mathematician who 

 died comparatively early. 



Chief among his Cambridge friends were the 



