DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882). Naturalist.
Letter Signed (text in the hand of Emma Darwin) with autograph postscript [to William Walmisley] Baxter (d.1900), 4 pages 8vo, Down, Beckenham, 4 September 1873. A good scientific letter to a chemist in Bromley, ordering salts which he is ashamed to buy from Hopkins and Williams, who charge him 'such an extremely low rate'

'... Would you oblige me by procuring from any trustworthy source the salts in the enclosed list? [list no longer present]. I am much out of health, & if you wd make solutions of these salts in doubly distilled water, at the rate of two grains to two ounces of water, weighing the salts & measuring the water with great care, & charging me for all the unusual care, this wd be a great assistance to me. I specify doubly distilled water because the plant on which I am experimenting, is certainly acted on by less than one millionth of a grain of phosphate of ammonia. ...'

Darwin continues with futher scientific detail, adding that 'my knowledge of chemistry is 40 yrs old', and in the postscript urging speed 'as I am anxious to finish my work'.

See The Calendar of the correspondence, where the present letter appears as number 9042. The original appears to be as yet unpublished.
[No: 21382]