oo robust for your state of nerves, and
that my society, after a little while, became oppressive to you. But I
do trust that your Cambridge visit has done you no constitutional harm;
nay, rather that it has done you some good. I only speak honest truth
when I say that I was overflowing with joy when I saw you, and saw you
in the midst of a dear family party, and solaced at every turn by
the loving care of a dear wife and daughters. How different from my
position--that of a very old man, living in cheerless solitude! May god
help and cheer you all with the comfort of hopeful hearts--you and your
wife, and your sons and daughters!

You were talking about my style of writing,--I send you my last
specimen, and it will probably continue to be my last. It is the
continuation of a former pamphlet of which I have not one spare copy.
I do not ask you to read it. It is addressed to the old people in my
native Dale of Dent, on the outskirts of Westmorland. While standing
at the door of the old vicarage, I can see down the valley the Lake
mountains--Hill Bell at the head of Windermere, about twenty miles off.
On Thursday next (D.V.) I am to start for Dent, which I have not visited
for full two years. Two years ago I could walk three or four miles with
comfort. Now, alas! I can only hobble about on my stick.

I remain your true-hearted old friend A. Sedgwick.

LETTER 571. TO C. LYELL. Down, September 3rd [1874].

Many thanks for your very kind and interesting letter. I was glad to
hear at Southampton from Miss Heathcote a good account of your health
and strength.

With respect to the great subject to which you refer in your P.S.,
I always try to banish it from my mind as insoluble; but if I were
circumstanced as you are, no doubt it would recur in the dead of the
night with painful force. Many persons seem to make themselves quite
easy about immortality (571/1. See "Life and Letters," I., page 312.)
and the existence of a personal God, by intuition; and I suppose that I
must differ from such persons, for I do not feel any innate conviction
on any such points.

We returned home about ten days ago from Southampton, and I enjoyed
my holiday, which did me much good. But already I am much fatigued by
microscope and experimental work with insect-eating plants.

When at Southampton I was greatly interested by looking at the odd
gravel deposits near at hand, and speculating about their formation. You
once told me something about t