Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-21
DARWIN'S HOME.
The Spot Where for Forty Years He
COmmuned With Nature and Learned
Her Greatest Secrets.
An Old Last-Century Home Cut on for
Days and Weeks in the Winter
From the Rest of the World.

place of so eminent man as Charles Dar-
win will always remain an object OF interest
to the educated world. 1t would not be easy
TO find within an equally short distance OF
London so retired, not TO say inaccessible, a
spot as the little Kentish village, which Is
thus destined to be forever famous as the
home OF Charles Darwin. 1t stands out OF
reach Of railway whistles, far of the high
roads 10 Limpsheld, Westerham and Seven
oaks, upon a small stretch OF table land,
whence two struggling lanes, which cross
each other in the center of the villsge, de-
scend TO rise again with steepness that
tired pedestrian would hardly care TO en-
counter on 4 sunny day. 1t is in a country |
of chalk as Is manifest to the eye IN the |
curved and grounded outlines OF the hills
but unlike most chalk districts Is in many |
parts we'll wooded; and this not merely with |
casual patches of copse or rings OF hrs, out
also with many trees of noble growth. Fine
beeches, rather backward at this high Level,
and only Just beginning TO put forth their
long brown pointed buds, find here
abouts many a hollow and creviee
of marley clay, whence their claw
like roots draw abundant nourIshment'
The famous beeches OF knockholt IN
deed stand but short distance to the south,
upon the hilltop, backed by the picturesque
timber trees of Earl Stanhope's park at
Chevening The other way, across the mar
row valley, are the shady slopes OF HOLLYWOOD,
so closely associated with the names OF Chat
ham, Pitt and Wilberforce. By far the
pleasantest route to Downe is over keston
common, around the moss-grown oak fence
OF HOLLYWOOD, or by the ladder style on the
summit OF Keston hill, across the park to
the corresponding style opposite to the lane
that leads, as a inger-pOst indicates, direct
to the visitors destination. Rising hence by
steep winding hollow way, cut deep into
the chalk rock. the stranger finds himself at
,,,fdrf of rich and almost level
pastures. Across these, the lane winds
about, the de-pointed spire OF Downe
church, coated with states, Is seen from time
to time rising among the horse chestnuts, and
the red-tiled roofs of the few shops and
dwellings of an English village. Some large
walnut trees, though now almost bare, east
in the summer time
A PLEASANT SHADE
upon the roadway from near the entrance
to the village up to the low fence of the
| church. which is in the angle OF the cross
way in the center OF the place. Strange
| faces are not often to be seen in this part.
| In the winter time, when the snow lies
heavily in the deep hollow lanes, it is no I'M
common thing for Downe to be practically
/ limited to its own resources, and almost en-
| tirely cut off for days, and even for weeks,
| from communication with the outer world.
| That the village suffers in some degree from
/ that common MISFORTUNE Oh the Chalk uOhus,
| a scarcity of water, is Is be inferred from the
circumstance that the village pump, which
bears the inscription, Erected by public
| subscription for the use of the poor of this
parish, 1S45," is now locked to prevent ex-
| travagant consumption. A nouce, dated
| last year, is, however, affixed to ii, whereby,
after a warning that it is under the entire
direction of the church warden and over
seers" application for a supply of water ito
any parishioner" is directed to be made "to
Mr.. John Palmer, who has charge of the
pump" Perhaps a more striking illustra-
ton of the isolation of Downe could
not be given than the fact that, al
| though Mr.. Darwin here breathed his last
at o'clock in the afternoon of Wednes-
day, the news which has since been
| received with profound sorrow in every part
of the civilized world was not known in
London until noon of the following day.
| In this secluded and beautiful district, at
some 200 or 300 yards only on the further
side of the village, the illustrious author of
THE Origin of Species by Means of Natu-
raj Selection" passed the last forty years of
his laborious life. Having finally given up
| his residence in town in 1910, soon after his
marriage, he found the retirement essential
to his habits of systematic study and of pa
tent investigation of
| THE LAWS OF NATURE;
| here IN the extensive grounds oil the
| old house which is soon to know him no
more, he conducted those botanical and
other experiments and observations of which
| the results are recorded in that long list of
| works wherein the doctrine OF evolution has
found inexhaustible illustration. "Downe
Court is one of the old square built eii-
| brick mansions of the last cen..--T5'o "niSn
bos hen added in more recent times gable
1891 80 Sv;th -.--sf1ef square-built wing
asINrfrraied portico on the corresponding
7 side. Shut in and almost hidden from the
roadway by high wall and belt of trees,
it seems the very ideal OF place for philo-
sophical seclusion. On the southern
i side OF the walled garden opens into
paddock or meadow equally retired,
| and bounded by a tract of under
wood through which there is a lovely
view of the marrow valley descending toward
Tatsfield and Westerham. In these extensive
additions to the grounds OF Downe Court
which Mr. Darwin had rented OF his intimate
friend and neighbor, Sir John Lubbock, he
had of late years been accustomed for the
most part to take his daily exercise with the
regularity which distinguished most of his
habits Up to ten or twelve years ago, his
tall figure, seated upon favorite old black
cob, was familiar object in the lanes round
about; but the unfortunate animal, seized
with fit one day, fell, and died by the road
side, after which it was observed that Mr.
Darwin was never seen to ride again. His
invariable hours for walking every day were
in the morning, noon day. and o'clock II
the afternoon, sometimes accompanied by
his sons, one of whom, Mr.. Francis Darwin
has long been established as a surgeon IN th'
village, but more often alone. Rising always
at the early hour of 6 o'clock in the morning
to take his cold bath-into which he was &C
customed to plunge both morning and even
ing-he breakfasted alone, and, after his frs
walk, was in his library as rule at O'Clock
: At O'Clock, when the post-boy arrived from
Farnborough, he would spend little tim'
in the dining room opening letters and skim
ming the papers, and in the evening woulS
E linger an hour or 60 in.tbe society of his fam
iIy, or of some Of those friends distinguishes
in the world of science, who occasionall,
i found their way to M
DOWNF COURT.