Very Rev. Sir,—We hope you will not think we are taking a liberty if we venture to suggest that it would be acceptable to a very large number of our fellow-countrymen of all classes and opinions that our illustrious countryman, Mr. Darwin, should be buried in Westminster Abbey.
We remain, your obedient servants,
| John Lubbock, | Richard B. Martin, |
| Nevil Storey Maskelyne, | Francis W. Buxton, |
| A. J. Mundella, | E. L. Stanley, |
| G. O. Trevelyan, | Henry Broadhurst, |
| Lyon Playfair, | John Barran, |
| Charles W. Dilke, | J. F. Cheetham, |
| David Wedderburn, | H. S. Holland, |
| Arthur Russell, | H. Campbell-Bannerman, |
| Horace Davey, | Charles Bruce, |
| Benjamin Armitage, | Richard Fort. |
The Dean was abroad at the time, and telegraphed his cordial acquiescence.
The family had desired that my father should be buried at Down: with regard to their wishes, Sir John Lubbock wrote:—
House of Commons, April 25, 1882.
My dear Darwin,—I quite sympathise with your feeling, and personally I should greatly have preferred that your father should have rested in Down amongst us all. It is, I am sure, quite understood that the initiative was not taken by you. Still, from a national point of view, it is clearly right that he should be buried in the Abbey. I esteem it a great privilege to be allowed to accompany my dear master to the grave.
Believe me, yours most sincerely,
John Lubbock.
W. E. Darwin, Esq.