Dear Darwin

I have gone thoroughly into the matter of the Steudel with Bentham Dyer & Oliver, & all agreeing that Mr Daydon Jackson was the only man well qualified by experience &c, I wrote to him, & had him here, when I asked him to put a plan upon paper, for doing the work on £200 per annum; & submit to me—¹

He sends me the enclosed, & says that the work will take 5 years or possibly 6. in so far as he can see.²

From the enclosed you will see that the first year will cost £262.0.6., the remainder £208.8.0.

Of course if you give £250 per annum it would be got out proportionally sooner,—³ It is however impossible to get a nearer estimate until the work is begun.

Mr Jackson asks £115 per annum personal labor, for which he would devote 3 days (full) a week to the work himself.—

We should of course all help. Please return Jackson’s letter with your views. I should not be disposed to say any-thing about the other £50 per annum till we see how the work proceeds.—

Mr Jackson could begin next February— we regard him as competent & entirely trustworthy.

I have been reading Lyells life with great interest. It is a great pity that it was not cut down to one volume, but as it is I am only too glad to get it in any shape. I really think that M^rs Lyell has given us a very important contribution to the history of Science.—& it does make one “warm to” Lyell himself.⁴ The accounts of the early history of the Geological, it’s dinners &c, are most entertaining & instructive; so too is the substance of many of his journeys, in which he chronicles the labor of many good men whose names deserve to be remembered. The account of Cuvier, & his way of working, is most curious. The letters to Herschel, are the best, they are evidently very careful compositions.⁵

Do you observe certain passages that seem to prove that he never could expected to come into the Kinnordy property on his father’s death? & that on the contrary he looked from an early age to providing himself with a modest competency for his latter days.⁶

I cannot but think there is some utter misconception as to his father having deceived him as to Kinnordy. The latter was always regarded as a most upright honorable man; he was not wealthy, & he left 2 sons (one in bad health) with nothing but their pensions & 4? daughters (2 I think in bad health) with nothing at all, but the clothes on their backs.⁷

We go to Pendock on Friday for Christmas week.⁸

Ever aff Yrs | Jos. D. Hooker.