Darwin Correspondence Project

Down Farnborough Kent

June 19th

My dear Sir

I beg to acknowledge & thank you for the Balance of £183 ’ s 4 . d 11 now placed to my account at Mrss Robarts & Co.—

I should be much obliged if you would be so good, when you have leisure, as to let me hear what you think about my future prospects in regard to Rent. Now that wheat is not quite so low as it was & considering the prices of other products, fifteen per cent seems to me a large reduction, bearing in mind that the Farm buildings are new & that no timber or game is preserved. If the land when purchased was let at a very high rent, of course my remarks are not applicable.— As far as I can hear, 15 per cent is an unusually large reduction. I should like to hear what reduction the great landowners, namely, Ld Yarborough & Mr Christopher in your district, have actually made.—

Although I am on principle a free-trader, of course I am not willing to make a larger reduction than necessary to retain a good tenant; on the other hand I shd be very sorry to press hardly on a tenant. Whatever reduction is to be made, I shd think, (subject to your better judgment) had better, at least before long, be permanent on account of charges on the rent.

Nevertheless I must yet hope that agricultural produce will rise, for I believe prices on the continent, quite irrespectively of protection or free-trade, are below the average.— Pray do not until quite convenient trouble yourself by answering this. I will forward your answer to Miss Darwin who is interested on this point.

Pray believe me | My dear Sir | Your's very faithfully | Charles Darwin
J. Higgins Esq