Darwin Correspondence Project

Down Bromley Kent

Dec 26th/59

My dear Sir

For the sake of my sons I wish if possible to buy a little more land.— I have £17,000 in Ry Bonds, which I could at any time immediately convert into money during the next two years; & by the latter part of this period I shall have £2000 or £3000 more which I could invest in land; or I could raise this additional amount at any time.— My object is to leave to each of my sons about 10,000 in value of Land, so that I do not at all care for the land being in one lot. I should greatly prefer its being in your neighbourhood, so as to be under your care & hereafter under your son's, together with my own & sister's & Brother's land which will ultimately come to my sons.— I should prefer the land not being low & requiring embankment & artificial drainage, as in some degree liable to costly accidents.

Now will you have the kindness to inform me whether you think it at all likely that you could meet with land of value from £17000 to £20,000 during the next two years.

I am well aware that I cannot at all expect high interest for land; but I must look at any purchase as in some degree of the nature of a profitable investment.— You must have many clients who have far higher claims on your consideration than I can have, who have indeed none except my Fathers friendship for you; therefore it is quite possible that you may have to look out for small pieces of land for others, in which case I should have small chance of suceeding in making a fairly good investment. May I trespass on your kindness so far as to ask whether this is the case.

Once before I requested you to look out for land, but before you found any I changed my mind; you need not fear my changing my mind this time, for I write now after deliberation & for my sons' sakes.

Believe me | My dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | C. R. Darwin
J. Higgins Esqe