To J. S. Henslow 26 December [1855]
Down Bromley Kent
Dec. 26th
My dear Henslow.
Will you look over the little book on Clubs sent with this.— It amused me, but it has frightened me about our Club,1 of which I am Treasurer & in fact Guardian. By the way our Club is in some degree your offspring.— What I want to hear is whether you think enrolled Clubs can be in such a dangerous state as he makes all Clubs to be in. I have thought of sending full statement to some Actuary for his opinion: can you give me any advice.—
Secondly, I have thought to advise our Club not to grant pensions for it has, as yet, not granted one.
Thirdly, do you think it wd be possible to enact a rule that the Club should buy off any member who went to reside at distance; but I fear that members would object, & I presume an Actuary would have to calculate value in each case. What think you? certainly a Club has very little check over a distant member.—
Will you return little book, which has been lent me by Mr. Innes.—2
Yours most truly | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Summary
Sends a book on clubs, which has raised some worrisome questions about the [Down Friendly] Club. Asks JSH’s advice.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1801
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Stevens Henslow
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 93: A48–A49
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1801,” accessed on 25 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1801.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5