From W. E. Darwin [14 July 1865]1
Southampton
Friday
My Dear Father;
The bridge over the Itchen belongs to a small company and they keep their account here, Mr Atherley being their treasurer.2
It pays very well about 7 per Cents on the average. They want to make me a member of the committee as they cannot make Mr Atherley as being treasurer. The members of committee get their guinea or so for meeting.3
But they require one to hold a share.
I wanted to know whether you would mind lending me a hundred pounds; as I don’t like reducing my own account too much for the look of the thing;4
Of course I could sell out something, & if one was not one’s own banker of course one could borrow the money, or keep one’s account low. If you could let me have it, I should repay some at Christmas. I dont suppose I shall want it for some time.
I hope you still keep improving & have no sickness it is a horrid bore I cannot have the boys; but they might come when I come back, which will be about the 25th.5
I shall have a hard day tomorrow, I leave here at 5 in afternoon and am in Dublin at 7.30 in the morning.
I shall stay Monday & have a look at Exhibition, & go on to Armagh on the Tuesday for the Wedding My direction will be up to the 21st G. Skipworth’s Armagh Ireland.6
I am reading Tylor’s Antient history & like it very much.7
I take my ice with me in a box, as it would be impossible to get any at 3 in the morning at Holyhead.8
You ought to get the new London Library Catalogue.9
My love to mama | Your affect son | W. E. Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Jones, Bruce Copley. 1960. Crossing the Itchen: the Itchen floating bridge and roads 1834–1934. Southampton: City of Southampton.
Tylor, Edward Burnett. 1865. Researches into the early history of mankind and the development of civilization. London: John Murray.
Summary
Wants to borrow money to buy stock in the bridge over the Itchen.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4873F
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Southampton
- Source of text
- Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 21)
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4873F,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4873F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24 (Supplement)