My dear Huxley

I hope that the news in this note will please you. It gives me extreme pleasure to be the channel of communication. But I will narrate things historically.— A few weeks before coming to London M^r Rich mentioned in a letter that he intended to bequeath, or had done so (I could not make out which) his house, with all its appurtenances & the adjoining field to you.—¹ I could not make out whether he expected me to answer his letter, & whether he gave me the information as a secret. He said that he thought that you w^d. find his house useful for your Fishery work. So I thought that I had better wait, until I had seen you.— On leaving you on Sunday I wrote him a long letter explaining your new duties & told him that though I did not doubt that ⁠⟨⁠much⁠⟩⁠ sea-fishery work would be (& had already been) thrown on your shoulders, I did not suppose that you w^d require a sea-side house for your work. I added that you took your family most years to the sea-side, & that I felt sure that you would value highly such a bequest if he made it.² I did not of course say so, but I fancy you could let the house well for the winter to respectable persons & if sold I sh^d be astounded if it did not realise at least £3000. No doubt M^r Rich likes the idea of your keeping the house at least for some time.— Well to go on with my narrative: he answered my London letter at once & said that he had already added the Codicil to his will, leaving the House & furniture & land to you, but with a certain proviso about his sister which is explained in the letter dated March I.³

The first sheet of the letter ⁠⟨⁠h⁠⟩⁠as not been sent as it related only to myself.—

I did not feel positive whether he wished me to communicate this information to you, so without losing a post, I wrote suggesting to him that he had better enjoy the pleasure of communicating direct to you. But as you will see in enclosed letter, dated March 4^th, he generously wishes me to do so.⁴ It is a very nice letter & every word of it true.—

I hope that I have made everything clear.— More than once he has expressed to me a strong wish to see you again, but with much modesty declared that he could not endure the thought of asking you again. I told him that I well remembered your saying that you had enjoyed your visit to him & that if you could find the time w^d. run down again.— I told him in my Sunday letter how hard you were worked, & that we had asked you to come here & that you could not possibly find the time.—

The bequest is but a small one, but I hope that the feeling which has prompted it will please you.

I do not require to be reminded by M^r. Rich how much I owe to you for your uniform friendship & kindness to me.—⁵

My dear Huxley | Ever yours affectionately | Charles Darwin

P.S. I have registered this to prevent any chance of loss.— You no doubt will write to M^r R.— So will I just telling him that I have communicated with you.⁶