From Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin [16? June 1864]

My dear W^m

Uncle Charles offers to give us his pretty mare. We are a little doubtful about her as she has been down twice, & so I want to know if you w^d have any thoughts of her. Here are the pros & cons— (If we had you to fall back upon I sh^d be temped to try her very handsome but fat. very quiet but free goes very well in double harness & Uncle Ch. used to ride her. The bargain is not to sell but to shoot her. She never stumbles tho' she has fallen. Her companion has been killed incurably lame & that is the reason Uncle C. gives her up being rather too small for a London carriage so not worth buying a match for— just under 15 hands—

Hen is just come from London having seen a good deal of Hope— Mack. continues a good deal free from suffering tho' eating a mutton chop gave him great pain & made him quite ill.

Horace was in the 7^th heaven yesterday. He went with Parslow to the paper mills & a young Norman (Philip we suppose) took them over the works & gave them 2$\frac{1}{2}$ hours of his time which was very good natured. I suppose he saw how deeply interested H. was He talked about Mitcham & desired to be remembered to you—

I fancy the mare w^d hardly be strong enough for you to hunt being fat & rather slender in the legs—