Ɛpsilon

To Josiah Wedgwood III   [22 June – 10 August 1847]1

Down

Tuesday

My dear Jos.

I want to know, whether there is any objection (I can’t see any) to my consulting Mr Stokes,2 a stockbroker of repute & an old friend of mine, respecting a good security in a Guaranteed Railway for Emma’s money.3 In case I consult him, he must be remunerated by purchasing whatever stock I fix on. I shd. think & hope there can be no objection to this on your part.

The rest of this letter you can read at your leisure. I enclose the memorandum you sent me, as it will probably aid you in letting me know soon, what money I have to invest. diag 1847.

91 . 6 . 7 interest on Calls. 47 . 10 this for you Calls to be paid 197 . Calls paid by me on the 3s shares of 25£ 15 in late grand Junction ———

350 ” 16 . . 7 + interest ramme

You can pay the 15£ to Robarts & Co.4 Please remember any money properly interest will be very agreeable to me.—

I think I may as well invest all, for if there be any other calls they cannot be heavy & I will make Emma a present of them.—

I most sincerely hope, your troubles in my Trust affairs are pretty well over—

Please return the enclosed sometime; & I hope you will let me know as soon as you can, what money I have to invest; as now is so good a time.—5

As soon as I hear from Frank6 that I may write to Stokes, I shall do so the next post.

Yours affectionly | C. Darwin

Please read the first paragraph & send me a verbal answer by Frank.—

I wrote this, when I thought Frank was going up tomorrow; will you send me a line by return of Post—to first paragraph; I suppose the money will be ready on Wednesday next.—

1
Dated from details in CD’s Account Book and Investment Book (Down House MSS) (see nn. 2 and 4, below), and from the relationship between this letter and Correspondence vol. 18, Supplement, the letter to Josiah Wedgwood III, 14 August 1847.
2
Charles Stokes, fellow of the Geological Society, was a stockbroker in Threadneedle Street in the City of London (Modern English Biography). CD’s Investment Book (Down House MS) records that Stokes purchased shares in the Leeds & Bradford Railway for Emma Darwin’s trust fund on 21 August 1847. See also letter to Josiah Wedgwood III, [20? August 1847].
3
Josiah Wedgwood III and Erasmus Alvey Darwin were the trustees of Emma Darwin’s trust fund.
4
This £15 had been advanced to Emma Darwin’s trust fund by CD on 17 June and was repaid on 31 August 1847 (CD’s Account Book (Down House MS)).
5
During April 1847, and again in September and October, there was a financial crisis in the British economy. Stock and share prices fell dramatically until the Bank of England intervened in October and raised interest rates in order to encourage investments; CD’s reference is evidently to the possibility of buying while prices were temporarily depressed. See Annual Register 1847, Chronicle, pp. 119, 140–1.
6
Francis Wedgwood, brother of Josiah Wedgwood III and of Emma Darwin.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.5 on your part.] added; ‘on your’ over ‘—’
2.11 350] ‘3’ over ‘4’
4.1 I think] after del ‘Will there.’
10.2 suppose] before del ‘I m’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1043,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1043