Ɛpsilon

To R. P. Hardy   11 August [1880]1

[Down.]

Aug 11th

To R. P. Hardy Esq

Dear Sir—

I am much obliged for your letter of the 10th. & for your offer to undertake the valuation.2 I shd. be much glad if you would send me the paper or form about the ages of the individual members, which I will have soon filled up; but there will be a little delay as I shall leave home on the 14th for a week.3

I fear, however, that it may be impossible for you to make a valuation, owing to the scandalous neglect of the members of this small Club.— Ever since its organisation in 1850, I have drawn up balance sheets & sent them annually to the Club, & have repeatedly charged the members to take care of them. Now I find that the box, belonging to the Club, has been left open & all the annual Balance sheet since 1867 have been destroyed, except those for 1875, 1877, 1878, & 1879.— I could with much labour pick out of my ledger how much has been paid for sickness & burial fees, during each year subsequently to 1870; & how much was received by the monthly payments; but I have no means of ascertaining what interest was received each year.4 Will you have the kindness to advise me.— I strongly suspect that the fund will not allow of any increase of benefit to the members, but they are convinced that this can be done, & nothing will satisfy them except the assurance of an Actuary, & I am not sure that they have sense enough to be even then convinced.—

Apologising for the length of this note, | I remain dear Sir, Your obliged & obedient servant | Charles Darwin

ADraftS

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to R. P. Hardy, 6 August [1880].
2
Hardy’s letter has not been found; see, however, the letter to R. P. Hardy, 6 August [1880].
3
CD was in Cambridge visiting Horace and Ida Darwin from 14 to 19 August, and then in London with his brother, Erasmus, until 21 August (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).
4
No accounts for the Down Friendly Club have been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL or at Down House.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 glad] above del ‘obliged’
1.3 will have soon] above del ‘wd’
1.3 filled] altered from ‘fill’
1.3 but … delay 1.4] above del ‘or get filled on my return home’
2.3 balance] after del ‘an annual’
2.3 sheets] interl
2.3 them annually] above del ‘th’
2.4 I find] after del ‘on sending’
2.5 annual] after del ‘tota’
2.5 1867] ‘67’ over ‘70’
2.7 burial] after del ‘deaths’
2.8 each] after del ‘the’
2.8 year] afte del ‘other’
2.9 each] above del ‘on those’
2.10 year] altered from ‘years’
2.10 Will] after del ‘as the *Post-Office will not return [interl] old [‘post’ del] Scy Bank Book’
2.10 strongly] after del ‘feel’
2.10 suspect] after del ‘convinced that’
2.11 are … convinced 2.13] pencil above del pencil ‘but they clearly think they will dissolve the Club, unless this is is granted.—’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12685,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12685