Ɛpsilon

To R. P. Hardy   7 September 1880

[Down.]

Dear Sir

I am much obliged for the great trouble which you have taken for the D. F Club, & which is by no means remunerated by the enclosed Fee.—1

I will communicate the result to the Club, & hope that the members will have the sense to abide by your careful consideration of their affairs.— You are so good as to offer to fill up the Valuation Return for the Registrar, which I herewith enclose; but for the loss of our annual balance-sheet, the Secretary will not be able to fill up the details.2

Be so kind as to acknowledge the receipt of the cheque.

I remain | Dear Sir | Yours faithfully & obliged | C. D.

R. P. Hardy Esq | Sept 7th | 1880.

ADraftS

1
See letter to R. P. Hardy, [after 11 August 1880]. CD had sought Hardy’s advice on whether the sickness benefits of the Down Friendly Club could be increased. An entry in CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS), dated 7 September 1880, records a payment of £3 3s. marked ‘Hardy (for valuation of Down club)’.
2
The chief registrar of friendly societies was John Malcolm Forbes Ludlow; see letter to J. M. F. Ludlow, 4 August 1880. The enclosure has not been found. The balance sheets for the club from 1868 until 1874 had been lost (see letter to R. P. Hardy, 11 August [1880]). Stephen Whitehead and Thomas Lewis were the last known secretaries (or clerks) of the Down Friendly Club; CD was treasurer.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 am much obliged] above del ‘thank you sincerely’
1.1 taken] after del ‘so kindly’
1.1 D. F] interl
2.1 the result] after del ‘to the’
2.1 hope] after del ‘I’
2.2 careful] after del ‘evidently most’
2.3 Valuation] interl
2.3 for] altered from ‘to’
2.3 herewith] interl
2.4 for the loss] above del ‘*now we shall be [above del ‘how to check’] able to fill up the [illeg] details seeing th’
2.4 our] above del ‘the’
2.4 balance-sheet,] above del ‘accounts’
2.4 the Secretary … able] interl; after del interl ‘from’; after del ‘believe that it will be impossible’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12708,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12708