Ɛpsilon

From W. E. Darwin   23 May 1881

Bank, Southampton,

May 23 1881

My dear Father,

I dare say you do not care for the Dutch Government Bond paying 334 or the Dutch guaranteed Railway Bond paying about 414 which I mentioned a week or so ago, so that I think you had better continue the United States Bond at 312 per cent as they are perfectly safe. The Union Bank will manage the renewal for you if it can be done; but I am not sure that the U/S. government will renew all.1

I suppose you would not stand the following investment to the extent say of £1000; I am convinced in a few years it will be paying 7 to 8 per cent. Antwerp Water Works Company limited   Horace’s friend Easton is the engineer and I know has a very large number of shares, a friend of mine is Managing Director and lives at Antwerp.2 The Company has to supply the whole town of Antwerp which is growing immensely Herbert Norman3 is a director and has a very high opinion; the shares can now be bought a little over par.

I do not expect you to go in for it, but could not resist mentioning it.

If the United States will not renew all your Bonds, Manchester Corporation stock will pay you 312 per cent.

I am going on pretty well, but not entirely right yet— Sara is marvellously well.4 I am so sorry Horace & Ida cannot go with you5

Your affect son | W. E. Darwin

CD annotations

4.1 Manchester … cent. 4.2] double scored red crayon
1
CD had been forced to sell some of his investment in United States Funded Loan shares (see letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 May [1881]). William had been suggesting alternative investments but CD remained undecided (see letter to W. E. Darwin, 20 May [1881] and n. 2). CD’s bank was the Union Bank, Charing Cross Branch, London.
2
Horace Darwin’s friend was James Easton. Charles Crew was the managing director at the Antwerp Waterworks Company plant near Walem, Belgium (for more on the company and the technical innovations of the plant, see Craenenbroeck 1998).
4
William had suffered a concussion following a riding accident in March (see letter from W. E. Darwin, [13 March 1881] and n. 4). Sara Darwin was William’s wife.
5
Horace Darwin and his wife Ida lived in Cambridge. Horace did, in fact, join the Darwins on holiday on 2 June, meeting them at Willesden Junction in North London, from where they travelled together to Patterdale in the Lake District (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13170G,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13170G