Ɛpsilon

To John Higgins   2 August [1852]

Down Farnborough | Kent

Augt. 2d.

My dear Sir

I am really much obliged by your kind letter, but am sorry that I should have given you the trouble of writing it.

From what I had occasionally heard & seen in Print, & more especially from what I had heard from a distant connection, having considerable estates in Worscesterhire,1 I had thought that perhaps I could get some increase of Rent by lease. But what you say shows that leases are very unusual in lands under your care, & I confess I somehow quite forgot the very obvious (when recalled to one’s mind) importance of the probable effect on the currency by the wonderful Australian discoveries.2 This, I conceive, would be reason enough by itself against a long lease.

Again I beg to say that I am sorry that you shd. have had the trouble of writing & I remain My dear Sir | Your’s sincerely | C. Darwin

1
Edward Holland, lord of the manor of Dumbleton, Gloucestershire, was greatly interested in agriculture and owned large estates in Worcestershire.
2
CD refers to the effects of the Australian gold-rush. See also letter to W. D. Fox, 7 March [1852].

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.1 occasionally] 2‘c’ added
2.2 what I had heard from] interl
2.4 leases are very] above del ‘it is’
2.7 itself] interl
3.1 writing] over ‘&’
3.2 &] added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1485,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1485