From John Thomas Austen   27 May 1863

Netherbury—

May 27—/63

My dear Sir,

I found your note on my return from Bromley on Monday.1 I was late & could not in consequence write to you that Evening— yesterday I left early for this place having a long journey before me— I have written by this post to Dennen and asked for an explanation relative to the transaction you have referred to.2 I do not understand it at all, it certainly looks as if he were engaged in some business which at any rate he ought not to meddle with. he ought not to have anything whatever to do with borrowing money at ten per Cent— The Bondsmen, he speaks of, are I suppose securities for the money advanced;3 as to his own bond, it is worth nothing at all— I will desire him to write to me immediately and I will then let you know what he has said for himself; you must not however expect to hear from me before Sunday Morning, as we have no second Post from this place either out or in, and I believe you have no second d⁠⟨⁠eli⁠⟩⁠very at Down4   I shall not get Dennen’s answer before Friday morning— I am staying now at

Slape House | Netherbury | Beaminster | Dorset.

I saw your servant at Bromley on Monday; ⁠⟨⁠&⁠⟩⁠ am sorry to hear that you are not well;5 if I had not been leaving home yesterday I would have rode over to Down & called on you, that we might have had some conversation on this matter. The affairs of the Bank are all right; no money goes through Dennen’s hands.

I remain | Yrs very truly | John Thos. Austen.

C. Darwin Esq.

PS. I do not re⁠⟨⁠turn⁠⟩⁠ home before the end of the week after next, we remain here till ⁠⟨⁠Wedn⁠⟩⁠esday next—

1
The letter to Austen has not been found.
2
CD had evidently written to inform Austen that George Dennen had been making unauthorised loans from the deposits of the Savings Bank, High Street, Bromley (see letter from J. T. Austen, 30 May 1863). Like CD, Austen, who was rector of West Wickham, Kent, was a trustee of the savings bank; Dennen was its secretary (see Horsburgh 1980, p. 303, and letter from J. T. Austen, 3 June 1863).
3
Bondsman: one who becomes surety by bond (OED).
4
Down received only one postal delivery daily, at 8:30 A.M. (Post Office directory of the six home counties 1862).
5
Austen may refer to Joseph Parslow, the Darwins’ butler (Freeman 1978).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4188,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4188