Ɛpsilon

To G. S. Ffinden   21 May [1872]1

May 21

My dear Sir

As you state that your funds fall short, I shall be h. to raise my S. by £10 & here enclose a cheque for £35, but I am not willing to go beyond this amount—2

Permit me to add that Mr Powell misunderstood me in supposing that I intend to subscribe in any case for the building of Vicarage.3 I did so only under the [1 word illeg] [circumstances] which then occurred.—

I sincerely hope that all your exertion & labour which you have taken about the Ch. may be successful & I remain | my dear s | yours —— | C. D.

ADraftS

1
The year is established by the reference to a payment for the repair of Down Church (see n. 2, below).
2
No letter from Ffinden on this subject has been found. In his Account books–cash account (Down House MS), CD recorded a cheque payment of £35 on 21 May 1872 for ‘Ffinden Repair of Down Church’. See also letter from J. B. Innes to Emma Darwin, 8 March 1872, and letter to John Lubbock, [after 21 March 1872].
3
Henry Powell had been vicar of Down until 1871. The lack of a vicarage in Down had been a long-standing problem for the clergy (see Correspondence vol. 16, letter from J. B. Innes, 4 December 1868).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.1 misunderstood] after del ‘mis’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8342,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8342