To T. H. Huxley   4 November 1873

My dear Huxley

Your intentions about poor Flower are most kind & delicate, as might have been expected. Under ordinary circumstances I ought not, I suppose, to answer your question; but as it is, I have no scruple in telling you that it was £50. Let me add that I did not communicate with him; but some of his & your friends did so, thinking that if he ever heard by chance of the affair, he w^d feel mortified at not having been informed.¹

You must be a much better judge how to act than I can possibly be; but it is my impression, considering the time that has elapsed & that the sum was not very large, that it w^d hurt him to refund it.

Would not any one think it was some mistake if he found a sum placed anonymously to his acc^t at his bankers’? If at any time you c^d think of some indirect means of aiding him openly, the case w^d in my judgement be very different. I hope the new climate may be of service to him: his death w^d be a grievous loss to science & to his many friends

ever yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. Do not bother yourself about Nitella; probably you will never have the spare time²