To John Lubbock   23 February 1874

My dear Lubbock

I am going to beg a great favour of you, in the hope that you will be inclined to grant it. I believe that when I & my wife are dead this house would sell much better if the little wood which I rent from you belonged to the property.¹ In the Agreement the land is said to be 1 acre 2 rods & 16 perches. Now will you sell it me, which I sh^d prefer as I have not too much land for my cows; or if not, will you exchange it for part of a field of mine between this house & Luxted. The part coloured blue in the enclosed plan² will shew you the position of the land, & an area, (as measured by my son Leonard) approximately the same as your little wood. This I should be very glad to exchange with you. It is old pasture land, bought several years ago from M^r Wood,³ & you will see that it adjoins your own land. I think any agent whom you might send to view this field will admit that it is of considerably better quality than the field from which the wood was taken. A surveyor w^d have to measure off from my field the exact quantity, & I w^d of course make the new fence & pay all law & other expences.

Pray reflect over my request & if you can, grant it.

Believe me | my dear Lubbock | yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin