From William Spence   11 September 1856

My dear Sir,

Alas! Poor Yarrell!

Very many thanks for the Hitcham Programme which I have read as I always do with real gratification, feeling what a large amount of happiness your meetings diffuse & what extensive good they do. I shall be very glad to see the Report you are so good as to promise me. I don’t think Bull went at all too far in calling yours a model parish, for in having bad subjects your are only neighbour like but where shall we find such attention paid to the temporal & mental progress, as well as the spiritual, of the people as with you? Further I reflect how many repelling obstacles you must meet with, I cannot enough express the admiration I have always felt at your unvaried perserverance in effecting so much good.

I have been so much occupied of late having my son and daughter & twin grandchildren a visit, & having had to correct the proofs in all haste (one day of 4 sheets) of a third thousand of our cheap edition that I have not yet been able to read the Athenaeum reports of the Cheltenham meeting, but I hunted out the reference to your report as to typical arrangements for Museums & was glad to see there is every prospect of your excellent ideas being carried out.

I am glad you have made some Entomological Comments. My cheap edition experiment has answered completely, for while the sale of the 6th Ed ⁿ edition had dwindled down to 20 a year, that of the 7 ^th has averaged 20 a day (2000 in 3 months) & a work considered by Longmans as defunct has sprung up into a renewed vitality greater than it ever had;

I am | my dear Sir | yours most truly | W. Spence