WCP1319

[1]

39 Grosvenor Park[,]

Tunbridge Wells

March 15th 1904.

Dear Mr Wallace,

In answer to your kind letter of the 13th [1 word illeg.] The Greenell & Hudson connection in business matters was a common topic of conversation between Mrs Wallace & Mrs Sims. I do not remem^ber the "Town Mill" by that name but the impression left upon my mind is that Mr Greenell¹ allowed Mr Hudson to gain & retain the Greenell business [2] on very easy, if not nominal terms: consequently the conclusion of the whole subject used[?] to be something like the following. Well, seeing that the Hudson Girls obtained their 40,000 each from the Greenell business — The least Miss H[udson]. could do would be to give or leave to us (The Wallace fam[ily]) her share, especially seeing [as] Mr Spence has no fam[ily].

And yet I have Mr Spence's letter which enclosed the £20/ Legacy to Fanny² from Miss [3] Hudson in which he says it is sent to Mrs Sims as a friend as she is not a blood relation.

Fanny took it very philosophically. I took it as a Lawyers['] Challenge, but made no remark.

If the Greenells & Hudson's and Wallaces are not blood relations it would be a kindness to enlighten ones mind upon the question.

What constitutes a blood relation?

[4] I have been used to Legal quibbles of many years ago, and it reminds me that Mr P. W. Fry invited me to dine at his House with the late Judge Houmen[?], the judge who sent the [1 word illeg.] to the Gallows[.] I made some remark about Law not being justice. He answered a court of Law has to administer the technicalities of the ^Law, & that man [1 word illeg. and underlined], generaly [sic] speaking, who can pay most, if he wants Equaly [sic] ^he must take his case to the court of Equity.

[5] 2) Moral right is never as much as thought of.

"I suppose you did not hear any thing as to this point?"

You say in your letter. It seems to me now that Mrs Wallace very often talked of nothing else and you know how she could romance.

Now as to the Roberts'. Mrs Roberts used to invite me very frequently. I was invited to go there every[?] Sunday for a change. I never saw the Father. I never saw Sussy[?]. The Father, Son, and Mother [6] are bussied [sic] in the pretty little church yard of [1 word illeg. and underlined] park. It is [1 word illeg.] one of those feudal benefices like [1 word illeg.][.] The churchyard is for the Household and village [1 word illeg. crossed out] Parish. Mrs had to pray permission (like Abraham at the hands of the Sons of [1 word illeg.]) to bury her dead son in the grave of her husband. Miss Roberts had to do the same for her mother. I do not know where Miss Roberts is bussied [sic]. I do not know [7] the date of the buriel [sic] of either Father, Sussy[?], or the mother, but there are a great many old letters of Miss Roberts' which might give the dates.

I have met Mr & Mrs Foster at the Robertss Mrs Foster was Mrs Roberts Sister. They were well acquainted with the Wallace & Roberts pedegree [sic] but have been dead many years. Your Mother used to explain the reason of some complications in the Grand [8] father Roberts well in this way — father Roberts was so careless and spendthrift in his Habits, that something was done to secure the property to the wife & children & much more to that effect. About the Grand father insisting upon paying no more of Father[']s debts but sent him & his wife to the Continent to live economically[?] and allow so much per an[num?].

It is therefore likely that there there was some such in the Will as you suggest.

[9] 3) With regard to Miss Robert's Will I know nothing, but that Mrs Sims was at the Hylands at the time of her death and came home on the day or day after and she said that Mrs Gorringe[?] had come at to use once to her and said that Miss Roberts had made a [1 word illeg.] to her will and had given her the 60 £ per an[nu?]^m[?] as long as she lived. This was afterward denied. I asked Mrs Sims then if she did not think it best to go directly to a Married [10] Womans Commisionar [sic] and subpoena Mrs Gorringe[?] to give evidence; but replied she could depend upon Mrs Gorringe[?].

I have been as short in my answers as possible.

"And now as to the date or place of my brother William[']s death and burial!"

He died at my Fathers House and was buried on the left handside of the church [1 word illeg.] of Hambiret[?] Church. The date I do not remember but it must have been in 45' or /46. and it must have ^been [11] when Parliament was sitting or had but just closed because he had come to London to give evidence before a commitee [sic] of the House on the S. W. Railway and on his return to Bristol was put into a damp bed which brough[t] on inflamation [sic] of the lungs of which he died in a few days after his return to Neath.

It seems so long ago that although I have told you the facts I should feel very [12] shakey under cross examination. I should want to go to [1 word illeg.] to see the Grave Stone[.]

About [the] Mr Greenell portrait[;] I know the picture quite well but whether it was sold with the House or whether the Gorringe's[?] had a sale of their effects I know not.

I do not imagine that the Gorringe's[?] would care to keep the portrait, they were so full of their own importance[.]

Miss R[oberts]. seldom talked of family matters — when she did it was something about [13] 4) the harsh treatment her mother had received at the hands of her Father. I take it that the adoption of one of the Attara[?] Girls was a counter-balancing move.

I ought to revisite[?] the whole of this & put it in better form and fewer words, and would do so, but I have a few Station[?] pictures to copy & make into Lantern [1 word illeg. crossed out] ^{slides at} short notice and you would wonder why you had not had your letter answered. So I send it in the rough[?].

I remain | yours sincerely | Thos Sims | Dr A[lfred] R[ussel] Wallace FRS.

My Brother has just lost [h]is youngest son age 17.

75[?].