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April 29/82

My dear William & George

Your kind letter has indeed as much surprised as affected me, & I do not know how to express myself under the pressure of feelings that have been so keenly tried during the past 10 days, & which the expressions in the "will" of my beloved friend have so soothed & calmed.

That one who we all felt towered so high above us all should have thought so lovingly of both Huxley & myself

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has strengthened that brotherly love that for so many years bound us together, to your father, & his family.

The noble gift – he has made me shall be reserved for some special expenditure, which will enable me to couple his name & memory with it.

The Catalogue which Botanists will owe to his devotion & liberality is progressing most satisfactorily; & I will soon send a statement of progress

I will take care to inform you when the next payments are to be made

I could not for a long time reconcile myself to the burial in the Abbey – though I could not but see & feel that it was the right thing; & I did not find the service such a trial as I did Lyell's & the Dean's. True enough the circumstance were different & personal feelings were not strung so high on those occasions; but on the other I thought the service altogether better, & the music more calming.

I do hope my dear friends

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though the coupling link which first united us all is gone, from our eyes, it is, as ever, present to our minds, & stronger than ever; & that I may be as privileged a guest at Down as of old.

Pray say everything you can think of for us to your mother, & I do hope we were right in hoping that you will still have Down as you common home – I shall look forward to going there again with unalloyed pleasure – chastened but not saddened.

Ever my dear fellows

Affectionly yrs

JosDHooker