The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Litchfield, Henrietta Emma née Darwin. 1882.05.12. Letter to William Erasmus Darwin. CUL-DAR210.12.11. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 8.2023. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR210.12 contains Correspondence concerning Anthony Rich (1878-1885).

"Rich, Anthony, 1804-91. Chappel Croft, Heene, Worthing, Sussex. Honorary Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. 1878 R made a will leaving nearly all his property to CD, on death of himself, then 74, and his sister; at that time it included some property in Cornhill, London, with income above £1,000. As CD predeceased R, CD's children wrote to R in May 1882 expressing how grateful they were for his generous intention of leaving his property to CD. They also said R was free to alter his will. In the return letter R wrote "nothing could induce me to alter it in that respect. It is a source of pleasure and pride to me to think that it could have been in my power to do anything which would give him ever so small an amount of gratification, and I am equally pleased to think that, when my course is also run, property which belonged to me will descend to the worthy children of so noble a man". ED2:259." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)

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4 Bry

May 12 82

My dear W.

Thank you for your letter. I am glad to learn that you feel as open as you do on the question. I cannot conceive my letter wounding his feelings [Anthony Rich], but I am sure that a letter could be written laying the essential thing─ that we refuse to consider

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him bound in honour by anything he may have said to Father─ in a perfectly inoffensive & grateful way.

I entirely agree as [illeg] into no particulars as to amount of money─ He can get a copy of the will at any moment if he wants to know─ & I have no wish to argue with him.

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There seem to me ~~two~~ several distinct & ~~grave~~ weighty advantages in writing over speaking.

(1) It is a case in wh. we want to know exactly what we have said & to avoid discussion:

(2) If you speak to him he cannot avoid protesting at once that has no intention & ever will have any of changing his mind. This ~~at once cancel~~ obliterates the effect of anything you

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may have said─ written words do not disappear in the same way & he has time to think before he answers─ or one might ask him not to answer at all

(3) Supposing after Mr R's death it appears that there is someone who has or considers he has a claim to feel injured by the will. Some such letter as mine will be a proof that we used no undue influence & that what he has done has been of his own free will.

This is now all I have to say─ your affect H.E.L.

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)