[Enclosure]

Derby

18 March 1785

My dear Friend,

I am glad you find yourself better by losing 7£— You may say with the Irishman “you have gained a loss”— but I should not advise you to sink yourself any further, but keep where you are.— The reason I advised you to emaciate yr.self so far was, because I believed your shortness of breath to be owing to some fat about the lungs or heart— so that you should occasionally weigh yr.self? fast pray only when it is necessary. If you could get false teeth, you would find that another consolation as you would speak easier; & if you could get it for it is but one piece cut to look like 2 or 3 teeth) made of ivory instead of the bone of the seahorse,² it would become dusky & look like your other teeth. I should recommend Beardmore to you in Poel-Courts Fleetstreet— I advised my Bro^r. at Elston to get .... tooth but I believe he thought it a sin & would not at all listen to me about it.³

M^rs. Darwin & M^rs. Erasmus, & all the branches & twigs are well & beg to be remembered.⁴ I sent your compts. to M^rs. Day, she is got into her new house at No 21 Prospect Row Birmingham & has a good tempered man to her husband & is very happy I believe—⁵ I hope your Son’s wife is better & beg my compt. to all of the name of Dixon— pray tell him we have not dared to cut the cheese he was so kind as to send us, as your Bro^r. said it must not be cut for two or three months⁶

Adieu God bless you if it be possible | from your affect. friend | E. Darwin

Derby

Mar. 30–91

M^r. Richard Dixon | Broomfield Mill | near Chelmsford, Essex

Dear Sir,

I have often experienced the readiness with which you serve yr. friends; as to these girls⁷ they ought to esteem you as a father— Now my conscience will not permit me to trouble yr. son Robert⁸ with them unless he will permit me to pay for their board, a guinea a week a piece while they stay with him— this I hope he will not take amiss that I offer; because I have no other way of repaying him by any kind of obligation at this distance from him, on these conditions I will send them up for 3 or 4 weeks, which will be an improvement to them, whether they get proper situations or not.

Your goodness to them requires, that I sh^d. tell you my whole design abt. them. I think to leave them when I die.— (NB. that is not till the next century)— the value of 500£ a piece, part in money & part in annuities—wh. last I design to prevent their coming to absolute poverty in case of unhappy marriage. If they marry with my approbation I shall give them 2 or 300£ a piece at the marriage & an annuity of the value of the remainder at my death. By this sum & some employment as Lady’s Maid or teacher of work they may be happier than my other girls who will have not much more than double or treble that sum, & brought up in more genteel life, for I think happiness consists much in being well in one’s situation in life— & not in that situation being higher or lower.⁹ As soon as I have your answer to this letter I shall give further directions to the girls at Birmingham.¹⁰

Pray send me a particular directions to yr. Son Robert that I may write a line to him with them, to whom & his family I beg my best respects & am dear old friend | Yours affection^y | E. Darwin

“D^r. Darwins comp^ts. to M^r. Thos. Dixon. He is come to M^r. Wedgwood¹¹ & stays till Tuesday morg. If M^rs. Dixon be not recovered from her indisposition the D^r. will be glad to see her at M^r. Wedgwoods’ at $\frac{1}{2}$ past seven any morning. If M^r. Richard Dixon Sen^r. be in London he shall hope to see him— Thursday Night”

A copy of the above letter was forwarded to M^r. Richard Dixon Sen.^r by his Son from London to Harfordend, Helsted that he might hasten his journey to London in order to meet D^r. Darwin & the letter is dated Friday (June) 17^th. 1785