My dear M^r. Darwin,

Next to the pleasure which it would give me to see you sitting in the chair vis-à-vis to me, is the satisfaction I feel at seeing your hand writing on the table before me.¹ That assures me at least that you have got safely home again, after your late course of “dissipation”, without any unpleasant drawback; but, let us hope, with much benefit to mind and body.² Surely it is good for man, and bird, and beast to break bounds sometimes and migrate for a season!— I hope that your son who resides at Southampton³ entertains that opinion; and that he will attest the sincerity of his belief by paying me a visit, long or short as suits him best, sometime during the present summer. An old acquaintance whom you have heard me speak of, M^r. Fred. Hand, is coming here on Saturday for a few days, in order to bring with him for my signature the lease of one of the premises on that sacred mount in the heart of the City which grows bricks instead of olives, and sprouts with “Shekels” and golden “Bezants” instead of coins. Here the entire block of 4. houses will be advantageously let for seven years from Lady day last past—⁴

On the 10^th. June my brother’s widow⁵ will pass a day and night here on her return from Bishopstoke, where she has been for the last few weeks arranging matters, as she has let her house for three years—never I fancy to return there— With those exceptions the gates of my hermitage will be thrown wide open at any time to the hoped for visitor from Southampton.—

Thanks, many, for what you say about the photographs. I will acknowledge the receipt of them, directly to the sender, if I discover his proper address. For it would never do to convert a Colonel into a Lieutenant—otherwise your son would be saying—“What fool is this my father has picked up, who has not got the Army list at his finger’s ends”?—⁶ I really do sometimes [reflect] that the Chinaman must have been thinking of myself when he called some one an “outside barbarian”.—⁷

I will now have mercy upon you, and relieve you from any further button-holding; excepting only to beg that you will present my compliments to M^rs. Darwin; and assure yourself, if such assurance were needed, of the very great delight it has been to me to meet in personal intercourse a gentleman whose scientific labours and commanding intellect have long since engaged my respectful admiration, and to find how kind, and genial, and indulgent he could be in actual converse with—a mere school boy in all but years & thoughtlessness—⁸

Very truly yours | Anthony Rich