Dear Darwin,

Many thanks for your kind letter. I find that the Guardian which contains M^r. Hutton’s paper has not yet gone to the fire, so I send it to you by this post with this line to say don’t send it back as I make no use of papers but to burn—¹

It will be an advantage to have M^r. Powell in Downe rather than at Bromley.² I had not heard of any matrimonial intentions. Perhaps he has been visiting you and allowed your example to keep out of sight all the awful warnings; poor Henry Lubbock dragged to London when he wants to hunt; myself tied down when I want to go and see the Sultan with the Empress &c &c³—but if he really contemplates the rash act he will surely build a parsonage ^£200 ready & buy land ^£700 from Eccles Commission, probably ^£200 from Church building Society leaving ^£500 for him to pay beg or borrow; the extreme rate of interest and insurance being no more than he would pay for a bad cottage.⁴ I do not think there would be any economy in reducing the size and cost, a very comfortable small house would be well built for ^£1400, and as the Commission give half up to this, every ^£50 saved to Powell would be ^£100 off the building. You are aware that he first agreed with me to provide the ^£700 at once, and when it appeared his available means were not equal to doing this immediately he engages to do it as early as possible. I have no doubt of its being done, my dread is that somehow the site may be missed, as was so often the case with me. If Miss Wedgwood will take the ^£200 from me, I will buy it at once, and hold it till wanted.⁵ It seems to me so much to Powell’s advantage to proceed that if he does not I shall agree with you that he is not above the average in sense. It is rather Irish, but one fancies the large majority are rather below an average— Anyhow please do you and Miss Darwin,⁶ who are engaged as Counsel on my side look out that the site does not escape the Church—

We have a sudden outbreak of cold, and the hills are covered with snow. It will not be very pleasant to look on at my tenants’ ploughing match today in the Cold North wind, but we hope the Indian Summer is to follow.

With our kindest regards to you all | Believe me | Faithfully Yours | J Brodie Innes