I have given leave to two of our Companions to begin work on the twenty
acres of ground in Worcestershire, given us by Mr. George Baker, our
second donor of land; (it was all my fault that he wasn’t the first).
The ground is in copsewood; but good for fruit trees; and shall be
cleared and brought into bearing as soon as the two Companions can
manage it. We shall now see what we are good for, working as
backwoods-men, but in our own England.
I am in treaty for more land round our Sheffield museum; and have sent
down to it, for a beginning of the mineralogical collection, the agates
on which I lectured in February at the London Institution. This lecture
I am printing, as fast as I can, for the third number of ‘Deucalion;’
but I find no scientific persons who care to answer me any single
question I ask them about agates; and I have to work all out myself;
and little hitches and twitches come, in what one wants to say in
print. And the days go.
Subscriptions since March 14th to April 16th. I must give names, now;
having finally resolved to have no secrets in our Company,—except those
which must be eternally secret to certain kinds of persons, who can’t
understand either our thoughts or ways:—
£ s. d.
March. F. D. Drewitt (tithe of a first earning) 1 4 1
Miss M. Guest 2 2 0
April. James Burdon (tithe of wages) 2 10 0
Wm. B. Graham (gift) 1 0 0
Anonymous (post stamp, Birkenhead) 1 10 0
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£8 6 1