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| Archive Reference / Library Class No. | D8760/F/FEG/1/45/5 |
| Former Reference | D3311/122/10 |
| Title | Letter (seemingly incomplete) from Mary Louisa Dixon to her cousin Eleanor Gell, mainly about terms of settlement with Lady Franklin regarding the estate of Sir John Franklin |
| Date | [1854] |
| Description | Proposal of arrangements to meet up following change of plans by the Dysters; she would like to see Captain Collinson; ships the Eskimaux saw must be Eleanor's father's; comments on the purchases and property investements in Van Diemen's Land [now Tasmania] and Australia, and the financial worth of Franklin's estate; she states that she can not imagine a more liberal offer made by Lady Franklin or expected by Eleanor, offering to resign all her life interest and taking away all risk from Eleanor by turning it into money, as long as Lady Franklin was allowed quiet possession of all that was morally and legally hers; she will not give up the right to her £5000 in Australian properties, which Mary Louisa agrees with as right; if it goes to law, Eleanor will have to pay out the £5000 legacy and all the legal expenses and will not be able to include the expenses incurred by Lady Franklin with the expeditions; hopes for an amicable settlement and that Eleanor will agree to the terms offered |
| Extent | 2 sheets |
| Level | Item |
| Repository | Derbyshire Record Office |
| Sender | Mary Louisa Dixon |
| Sender Location | Reigate |
| Recipient | Eleanor Isabella Gell |
| Recipient Location | No address |
| Archive Creator | Eleanor Isabella Franklin, later Eleanor Gell (1824-1860) |
| Gell family of Hopton Hall, Wirksworth |
| Term | Inuit |
| Ethnic groups |
| Transcript or Index | Reigate
Thursday
My dear Eleanor
I write a few lines in haste just to tell you that as I have heard this morning that the Dysters are not coming to France after all till the 13th and as you do not think Saturday the 9th a convenient day for coming to us, we had better give it up and fix a better day when we meet. Marianne seems annoyed at this change of the Dyster's plans but till I know more of them I can say nothing of course about them coming to us.
How much I should like to see Captain Collinson. Surely the vessels the Esquimaux alluded to must have been your Father’s but it really seems to have been ordered that they should not be traced or found, in any case something happened to prevent the search being carried on and completed. One dare not dwell on second causes, one can only feel that mystery and no certainty have been permitted as part of the trial.
With reference to these miserable disputing about [?property] I own I do not see that Mr Pitcairn’s letter proves anything one way or the other except apparently his ignorance of the details of the different purchases which my Aunt seems to have papers, cheques, etc. to prove nor does it much matter if Betsy Island is worthless, whether it is said to have belonged to your father or to my Aunt exclusively. Remember what she says is this, that your Father’s Estate consisted of about £4,500, 1500 of which he invested in mortgages in Lincolnshire and the remainder he ordered Drummond to sell out for him whilst he was in V.D. Land, that he might invest it to good advantage in mortgages there. Those mortgages have now been ordered to be sold by order of your Uncle Mr Sellwood.
I remember if the proceeds of the sale do not amount to what was given for them my Aunt pledged herself in that paper of proposed agreement to make up to you the sum of £10000 in money which including the remains of the pay, she believes to be the full extent of your Father’s Estate; if it should prove to be more the surplus to be yours also. I might again repeat that a more liberal offer than this could not be made by her or I should have thought expected by you. She offers to resign all life interest in her husband’s estate and to take off all risk from you by turning it into money, if she is only left in quiet and undisturbed possession of what is undoubtedly her own morally and those who are the best judges seem to say legally also. I am quite certain that she will never resign her right to the proceeds of her own £5000 in V.D. Land and Port Phillip, she will never give up her sole legal claim to the money of the Deed Polls or her right to claim or inherit a third of her husband’s pay. I must say I think she is perfectly right. If you drive her to law besides all the law expenses you will have to pay her out of the estate the £5000 legacy left by the will, as she can prove, remember, that she had your Father’s sanction & power of attorney for selling out what she pleased so that you could not make what she has sold out of her own for the Expeditions count. She may claim it as such but you cannot force it. Oh pray would a law suit for your own & your…..
[part of page seemingly torn off]
……and that the agreement between the 2 parties will soon be legally and amicably settled. This last arrival of papers from V.D, Land, seems to make her exclusive right to the proceeds of her now £5000 in V.D. Land and Port Phillip more decided than ever and consequently makes it more than ever your policy as well as duty to accede to the terms she has proposed, and withdraw your claims to that as well as other property of hers. How glad shall I be when all is settled and sanctioned by the Chancellor!
With Anna’s love
Your affectionate cousin
M. Louisa Dixon.
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