come upon you with somewhat the effect of a surprise;
that may, however, have the healthy influence of a stimulus to
action, and a help towards excellence. Believe me ever, my dear
son, your affectionate father.

DUTIES OF A LANDOWNER

In the second letter Mr. Gladstone informed W. H. Gladstone that he had
at Chester that morning (Oct. 23, 1882), along with Mrs. Gladstone,
executed the deeds that made his son the proprietor of Mr. Gladstone's
lands in Flintshire, subject to the payment of annuities specified in
the instrument of transfer; and he proceeds:--

I earnestly entreat that you will never, under any circumstances,
mortgage any of your land. I consider that our law has offered to
proprietors of land, under a narrow and mistaken notion of
promoting their interests, dangerous facilities and inducements to
this practice; and that its mischievous consequences have been so
terribly felt (the word is strong, but hardly too strong) in the
case of Hawarden, that they ought to operate powerfully as a
warning for the future.

You are not the son of very wealthy parents; but the income of the
estates (the Hawarden estates and mine jointly), with your prudence
and diligence, will enable you to go steadily forward in the work I
have had in hand, and after a time will in the course of nature
give considerable means for the purpose.

I have much confidence in your prudence and intelligence; I have
not the smallest fear that the rather unusual step I have taken
will in any way weaken the happy union and harmony of our family;
and I am sure you will always bear in mind the duties which attach
to you as the head of those among whom you receive a preference,
and as the landlord of a numerous tenantry, prepared to give you
their confidence and affection.

A third letter on the same topics followed three years after, and
contains a narrative of the Hawarden transactions already given in an
earlier page of this chapter.

_To W. H. Gladstone._

_Oct. 3, 1885._--When you first made known to me that you thought
of retiring from the general election of this year, I received the
intimation with mixed feelings. The question of money no doubt
deserves, under existing circumstances, to be kept in view; still I
must think twice before regarding this