4, Old Palace Yard, S.W.
Feby 16th 1858
Sir,
I beg to thank you much for your letter of yesterday; and, since you are Kind enough to say that the search you are making will be continued, I would yet hope that the Settlement may be discovered –
It will occur to you that the settlement itself is the best evidence of its contents; next to that any deed <relating?> it; and then any secondary evidence of any such deed; and that until the two first mentioned means of proofs are shown not to be available we shall not be in a position to go into secondary evidence of the contents of the settlement.
In the absence of the Deed itself it is not impossible that you may have such an abstract of its contents as will afford the evidence which the deed itself contains; but seeing that your search is not yet completed I can only repeat my hopes of a favorable result to it.
I have already fallen in with the some evidence of the deed but it is not so good as I could wish –
Its touching the Pedigree which you say has been found I am not without expectation that it may be evidence upon one or two points on the earlier part of the Case on which the Atty General suggested that he should be glad of further research being made & I should be much indebted to you therefore if you could allow a copy of it (minus the Arms) to be made & sent to me, or will permit me to have the opportunity of a personal examination of it –
I have the pleasure of sending by this Post a printed copy of Lord Talbots Case; and I will endeavor to get a Press Order for a print copy of the Evidence to send to you in the course of a Post or two.
I have the honor to be
Sir
yr most obedt Servt
Richd: Nicholson
H. Fox Talbot Esq