| Description | Written from Deepdene. The letter assures Brunel of the quality of the testimonials supporting the worthiness of a candidate (for the post of Engineer) that Brunel has asked about and Hope's assurance that, if the vessel goes to sea, Hope is sure that they will not lightly regard the opportunity. The letter comments that Hope had written to Brunel the previous day regarding Hope's personal opinion about his position in the company and the reasons why Hope is not personally prepared to take responsibility for making various bargains that might prove an additional burden on an already financially taxed company but is sure that Brunel has done the right thing in engaging the engineer under the terms he has if he is sure that the ship will be launched on 3 November 1857. |