Frederick Law Olmsted
SUBJECT FILE
Private Estates
Cameron, Sir Roderick
Clifton-Berley 
1889[*X*]      [*dupl. A*]
[*?*]


19th Jan., 1889.

My dear Sir Roderick:

We have received your note of yesterday.  
It would appear that you had not received a letter 
which we addressed to you in July last and of which 
you will find a duplicate enclosed.  Giving this your 
kind consideration you will be satisfied, I think, that 
everything has been done at and in regard to Clifton-Berley 
that could be with proper regard to instructions directly 
and indirectly coming from you.  We have had a 
strong desire to be allowed to direct operations such as 
you seem surprised to find have not been in progress.  
We have never dropped the matter; myself, my son or our 
Superintendent visiting the place or calling at your office,
hoping to hear from you or that you had authorized more 
to be done, at frequent intervals.  I personally was at 
the place with our Superintendent Oct. 23rd. to see that 
the lawn work had been properly done.  Either then or 
en route to California, I called at your office and was 
informed that nothing was yet known of your intentions 
or wishes. 

The first thing to be done about drainage was the 
removal of the water in the ponds; it being desirable 
before proceeding further to inspect the pond bottoms.  
We formed from the topographical map our plans for this 
purpose and gave directions on the ground for the operation.  
These directions were not carried out because as 
we understood you had countermanded them.  And the reason 
given us at your office for your doing so was considered 
by us as it was by your partner, a conclusive reason for 
not ordering any other work or putting you to the expense 
of more elaborate working plans for work upon and about 
the house until you should be heard from and should have 
approved the general plans that had been sent you.  It 
is to be remembered also that you had some distinct views 
about the stable, which might effect the general plan.  
Of those views we were to be informed by drawings to be 
sent us.  We inquired for them repeatedly but they had 
not been found.  

Expecting your instructions to proceed, as we should 
need the topographical map in order to do so, we have of 

-2- Sir Roderick'           19th Jan., 1889.

of course retained it.  It was last used on your ground on 
a rainy day and is not in nice order.  We will have a 
copy of it made and sent you in a few days.

Yours very truly,
Fredk Law Olmsted.

Sir Roderick Cameron.