Volume I Part 48 (1/2)

I shall to-morrow finish my last chapter (except a recapitulation) on Affinities, hoy, etc, and the facts see for mutability of species

I have beenout the chapter

I shall now, thank God, begin looking over the old first chapters for press

But my health is now so very poor, that even this will take

CHARLES DARWIN TO WD FOX Down [March] 24th [1859]

My dear Fox,

It was very good of you to write to h you seeot over some of them, in the recovery of your wife's and your own health I had not heard lately of your mother's health, and am sorry to hear so poor an account But as she does not suffer ; for mere life I do not think is much valued by the old What a tio backwards and forwards

We are all pretty well, and our eldest daughter is ihmy chapters for the press; and I hope in a month or six weeks to have proof-sheets I a that I have no sensation that I overwork my brain; but facts compel me to conclude thatWe are resolved to go for two or three months, when I have finished, to Ilkley, or soood start, for it certainly has been wretched of late, and has incapacitatedYou do me injustice when you think that I work for fame; I value it to a certain extent; but, if I know myself, I work frolad I should be if you could soet a little better, as I still hope to be We have set up a billiard table, and I find it does ood, and drives the horrid species out of my head Farewell, my dear old friend

Yours affectionately, C DARWIN

CHARLES DARWIN TO C LYELL Down, March 28th [1859]

My dear Lyell,

If I keep decently well, I hope to be able to go to press witha little advice from you From an expression in Lady Lyell's note, I fancy that you have spoken to Murray Is it so? And is he willing to publish , and what has passed, I will then write to him Does he know at all of the subject of the book? Secondly, can you advise me, whether I had better state what terms of publication I should prefer, or first ask him to propose terms? And what do you think would be fair terms for an edition? Share profits, or what?

Lastly, will you be so very kind as to look at the enclosed title and give me your opinion and any criticisms; you must re, I have a er and full book on the same subject nearly ready

My Abstract will be about five hundred pages of the size of your first edition of the 'Ele you with the above queries; and you shall have no oes ith you, and that you are getting on with your various works

I a to finish and be free and try to recover some health

My dear Lyell, ever yours, C DARWIN

Very sincere thanks to you for standing my proxy for the Wollaston Medal

PS Would you advise me to tell Murray that my book is not more UN-orthodox than the subject in ofin any discussion about Genesis, etc, etc, and only give facts, and such conclusions from them as seem to me fair

Or had I better say NOTHING to Murray, and assume that he cannot object to this ical Treatise which runs slap counter to Genesis

INCLOSURE

AN ABSTRACT OF AN ESSAY

ON THE