My dear Sir

Your letter, like every one that I have received from you, has been a mine of wealth & has interested me greatly.¹ But first for the most important point, viz your Book of Travels, & I hearily rejoice that you intend publishing.² I sh^d. think that you could not have a more respectable or pleasanter publisher than M^r Van Voorst.—³ At the same time, I apprehend, there can be no doubt that Murray has much greater power of getting large distribution. Murray has the character of being a very liberal paymaster & I am sure I have found him most liberal & pleasant to deal with. Of course every publisher will be cautious with a new author. If your Book should turn out popular (& there is some little mere luck in this) it would be a thousand pities that it sh^d. not be in hands that could press its sale. I cannot remember that M^r V. Voorst has ever had very large sale for any of his Books.— On other hand M^r V. V. would better appreciate your scientific character than M^r Murray.—⁴ This is all the advice I can give; except that I rejoice I went to Murray with the Origin.—⁵

By the way here is case in point! Colburn did not value my Journal of Researches & would never, I am sure, have published a second Edit. I took it from Colburn & sold it to Murray & it has long & great sale up to present day.—⁶ — If you sh^d. decide on M^r Murray, & if you would so like I shall be most happy to write to M^r. Murray & can most truly tell him how much I appreciate the force of intellect & knowledge & style of your letters to me.—⁷ What terms he would offer you I cannot conjecture: he would, no doubt, wish to see some M.S.— As an old hackneyed author let me give you a bit of advice, viz to strike out every word, which is not quite necessary to connect subjects & which would not interest a stranger. I constantly asked myself, would a stranger care for this? & struck out or left in accordingly.— I think too much pains cannot be taken in making style transparently clear & throwing eloquence to the dogs. I hope that you will not think these few words impertinent.— (I would sell only 1^st. Edition.)—⁸

Now for a few words on Science.— Many thanks for facts on Neuters. You cannot tell how I rejoice that you do not think what I have said on subject absurd.—⁹ Only 2 persons have ever noticed it to me!— Viz the bitter sneers of Owen in Eding. Review, & my good friend & supporter Sir C. Lyell, who could only screw up courage to say “well you have manfully faced the difficulty”.—¹⁰

What a wonderful case of Volucella, of which I had never heard; I had no idea such a case occurred in nature: I must get & see specimens in Brit. Museum.—¹¹ I hope & suppose you will give a good deal of Nat. History in your Travels; everyone cares about Ants— more notice has been taken of Slave Ants in the Origin that of any other passage.—

I fully expect to delight in your Travels. Keep to simple style as in your excellent letters,—but I beg pardon   I am again advising.

What a capital paper yours will be on mimetic resemblances.—¹² You will make quite a new subject of it.— I had thought of such cases as a difficulty. & once when corresponding with D^r. Collingwood, I thought of your explanation; but I drove it from my mind, for I felt that I had not knowledge to judge one way or the other. D^r. C., I think, states that the mimetic forms inhabit same country; but I did not know whether to believe him.—¹³ What wonderful cases yours seem to be.— Could you not give a few woodcuts in your Travels to illustrate this?— I am tired with hard’s day’s work—so no more, except to give my sincere thanks & hearty wishes for the success of your Travels.—

My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin