Dear Mr. Darwin,

I think Huxley’s judgm^t. will be a safe one on the question of reply^g. to Butler—unless it be perhaps that he is himself horribly pugnacious & w^d. naturally be for fighting¹

I still cannot frame to myself any answer w^h w^d. be of the slightest use, or logically sound, except it confine itself to a mere reiterⁿ. of what you’ve already told B. If such a reply seems any good it might be in such form as I have put down on back of this. I do think it of the most supreme importance not to allude to B.’s pretending to think you untrustworthy—and that any reply sh^d. be absolutely without feeling.²

Always Yrs affec. | R. B. L.

Evolⁿ. Old & New³

Sir,

I have read the statement by M^r. S. Butler w^h. appeared in y^r. columns of Sat^y last under the above heading, as to my having omitted to mention, in the preface to the lately issued translⁿ of D^r. Krause’s Essay on Erasmus Darwin, that his paper had been somewhat altered before being thus republished.⁴ As Mr. Butler quotes my letter to him in w^h. I informed him that this omission was accidental, & that it sh^d. be corrected in case of the little book reaching a Second Edition, I do not see that I need trouble y^r. readers with any further observations on the matter.⁵