My dear Sir,

I am very much obliged for your letter, which I have considered attentively.¹ In my opinion it would be best for you not to write to the Athenæum, because M^r Butler is quite unscrupulous & he would in answer pick out some passages in your essay & say that they were borrowed from his book.² You could only deny this, & no one would take the trouble to compare the two. Everybody will see in what a bad temper Butler has written & will disregard his charges against you. M^r Dallas means to take no notice of him.³ Nevertheless if you decide to publish your letter I will get it translated; but in this case will you be so good as to strike out the passage about the first proof-sheets, for which reason I return your letter.⁴ Having utterly forgotten these proofs I wrote to Butler that it had never occurred to me to insert anything on the subject; & after reading the above passage in your letter he would not hesitate to say that I had intentionally told a falsehood⁵

I am sorry that you should have had the trouble of returning the Athenæum.⁶ It has surprised me much, seeing what the reviews have said about our book, & knowing that many strangers have greatly liked it, that the sale has not been greater, for the 1,000 copies have not yet all been disposed of. M^r Murray makes up his annual accounts in the middle of the summer, but I fear that there will be then but a small profit to transmit to you.⁷ It is good news that the German edit will soon be out.⁸

My dear Sir, | Yours sincerely. | Charles Darwin