To Edwin Lankester, Ray Society1 4 March [1851]
Down Farnborough Kent
March. 4th.
My dear Sir
Will you be so kind as to lay the following request before the Council: Eight Plates were granted me, of which two were to be coloured; I now find my materials (in part owing to new specimens received since my former communication) require rather more illustration; on the other hand, I think I can do very well with only three figures all three in Tab. I. coloured; now would not the saving of the colouring of one whole Plate & the greater part of another pay for one other Plate; if so, I should esteem it a great favour & assistance if the Council would on these terms allow me nine Plates.—2
I now address myself to you privately to know whether there could be any objection to my having (if I find it requisite) a 10th additional Plate at my entire cost; & can you give me an idea what the printing off & Paper for an octavo Plate comes to.— If you cannot, will you tell me how many copies are printed off, & then probably Sowerby3 can tell me rudely what the total cost wd. be.—
Lastly, some weeks since I wrote to Sowerby to ask whether his estimate had been finally agreed to by the Ray Soc. & he answered me that he had not heard from you: I want in a very few weeks to begin engraving, so will you please arrange with him: Be so good as to observe that in accordance with your instructions, I have made the Plates rather fuller than were the skeletons lent to you; & I presume Mr Sowerby ought to be informed of this.—
An early answer as I am now daily at work with M.S. & arranging the Plates to my query about the 10th Plate at my own cost, & whether you think the Council wd. grant me the 9th, & lastly about Mr. Sowerby’s contract, would very much oblige me.—4
My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Fossil Cirripedia (1854): A monograph of the fossil Balanidæ and Verrucidæ of Great Britain. By Charles Darwin. London: Palaeontographical Society. 1854.
Living Cirripedia (1851): A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Lepadidæ; or, pedunculated cirripedes. By Charles Darwin. London: Ray Society. 1851.
Living Cirripedia (1854): A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Balanidæ (or sessile cirripedes); the Verrucidæ, etc. By Charles Darwin. London: Ray Society. 1854.
Summary
Asks EL to request the Council [of the Ray Society] to permit him to have nine plates [for vol. 1 of Living Cirripedia] instead of eight (of which two were to be in colour) and a tenth plate if he pays for it himself.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1395
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Edwin Lankester; Ray Society
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.)
- Physical description
- ALS 5pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1395,” accessed on 14 August 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1395.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5