To John Murray [23 June 1845]1
Down Bromley Kent
Monday
Dear Sir
I am sorry to trouble you now that you are at Cambridge;2 but I shd like you to look at the title.— Ms. Clowes have set it up rather differently from what I intended— I had thought to have put the “Journal” alone, so that scientific part might be less prominent: please, if you are not contented, make any alterations & send it to Mess. Clowes,—requesting them to let me have a revise.—
I beg to call your attention to the Table of Contents: is it to be inserted?? if so shd it not be called Contents of Part I or Vol I?? Please inform Mrs Clowes of your determination of this point: My M.S. has most unfortunately extended to 180 pages.— I intend dividing the last Chapt. & putting some of it in the next number; I will write to Mrs. Clowes explaining this & asking him how much must be left out to end with a whole sheet, for I suppose ending with a broken sheet is no œconomy.—
Yesterday (ie Sunday) I received nearly 4 sheets & a Revise.— it is impossible for me to correct so much in one day & I cannot return them till tomorrow; so that if this Part be not ready on the 30th it will really not be my fault. Excuse this untidy note, but I am far from well.—
Yours sincerely | C. Darwin
Mrs Clowes have printed all the sheets with wonderful correctness. I think the type looks well proportioned.—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Journal of researches 2d ed.: Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle round the world, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN. 2d edition, corrected, with additions. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1845.
Summary
Asks JM to look at William Clowes’s arrangement of the title. CD had intended Journal to stand alone, so scientific part would be less prominent. His health is poor.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-878
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Murray
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.21–22)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 878,” accessed on 28 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-878.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 3