My dear Sanderson.

I despatch by this post a long & I hope clear letter to L^d. Derby at his private House.— I told him of our petition & of those who signed it. I then said that some of us had since had drawn up a sketch of a bill, & I told him very briefly of its main provisions.²

I then asked him to speak, if he did not object, to speak to the proper members of the cabinet, in order to stop hasty legislation versus science & added that we would send our sketch, or a small deputation would wait on any member of the Cabinet or we would do whatever else he advised, if he would give us his counsel for the sake of humanity & Science.— I hope with all my heart I have written judiciously & that we may succeed

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. If the affair goes on, as I hope it will, & you & Huxley & Paget agree about the bill, I could write to Hooker & with the above guarantee, I feel almost sure that he would allow us to use his name as Pre. R. Soc^y—³

P.S. (19^th) I have opened my letter to say that Huxley saw Lubbock late yesterday & showed him the petition. He was strongly against its being presented, as he felt sure that nothing of any kind would be done this session.⁴

Huxley forgot to ask him expressly whether he w^d. present it, if we determined to have it presented; but the more I think about it, the less desirable does this seem to me, considering our other step of the bill.

Litchfield thinks that if the Home Sec^y. were to wish for a small deputation, this might happen soon, & we ought to be ready.⁵ Huxley will be away.— You w^d no doubt attend & I w^d come up.— Litchfield thinks Cambridge & Oxford ought to be represented. He will soon send you copies of new drafted bill & sh^d you then object, to communicate with Mr Foster & Rolleston,⁶ & turn over the subject of a deputation in your mind. Litchfield thinks that it w^d be advisable for him to attend, as having drawn up the bill so as to explain it.— It seems, however, to me very doubtful whether the Home Sec^y. would soon wish for any deputation, but it is best to be prepared.

C.D.