My dear Sir

I have received your letter of the 18th and all the documents. All the papers shall in a week or so be carefully returned to you.¹

I have sent my letter of 5 folio pages. (giving an abstract of your results and of my reasons for thinking favourably of your plan) to be copied, and it shall then be sent to Mr. Caird to be shown to those who are inclined to aid your work, and afterwards to Mr. Farrer who has gone with my niece for 6 weeks to Rome.²

I can easily add to the copy a few words about the Testimonials just received. Also if I can hear in time, about the cost of your experiments; I have said at present nearly £1000 from the commencement.³

The potatoes received: they seem very fine, but I am no judge. I have too much work in hand to undertake growing them. I will however show them to my Gardener,⁴ but nothing really succeeds without the master’s eye, and I have no strength to undertake anything new.

I trust I shall give no more trouble. | My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin