My dear Sir

I hope that you will allow me to have the pleasure of telling you how greatly I have been interested by your Primitive Culture, now that I have finished it.—¹ It seems to me a most profound work, which will be certain to have permanent value, & to be referred to for years to come.— It is wonderful how you trace animis from the lower races up to the religious belief of the highest races.—² It will make me for the future look at religion,—a belief in a soul—&c—from a new point of view.— How curious, also, are the survivals or rudiments of old customs. The Duke of Argyll ought never to hold up his head again.³

You will perhaps be surprised at my writing at so late a period, but I have had the book read aloud to me, & from much ill-health of late could only stand occasionally short reads. The undertaking must have cost you gigantic labour. Nevertheless I earnestly hope that you may be induced to treat Morals in the same enlarged, yet careful manner, as you have animism.— I fancy from the last chapter that you have thought of this.⁴ No man could do the work so well as you, & the subject assuredly is a most important & interesting one.— You must now possess references which would guide you to a sound estimation of the morals of Savages; & how writers, like Wallace, Lubbock &c &c, do differ on this head.—⁵

Forgive me for troubling you, & believe me with much respect. | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin