Dear Wallace

I thank you for your extremely kind letter, & I am sorry that I troubled you with that of yesterday.² My wife thinks that my son George would be so much pleased at undertaking to work for me, that I will write to him, & so probably shall have no occasion to trouble you.—³ If on still further reflexion & after looking over my notes, I think that my son could not do the work, I will write again & gratefully accept your proposal.— But if you do not hear, you will understand that I can manage the affair myself.— I never in my life-time regretted an interruption so much as this new Edit. of the “Descent”.— I am deeply immersed in some work bearing on physiological points with plants.—⁴

I fully agree with what you say about H. Spencers Sociology; I do not believe there is a man in Europe at all his equal in talents.⁵ I did not know that you had been writing on politicks, except so far as your letter on the Coal-question, which interested me much & struck me as a capital letter.⁶

I must again thank you for your letter & remain | Dear Wallace | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

I hope to Heaven that politicks will not replace Natural Science.—

I know too well how atrociously bad my hand-writing is⁷