skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

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

The date is based on Murray’s deadline of 30 June for the publication of the first part of Journal of researches 2d ed. See also CD’s subsequent letters to Murray of [26 June 1845] and [28 June 1845].
The British Association met in Cambridge from 19 to 23 June 1845.

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 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-878.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 3

letter