Dear Darwin

I quite understand what you require, and would undertake to do it to the best of my ability. Of course in such work I should not think of offering criticisms of matter.¹

I do not think I could form any idea of how long it would take by seeing the MSs. as it would all depend upon the amount of revision & working in required. I have helped Sir C. Lyell with his last 3 or 4 editions in a somewhat similar though different way,²— & for him I kept an account roughly of the hours I was employed in any way for him, — & he paid me 5/- an hour; but (of course this is confidential) I do not think this quite enough for the class of work. I should propose for your work 7^s/- an hour as a fair remuneration, and I would put down each day the hours I worked at it.

No doubt you will get it done for very much less by any literary man³ accustomed to regular literary work & nothing else, and perhaps better done, so do not in the least scruple in saying you decide on employing the gentleman you had in view if you prefer it.

If you send it to me could you let me have all your mss. copied out, as it adds considerably to the time required if there is any difficulty in deciphering the writing, which in yours (as you are no doubt aware) there often is.

My hasty note to Bates was not intended to be shewn you or any one.⁴ I thought he had heard of it from Murray⁵ & that the arrangement was to be made by Murray. | Believe me | Yours very faithfully, | Alfred R. Wallace —

P.S. I have been delighted with H. Spencer’s Study of Sociology — Some of the passages in the latter part are grand. You have perhaps seen that I am dipping into politics myself occasionally.⁶ | ARW