Dear Wallace

Bates has forwarded to me your note, & I shall be very glad if you will undertake the work; but I had better explain in detail what I want, as this may make all the difference in your being willing to undertake it.¹ The job is not so much stiff as dull & tedious. I do not want criticisms, for I grieve to know how much we differ on many points; & in my opinion each man must publish the conclusions at which he has arrived & in which he still believes whether or not they are sound. I am in the middle of other work & a long interruption w^d be a serious evil;² so that when I called on Bates I was enquiring everywhere for a literary man who could do what I want, & I believe I have discovered one,³ but it would be incomparably better for me if you want it, This is the first time I ever thought of soliciting such aid.

I shall have to modify, & erase portions & to add others. Now I wish to write these out without the least of care of style, attending only to the sense, & to how the words & arrangement of the sentences corrected; for without much care I always write very badly.— I would have all the larger corrections well copied out. The whole book, would however, have to be gone through on account of trifling corrections, here & there inserted which would all require some consideration in regard to style & in regard to what comes before & after. I sh^d of course be glad to have any old faulty sentences amended. The numerical references to the foot-notes & woodcuts w^d require correcting as new notes [prob] will be added; & if the pages get changed, the Headings of the pages.—

I would just glance over any corrections to the additions, & then send the whole to press, & I sh^d. wish not to see the proof sheets, but have them corrected for me. I apprehend there would only rarely be occasion for second proofs.— Until I have worked through my notes & references I have no idea how bulky my corrections will be; but I hope & think not very bulky

With respect to remuneration. I c^d send you Vol. I when the corrections are copied in, & you could perhaps judge for what sum it would be worth your while to undertake the above specified work including the corrections of the proofs; & then you could afterwards judge whether the 2^d vol had cost you more or less time.— Or there is another plan, if you prefer it. I understand from Bates that you lately undertook a very tough job in looking over examination papers,⁴ & you will probably remember how long a time & how much labour it has cost you; & you could keep a record of the time spent over my work & charge me according to the same scale.

I think that putting into shape, of my additions, if they prove very badly written, could take up most time.

I could order the proof-sheets, if you like it, to be sent you by the half-dozen or dozen, so as not to fritter away little bits of your time.— M^ss Clowe print,⁵ as I have always found, very correctly.— We return home tomorrow⁶ & I shall set to work immediately & I suppose the work will take me some weeks, as I must go on with [improvement] of the [MS] .—

Will you kindly let me hear what you think of all that I have said, & I remain | My dear Wallace, | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. | Please keep this letter as a memorandum of what is wanted.