My Dear Sir

I answer without delay your obliging note of yesterday—¹

I have no doubt your new work on Domestic Animals & Plants will be one of great value & interest & I shall be very proud to be the publisher—of it as of your “Origin”—² I do not think you could select a better size than it—& it is of some consequence that your new work sh^d range with the former—³

I am quite well satisfied that M^r Sowerby M^r Wells & M^r Fitch sh^d each—in his own department make the Drawings on wood of wch you stand in need—⁴ I sh^d be sorry to stint you in number & beg you to put in hand what you think needful, only instructing the several artists to send me beforehand an estimate of their charge   I w^d urge that all the subjects be so reduced as to come well within the dimensions of the page of your Origin of Species—leaving a fair margin⁵

I fear I have parted with the cuts of Dixons book⁶   I was not pleased with him & gladly washed my hands of it—but the Birds can be re-engraved.

I am going over to France for 3 weeks—& in my absence w^d ask you to correspond with my Cousin & partner M^r Robert Cooke who will give you the latest intelligence of the state of the Editions of Origin & Orchids—⁷

Meanwhile if you are anxious to put the cuts in hand—I see no objection— When I return I will look after them & I will also ask you to let me see any portion of your MS wch may be ready.

I was sorry to hear from Sir Ch Lyell a poor account of your health— but hope you are better again

I am | My Dear Sir | Your faithful & obliged servt | John Murray

P S. As I have been prepared from the first for this work & look upon it as the Complement of the “Origin of S.”⁸ I propose—unless you object to announce it in my Quarterly List of New Works—wch will appear next week⁹   This will give timely notice to those who possess the Origin—but I sh^d not think of publishing before November. I shall therefore put the Title which you have sent at once in our List, unless M^r Cooke hears to the contrary.

Chas Darwin Esq.