My Dear Sir

The curiosity of the Public about your Book, provoked & stimulated as it appears, by the delay, has risen to such a point that the whole edition, including 50 to yourself 50 to the continent, 200 to Scotland & Ireland—1500 copies is exhausted & the demand still continues so that I must send it to press without a day’s delay!²

This state of affairs prevents the need for having recourse to our preliminary conditions as to delaying the authors payment.

The expences of producing these two volumes have been as you are aware unusually high, but taking into account corrections Illustrations & Index they will still produce a sum of wch the two thirds produce amount to £300.—for wch amount, I have the pleasure to enclose my Note of Hand at 3 Months³

I think I may venture on a Second Edition of 1250 Copies, the cost of producing wch, will of course be much less. If you approve of this I beg you to send me any corrections wch may have occurred to you as necessary—⁴

I am very anxious that the present demand sh^d have as little cheque as possible. Clowes will undertake to print verbatim without obliging you to revise proofs & will set to work on both volumes at once.⁵

I was delighted to observe the great success of your son at Cambridge & cannot close this note without offering my congratulations⁶

I am My Dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | John Murray

M^ess Clowes promise me to get the book out in a fortnight, putting 15 men upon each volume!

Chas Darwin Esq