My dear Sir

I am sorry to hear of the illness in your family, which is the greatest misery a man can suffer.¹

I am not surprized that you want rest, for no man I sh^d think has done so much hard work as you have.

My book on expression will be about equal to 400 pages of the same size & type as the “Descent”. I have corrected about half in first proofs, & I will today write to the printers to send me an extra copy of the second proofs whenever I get them. These I will transmit to you.²

There will be 21 wood-blocks & 7 plates printed by the heliotype process.³

Your publisher will have to procure these ready to bind in vol. in London, & the cost of 1000 copies of the 7 plates I conjecture will be about £50.

I am glad you have finished the Origin: I can assure you that Mivart’s book produced a great effect here & in America.

I was induced to discuss at some length the benefit of incipient structures, partly because it gave me a good occasion to introduce many cases of gradation.⁴

When next you write to y^r publisher, will you ask him to send me a copy of your translation of the Descent with one of the Origin, as I gave away the German Descent to D^r Klein.⁵

Please to remark that I do not by any means vouch that my Expression book is worth y^r translating. Very many thanks for y^r intended present of the Hist. of Zoology—⁶

My dear Sir | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin