Dear Sir

I was very much pleased to receive your letter yesterday. M^r. Colburn has behaved more liberally than I anticipated.¹ I find three No^s. of the Colonial Library, each of 171 pages, will exactly hold my present vol: & index (without the appendix); now though I sh^d here & there like to add a sentence, some parts I am sure w^d be improved by being shortened, & therefore I want to know how many pages you would prefer the three volumes together to be; & I will try as accurately as I can, to meet your wishes.² I also wish to know (if you would let me hear soon either from yourself, or a clerk) what are your opinions & wishes with respect to woodcuts: I do not much care about them myself, but here & there, I think there is a subject which would be well illustrated by one.³

Thirdly, when you would like to publish? & how quickly the numbers follow each other? I have engagements for about 14 days, & then I w^d, without any halt, complete the whole copy,⁴ & superintend the correcting the press (the quicker the better) whenever you like: I shall be however a rather slow worker in getting ready my few alterations in the first (or already printed) copy.

You will see, I have gone on the assumption of taking advantage of your offer of three numbers: I could not have made up my mind to have wasted so much time, as it would have cost to have shortened my work $\frac{1}{3}$; & I firmly believe it w^d have lessened whatever merit it possesses;—in this opinion I found M^r Lyell even stronger than myself.—

I shall gladly accept your offer of 100£ for the copyright, to be paid 3 months after date of publication, & shall be happy to sign an agreement to that effect, whenever you like to send one.⁵

I hope not to give you much more trouble & remain dear Sir with thanks, | Your’s very faithfully | C. Darwin

In my calculation I have allowed one of your pages to hold 451 words & mine to hold 377 words.

Would the map appear in the First number?⁶