My dear Sir

We are in a precious quondary with these Heliotype Plates for yr new work.

At present I dont know what we are to do. We have advertised the work for Tuesday next & we have 7000 Books & only 3000 sets of Plates.¹

It is impossible to make even a partial delivery with so small a number, we sh^d. satisfy no one & dissatisfy hundreds.

Daily & hourly do we communicate with the Manager & I enclose his letter of yesterday afternoon.² I need not say, that we did not & have not received the promised 500.!!!

I have just returned from the office & find out now the real truth, there has been & is a conspiracy or a strike at the Works & they have been obliged to dismiss & not able to replace competent men.

The Manager still tells me that he feels almost sure we shall get the 500 today & he hopes 1000 tomorrow & all the rest the day following, but as this is what has been told me for the last week I have no confidence in the result.

The nuisance is great & the fact of the book having been reviewed so long before publication is annoying to the public & may be prejudicial to the work.

We have supplied all the foreign markets & have not taken care of ourselves.³

Yours faithfully | Rob^t. Cooke

C. Darwin Esq