Dear Sir,

Your known courtesy will I trust excuse me, though I have not the pleasure of personal acquaintance, for writing to you on a subject which I hope may be a common ground of interest:

I have always taken the deepest interest in the question of the domestication of Animals & specially in the varieties consequent thereon:

The publication of your celebrated work¹ gave me, as I need scarcely say, lively satisfaction, for I looked on it as a most important step towards putting that department of Zoology in its proper position: As far as I can judge however, investigation has not progressed so quickly as it might have done since the great impulse given to it by your work, & it appears to me that the time has now come for another movement in the same direction, & that you of all living English naturalists are the person best able to promote it so as to ensure success, should the suggestion commend itself to you as desirable in itself.

I venture therefore to submit to you first, an idea which has long been in my own mind, as one well calculated to make your labors more generally useful & to give to the zoology of domestic animals rather more of that definitely recognized position which its importance deserves. It seems to me that it would be exceedingly advantageous to have a special public Museum devoted to the elucidation of this department of zoological science in all its branches, exhibiting the known or presumed wild originals & the whole ⁠⟨⁠s⁠⟩⁠hould form as far as possible a complete history of the physical & other effects of domestication, & should be enriched by illustrations from Archæological & other sources shewing the utility to man of all such animals in the various stages of their domesticated development. This is the leading idea which would doubtless be capable of expansion in many useful directions, & especially in its application to the vegetable kingdom, should it find favor with the scientific & general public. I have written a short letter on the subject merely broaching the id⁠⟨⁠e⁠⟩⁠a in general terms which I think of sending to some scientific periodical, but am holding it back in the hope of being able to add to it the approval of your high authority. If you think the matter worth public ventilation I should esteem it a favor if you would give me your opinion, & also if you would tell me where you think a letter would have most chance of attracting the attention of those interested in these investigations & likely to be favorably inclined to the promotion of such a scheme as I have suggested,

Believe me, Dear Sir | Y^rs. truly | (Rev^d.) F B Goodacre M.D.

Charles Darwin Esq FRS &c | 6 Queen Anne S^t. | Cavendish Sq | W