Ɛpsilon

To the secretary of the Royal Commission on vivisection   8 November 1875

Sir

When I had the honour of being examined by H. M. before commissioners I was asked whether I had not been concerned in preparing a draft of a bill in relation to experiments on living animals;1 & it has occurred to me that H. M. Commissioners might perhaps wish to see this draft.— It was prepared with the advice of several eminent, phys experts,, & it seemed to us to guard against wilful cruelty, & to protect physiology from injurious interference.—

The differences to which I alluded in my examination between our bill & that laid before parliament are on the second copy indicated in M. S in the second copy; the important point being that demonstration on an animal rendered insensible is is made illegal in the altered bill.2

I have the honour to be | Sirs | Your obedient serv | C. D.

November 8th. 1875— | To Secr of Commission on Vivisection

ADraftS

1
CD appeared before the Royal Commission on vivisection on 3 November 1875 (see letter from T. H. Huxley, 2 November 1875 and n. 1). His testimony appears in the Report of the Royal Commission on vivisection, pp. 233–4. The secretary of the Royal Commission was Nathaniel Baker.
2
CD had worked with John Scott Burdon Sanderson and Thomas Henry Huxley to prepare a draft bill for the regulation of vivisection. On the changes made to the bill before it was introduced to Parliament, see the letter from T. H. Huxley, 19 May 1875 and n. 2, and letter from Lyon Playfair, 27 May 1875. The final copy of the draft before the changes were made is in DAR 139.17: 22.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 When … H. M.] above del
1.1 commissioners] after del pencil ‘your’; altered from ‘commission’
1.1 I was asked 1.2] interl pencil
1.2 in] above del ‘with drawing’
1.3 & … me] above del pencil ‘I have thought’; ‘it … me’ pencil
1.3 H. M.] below del pencil ‘the’, which is below del ‘Her Majesty’s’ pencil del ink
1.4 draft.—] after del ‘Bill’
1.5 to protect] after del ‘at the same time’
1.6 physiology] after del interl ‘students of the science of’
1.6 injurious] above del ‘too much’
1.6 interference.—] before del ‘Sir | I beg leave to remain’
2.2 on … copy] pencil after ink del pencil ‘indicated’, pencil del ink ‘I have’, penci del inkl ‘M.S. ad’
2.2 in M.S] after del ‘by me’
2.3 is is] second ‘is’ after del ‘now illegal’
2.4 made] above del ‘rendered’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10251,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10251