To John Edward Gray   [18 December 1847]1

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Saturday Night

My dear Gray

If you do not approve of the enclosed,2 pray return it me for correction. I have asked for the collection in groups; if I had the pedunculated & sessile separate it would be all I could wish; & I could with some difficulty divide the sessile into two sub-groups.— But if my request is granted all the details, no doubt will be at your command.—

I have said nothing about time, fearing that the Trustees might hamper me; but on that head you will act, I believe, as far as you can for my advantage.—

I thank you most sincerely for your kindness & great liberality in this whole affair3

Yours very sincerely | C Darwin

1
The date is based on CD’s reference to an enclosure also addressed to Gray, which is dated 18 December 1847. See letter to J. E. Gray, 18 December 1847.
3
In the preface to Living Cirripedia (1851): v, CD stated: I had originally intended to have described only a single abnormal Cirripede, from the shores of South America, and was led, for the sake of comparison, to examine the internal parts of as many genera as I could procure. Under these circumstances, Mr. J. E. Gray, in the most disinterested manner, suggested to me making a Monograph on the entire class, although he himself had already collected materials for this same object.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1146,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1146