From J. E. Gray   26 August 1848

My Dear Darwin

I am very sorry that any person should have so misunderstood me as you inform me they have done¹

When I read the papers at the Zool Society I stated that you were engaged on the anatomy and study of these animals and cited some of the important discoveries you had made and further stated that I brought forward the paper giving the Synonima of the genera and species (my arrangement arrangement of the genera) as the existed in my Mss Catalogue on which I had been working for some time as by so doing I should be able to facilitate your labours

The Paper was solely the Mss of the Catalogue which you saw before you commenced the study of the subject

You requested me to assist you in your work by giving you the Synonima etc.² and I considered that it would be more satisfactory for you to quote them from a Paper printed in the Proceeding of the Zoological Society than from my Mss. especially as you have the same specimens to examine as those on which I have worked an which are marked with the result of my labours

But as you appear to think I may run counter to you I shall withdraw the Papers as I find they have not yet been sent to the Press I certainly did not believe that they would in any way interfere with you or that you had any desire that I should not publish an abstract of the observation which I had made on this group on which I have devoted many month or rather years, all of which I have more readily [communicated] to any who have enquired about them. I informed you at the time you first spoke to me on the subject what I had done & was doing with them but since that period I have abstained from any further researches, and was merely about to record the observations I had made & can only repeat thought that by so doing I was helping you.

believe me My Dear Darwin | Yours Very Truly

P.S. I find I must let the 2 short papers read in March remain as they are in type and the specimens are figured on the plate of another animal³