From W. S. Dallas   18 October 1879

Geological Society, | Burlington House, W.

18 Oct. 1879

My dear Mr. Darwin

I was so much occupied all day yesterday that I could not answer your kind note at once, as I ought to have done— I also am very glad that the work is at last finished, for it has been hanging about for a long time.—1

As regards the money matters I hardly know what to say.— I think I estimated the translation of the article originally printed in “Kosmos’ at £15, & I suppose I did a good deal more than that, although you have hardly made use of so much.—2 £20 would probably be a fair payment all things considered,—but if this is more than you choose to afford we can revert to the original sum.— I hope to be allowed to have a copy of the whole book when published to take its place with other writings of yours on my shelf.—3

With kind regards | Believe me | Yours very truly | W. S. Dallas

1
CD’s letter has not been found; Dallas had translated an essay by Ernst Krause that formed the second part of the book Erasmus Darwin.
2
Krause had originally published his essay on Erasmus Darwin in the German journal Kosmos, but had added to it for publication in Erasmus Darwin. Dallas had estimated £10 for the translation of the original article (letter from W. S. Dallas, 14 March 1879). He started work in May 1879 (see letter from Ernst Krause, 5 May 1879), but CD later decided not to use some of the revised essay (letter to Ernst Krause, 3 September [1879]).
3
CD paid Dallas £21 on 19 November 1879 (CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS)). Dallas received a copy of Erasmus Darwin in mid-November (letter from W. S. Dallas, 14 November 1879).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12263,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12263