Ɛpsilon

To J. de C. Sowerby   11 November [1850]

Down Farnborough Kent

Nov. 11th.—

My dear Sir.

Unwellness has prevented me answering you by Return of Post.—

I like the engravings, but they certainly have, as you remark, rather a rough unfinished look.— The alterations now required are trifling, except I fear in fig. 8. (a).— I return you your drawings, as they may be useful to you, but I must see them again, when I have a corrected proof plate.

Please to observe that the Plate must be divided, by faint lines, perhaps dotted wd look best, something as I have done; I have now added the figures & letters: I presume the Plate is Nor. II.— Please carefully preserve this rough proof to be sent to me with the final proof.—

The woodcuts will do; but I want the lower part of the one returned to be cut off, as I have done but the shading must be a little fined off;, to put the type closer to the basal valves.—

Do, I earnestly beg you make rapid progress; since I wrote last, I have had a letter from Mr Fitch & he tells me he shall in a short time demand back his specimens; I suppose I have written him half-a-dozen letters of apology.—

Please to observe that I promised Mr. Fitch & others that I would take especial care of their specimens; & therefore I must desire you not to send any more specimens in parcels to me; but whenever you can tell me, that all the other Plates, (except that of Loricula, which can come last & afterwards) are ready I will at once send my servant in the tax-cart1 to your house for the Proofs & all the specimens; I will then carefully compare them here, & bring or send up the Proofs to you again.

I am sorry to give you the trouble of writing, but I must beg you to send me one line to say whether you have returned the Loricula to Mr Wetherell;2 & 2d. whether you received some six weeks ago a single minute valve—(in letter Registered) of Pollicipes gracilis, for an inside View on wood, if you could not get in a Plate.3 3d Can you not give me some rough notion when the other Plates will be done, to know it will be great assistance to me: do try & make up for the delay & annoyment I have suffered.

Your’s sincerely | C. Darwin

1
‘A two-wheeled (orig. springless) open cart drawn by one horse and used mainly for agricultural or trade purposes on which was charged only a reduced duty (afterwards taken off entirely)’ (OED).
2
‘Mr. Wetherell placed in my hands his beautiful and unique specimen of Loricula pulchella and other species’ (Fossil Cirripedia (1851): v). The specimen is figured on Tab. V. See letter to Nathaniel Thomas Wetherell, 8 [August 1850], in which CD requested permission for the specimen to be drawn by J. de C. Sowerby. Loricula pulchella is a synonym of Stramentum pulchellum.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

3.1 by] after del ‘in’
3.4 to me] interl
4.1 the one] ‘the’ altered from ‘that’
4.1 to be] added
4.2 but the shading must be a little fined off;] interl
4.2 the type] ‘the’ added
6.3 in parcels] after del ‘per c’
6.3 other] interl
6.4 are ready] interl
6.5 the Proofs] ‘the’ interl
7.3 some six weeks ago] interl
7.3 in letter] interl
7.4 3d] over ‘—’
7.5 rough] interl
7.5 to know 7.6] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1368,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1368