To W. B. Tegetmeier   14 June [1861]1

Down. Bromley. Kent. S.E.

June 14th

My dear Sir

I send by this post my M.S. on Fowls:2 you will find the reading a tough & dull job.— The notes are pinned on the back. You will have lots of time for I shall be away about 8 weeks.3 Any very short corrections or doubts might be marked on margin; any longer remarks had better be on separate sheet, with reference to a pencil cross (x) & my page.— The Synopsis of characters will perhaps require closest attention.

Please observe that the style is not yet corrected. I have made several statements which I shd. not have ventured on, had I not known that you would kindly look the M.S. over. Moreover I hope to add & correct from further information which you will obtain for me.—

Please keep the M.S. in some shut & safe place.— It took me 8 weeks to write!!4

Now forgive me for a bit of business: I enclose a cheque for five guineas, which perhaps you will think sufficient just to remunerate you for loss of time in looking over the M.S. & for the observations which you have already been so good to make for me.—5

Will you please acknowledge the safe receipt of the M.S. & this note.—

With sincere thanks for all your kindness | believe, my dear Sir | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin

The M.S. is splendidly copied.—6

1
Dated by the reference to CD’s manuscript on fowls; according to his ‘Journal’ (Appendix II), CD finished writing it on 16 May 1861.
2
Tegetmeier had agreed to read the chapter on domestic fowls that CD had prepared for inclusion in Variation (see letters to W. B. Tegetmeier, 22 March [1861] and 28 March [1861]).
3
The Darwins spent eight weeks in Torquay, from 1 July to 27 August 1861 (see ‘Journal’; Appendix II).
4
This is also recorded in CD’s ‘Journal’ (see Correspondence vol.9, Appendix II).
5
An entry in CD’s Account book (Down House MS) on 13 June 1861 records a payment to Tegetmeier of £5 5s.
6
CD paid his copyist, Ebenezer Norman, £1 15s. 6d. for copying on 15 June 1861 (CD’s Account book).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.5 The … attention. 1.6] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4533,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4533