To Benjamin Dann Walsh   27 January [1868]

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Jan. 27th

My dear Sir

After endless delays, latterly caused by the index-maker, my Book will be published in a few days time.—1 It has cost me much more labour than it is worth. But I write one line just to say that I have told my publisher to send you a copy to care of Messrs. Bailliere New York.—2

Pray excuse brevity as I am overwhelmed with letters, & accept my best wishes.— Believe me | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S | I was delighted by hearing yesterday that my second son of Trinity is Second Wrangler this year.3

Postmark: JA 27 68

1
On the delay to Variation caused by the preparation of the index, see the letter to J. D. Hooker, 6 January [1868] and n. 11, and the letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 and n. 3. The indexer was William Sweetland Dallas. Variation was published on 30 January 1868 (see CD’s ‘Journal’ (Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix II)).
2
CD had previously been asked by Walsh to send books through the French firm Baillière, which had offices in London and New York (see Correspondence vol. 14, letter from B. D. Walsh, 17 July 1866).
3
George Howard Darwin was a member of Trinity College, Cambridge, and had gained second place in the University’s final examination for the mathematical tripos; the position is known as second wrangler (Cambridge University calendar 1868).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

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Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5803,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5803