From W. S. Dallas   7 November 1868

My dear Sir,

The eventuality which I mentioned in my last letter to you has occurred,—M^r. Jenkins has obtained his appointment at the Agricultural Society, & I must therefore make a push for his vacant post.—¹

I shall be very much obliged if you will furnish me with a Testimonial as to my fitness for the office, & also by your using any influence that you may be able to exert in my favour with the Members of the Council,—of course I mean without taking any great trouble in the matter, for I know both the state of your health & your multifarious occupations too well to ask you to do anything that might prove troublesome— Still the weight which your name carries with it will cause even a very slight expression of opinion on your part to have much effect, & I hope that you will kind enough to throw that weight into my scale if you should have an opportunity of doing so.—

I am about three parts through Fritz Müller, whose book, although easy to read is in many places unconscionably hard to translate.—² I have never yet got through more than five pages of him in an evening, contrary to my usual experience in translating, which is that the amount got through at a sitting, rapidly increases after the first few pages—

I hope to finish him next week, although I am going to lecture on Darwinism with especial reference to your last book on Wednesday evening which will rather bother me.—

The election excitement is rather a nuisance too, although I keep out of it as much as I can.—³

Hoping to hear that you are well, | I remain | My dear Sir | Your’s always truly | W. S. Dallas

C. Darwin Esq F.R.S. | &c &c &c