From Vladimir Onofrievich Kovalevsky   [January–March 1869]¹

My dear Sir

I did not answer your first letter immediately, and yesterday I received your second letter with questions concerning the Edition of your “Origin”²   The publisher is not living here but at Moscow, I write to him to day and shall directly after receiving his answer send it to you. There are two russian editions of the “Origin”, no remark is made to show from which Engl-edition the translation was made but I think it is from the Second Engl. edition; the second Russ. edition is merely a reprint from the first without any corrections or additions.³ At all events if there is no hope of a new edition appearing in a short time I will with your permission translate all the additions of the Fifth Engl. edition of the “Origin” and print them aparte as a supplement.—⁴

I am very astonished that Messr. Petter & Cassel have complained to you of my not fulfilling an engagement towards them⁵—but as there never was an engagement I dont well understand what they are complaining for,—the matter is simply thus: One of my partners asked me to go, during my visit in England, at Messr Cassel and ask them if “in case there will be a Russian edition of an illustrated Bible they will sell coppercasts of their great illustrated Bible”,—he gave me full power to treat about the price;—M^rs Cassel consented to sell coppercasts at 6d per sq. inch.— After my returning in Russia I knew that all endeavours of my partner to have a permission for printing an illustrated Bible were in vain, all the holy & Scriptural books being considered as litterary property of the Chief Church establishment (Synode)—and in this sense I wrote to M^rs Cassel, saying that our Government did not allow to print holy books to private persons and therefore there could be no russian Edition of the Illust. Bible, thanking them for their readiness to furnish casts I could make no use of them.— Not one single inch of casts was commanded, and not one made for me, so that I consider M^rs Cassel pretension as wholly unfounded, but I thank you very much you wrote me about it.

My brother is now in the University of Casan, he will be very pleased with the good opinion you formed on account of his Ascidiae— ⁶ The year beeing at Triest he made the full development of the “Pyrosoma” and came to entirely different conclusions with M^r Huxley, who wrote his memoir I think only studying preserved specimens.—⁷

Yours very truly | V. Kovalevsky

As soon as I receive an answer from Moscow, I shall communicate it to you.—