To Victor Masson   [after 29 September 1869]1

[Down]

Sir

I am much obliged for your letter of 29th last.—2 As I had spent two months in correcting the 5th Edition of my Origin I was very much annoyed that the labour shd not have been taken advantage of in the new French Edition.— And I must take the liberty of saying that I still think that you or Mme Royer ought to have written to me before bringing out a new Edition as has been the habit of all other Publishers:—3

But I am sorry that I wrote while I still felt rather angry & offer to you my apologies, which I hope that you will accept.—4 Your offer to print some appended pages is very obliging, but though I have made more additions, some of extended length I do not think that it wd be worthwhile to you any more on this, for I have taken struck out other discussions of similar length; the correction which I care most about, are mere [1 word illeg], depending on how far the evidence has come [or] demands on other factors

[Yours very sincerely]

Draft

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Victor Masson, 29 September 1869.
4
CD’s letter to Masson has not been found.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 5th] above del ‘last’
1.2 I] over del ‘8’
1.3 I] after del ‘I’
1.4 ought] above del ‘were bound’
1.5 all] interl
2.2 to print … pages] interl
2.3 made] after del illeg
2.3 some of extended length] interl
2.4 that … you] added
2.4 on this,] before del ‘wd be useless’
2.5 the] over del ‘& I’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6916,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6916