To John Murray   22 March [1871]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

March 22d

My dear Mr Murray

Be so kind as to remember I must have one copy (pages cut) of the last 1000 to be printed on account of the few new corrections, sent off today.—2 The number will now be 5500— Would it be worth while as a puff & for my pride’s sake to put on title “sixth thousandth”.3 It is correct thus to speak of number?? But I beg you not to be guided by me in your decision: it may look too vain, or some other objection.—

yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

(I have thanked Messrs Clowes warmly)4

I see Reviews, not yet read, in Pall Mall & Observer.—5

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to John Murray, 21 March 1871.
3
See letter from John Murray, 20 March [1871]. The title page of the third printing has ‘seventh thousand’ (see Freeman 1977; see also letter from John Murray, 22 March 1871).
4
CD’s letter to the firm William Clowes & Sons has not been found.
5
CD refers to [Morley] 1871a and a review in the Observer, 19 March 1871, p. 3. For reviews of Descent, see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix V.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
1.2 will] above del ‘is’
1.3 be] interl
1.4 It … number??] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7610,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7610