From J. J. Moulinié   1 January 1872

Dear Sir,

Excuse me for the long delay between my answer to your kind letter of the beginning of this month and my answer at the end, but the numerous occupations, private (corrections of the Origin & Dessendance) and official, have left me hardly any time to compare the new edition of Origin, of which I have received since the four first accompanying your letter, eleven others, in total 240 pages, to give you my opinion on the manner of introducing them in the printed translation.¹ The most important change between the 5^th & 6^th edition, is the fact that the VII^th chapter has an another object in the last, than in the VII^th of the preceding; and the VIII^th (Instinct) corresponds to the VII^th of the translation of the 5^th Edition; the IX^th to the VIII^th, I cannot tell more, not having above the beginning of the IX^th chapter.² As all the chapters of the translation are printed with their titles and summary heads, they must remain so, but will not concord by their ciphers with those of the 6^th, except in the six first; I suppose at least that this will have the result of establishing 15 chapters instead of 14 in the 6^th English edition, the number of 14 subsisting in the translation. This will require a preface as clear as possible to attract the reader to the corrections, and great attention in the cases of citations, the difference of number of the English edition, with that of the French, must be given. All this difficulty will be, when all the elements of the supplemental part will be collected, to give them the predominance on the old text, the first by order, and in which no where references to the supplementary can being now inserted. I think a table placed before the Introduction, giving the pages of the text, and those corresponding to the same object in the supplement might be very useful to recall to his mind the moment where he is to recur to it, and give him the means of finding it immediately.³

The first volume of Descendance will I hope soon be published, it is actually at the 22^d sheet on 30 total, calculated by what is done. The second will follow immediately.⁴

With my respectful compliments to M^rs. Darwin, may the year on the first day of which this letter carries the date, be less unfortunate than the last,⁵ and I conclude by a Happy New Year for M^r. Darwin and his family; and hoping this will find you in good health, I remain dear Sir, | your’s most respectfully devoted | J. J. Moulinié