Ɛpsilon

To Edwards & Kidd   30 July [1872]1

July 30

My dear Sir

I believe I can tell you accurately everything which passed between us about the estimate.— Mr Edwards originally gave me a written estimate, rather lower than the rate in your printed papers & which I showed you, & you liberally said that you thought the Coy would be bound by this;2 but I on the other hand said I did not think your coy was so bound, & I accepted the printed estimate; with the exception that as my plates are none of them deeper than 7 inches, whereas 3 of them were longer (viz one 1114 long, another 634 & another 6 long,) I it not seem to me fair to charge me by the scale in your printed paper, in which depth increases together with the length & you agreed July to this & said there shd be a fair reduction. And thus the affair was left.—

I wrote yesterday to Mr Murray & asked him to inform me at once what your precise charge, for 1000 copies of all 7 Plates would be; so that I might correspond with the translators & learn from them how many copies they would require;3 I suggested to Mr Murray to undertake supplying the foreigners with these copies; but securing in every case payment for them before they were sent away; & I told him that from all you have said to me I supposed that you wd allow us some [small] discount.

ADraft

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1872.
2
CD refers to Ernest Edwards of Edwards and Kidd, producers of heliotypes prints for Expression (see Correspondence vol. 19, letter to R. F. Cooke, 22 April [1871] and n. 3); the company was the Heliotype Company, which shared the premises of Edwards and Kidd at 22 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden (‘Commercial’ and ‘Streets’ sections of the Post Office London directory 1872).
3
CD refers to his publisher, John Murray, and the letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1872.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 accurately] interl
1.3 & showed … you,] interl
1.5 that] after del ‘that I did not think it fair’
1.5 ‘as’] pencil over ‘as’
1.6 are] pencil above del pencil ‘were’
1.6 whereas … viz] interl above del ‘they are [over ‘were’] of the’
1.7 I … fair] interl; ‘it’ pencil above del pencil ‘did’; ‘seem to me’ pencil above del ‘think it’
1.8 in which] after del ‘; & you’
1.8 increases … the] added above del ‘&’; ‘together with the’ pencil after del ‘as the’
1.8 & you 1.9] after ‘increase’ del pencil above interl & del ‘are both increased;’; ‘you’ altered from ‘You’
1.9 July] interl
2.1 asked] above del ‘advised’
2.1 at once] interl
2.1 your] after del ‘you’
2.2 for 1000 … be;] interl after del ‘is’
2.2 might] after del ‘may’
2.3 translators] after del pencil ‘several’
2.3 they] interl
2.3 would] pencil above del pencil ‘will’
2.4 require] after del ‘be’
2.4 the foreigners] ‘the’ interl
2.4 with these copies; but securing 2.5] interl pencil
2.5 payment] after del pencil ‘securing’
2.5 for them] interl
2.5 they] altered from ‘the’
2.5 were] after del pencil ‘copies’
2.5 sent away] above del ‘supplied’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8436,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8436