To John Murray   20 [June 1845]

Dear Sir

I send a line to report progress.— For the two last posts I have received no proof sheets: before they came regularly & I returned them as regularly within 12 hours: there have been so few corrections, that I have not had occasion to see any revise.—

I have got through the most difficult part of the M.S. of the next number & shall have it all ready by 4^th 5^th or 6^th of next month.— Would you kindly inform me, what your intentions are about publishing the three numbers consecutively? Anyhow I hope it will not be inconvenient to you to allow me to go on printing off, at the rate at which I am now at work.— I am anxious to get the job finished & out of my hands I hope & think I have much improved my Journal: you may perhaps be glad to hear, that I could not possibly have condensed my Journal to go into two number’s & w^d not have undergone the loss of time for even double the sum you have so kindly given me.—

Believe me dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | C. Darwin

P.S. | Should you object to an advertisement of the ‘Zoology & Geology of the Beagles Voyage (& of course of nothing else), being printed at M^rs Smith & Elder’s expense & inserted at one end of the first number?¹ They proposed it to me; they have been liberal in letting me have the full use of any of the woodcuts out of my Geological volumes.—