From C.-F. Reinwald   14 May 1873

Dear Sir

We duely received your kind letter of March the 5^th. for which we feel much obliged.¹ We are happy to know that you confide in our care to get good french translations of your different publications. No doubt the sale of the Descent of Man would have been larger with a more literary translation as that of M. Moulinie,² but it is likewise to be considered that it is rather difficult to decide a french scientific man, or a member of our Institute, to translate a book of a foreign celebrity. You know that not only in France but in every country a great many of Naturalists prefer to write books on Darwinisme, signed with their proper name, rather as to give a plain translation of the celebrated original.

The subject of the present letter is to inform you that our translation of the “Emotions” is advancing slowly, rather too slowly for our interest. M. Pozzi promised to finish his labour of translation before the end of Mai and enable us by this to get the book ready in June or July.³

We already informed you that we have the translation of the “Descent of man” revised by M. E. Barbier, translator of Lubbock’s Early history.⁴ There is however no haste to get this new edition ready as we have still a tolerable number of the first edition left, which sells now rather slowly, and will perhaps do so during next summer, as every body in France seems to be frightened for the few months to come. Although I dont partake in these fears, our business is nevertheless exposed to the consequences of it and will no doubt continue for some months more to be flat.⁵

We come however to make a new proposal, which is to get your “Relation of your journey on board of the Beagle” translated into french and to publish it in addition and as a complementary volume of your different works already translated. We think that it will not be a very advantageous operation, but it seems to suit our views as well as yours and to be a profitable one for the french public.

Before beginning the labor of translation for which we are about to conclude with the said M. E. Barbier, we feel it our duty to get your special consentment, and to be informed if there are not some additions or alterations to be introduced in the text of the english edition of 1870, which we have in hands.⁶ In the same time we are ready to assure you a percentage in the sale of this french translation of your Journey as soon as the sale of it will have reached 750 copies. We think this percentage might be of £20.—

We shall be happy to be soon favored with a kind reply to this letter, and remain in this hope | dear Sir | Your’s most obediently | C Reinwald & Co