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To George Harris   16 February [1874]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Feb 16th

Dear Sir

I beg your pardon for not having returned the proofs, which I now do, but I thought that they were spare copies.—2

I really have no criticisms or remarks worth sending which I could make in a reasonable space; & I have no strength or time to spare, as I am much out of health & am overworked at present with the tedious & dispiriting labour of preparing new Edits of 2 of my books.3

Pray forgive me, & believe me | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from George Harris, 10 February 1874.
2
No letter from Harris requesting return of the proof-sheets of his book A philosophical treatise on the nature and constitution of man (Harris 1876) has been found. Harris had sent the proof-sheets with his letter of 10 February 1874, and CD had thanked him for them in his letter to Harris of 12 February 1874.
3
CD was working on the second editions of Descent and Coral reefs (see ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 do] over illeg
2.1 worth sending] interl
2.3 labour] after del ‘work’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9294,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9294