From G. H. Darwin   [6 or 7 August 1874]¹

Dear Mother

Read this to F if the letter is’nt gone— if not suppress it²

Dear Father,

If you’ve not sent off y^r. letter to Murray I want to say a few more words.

Murray may bonâ fide make it an absolute rule not to meddle in any way with his Editor,³ & if he does so, does’nt it appear rather hard on him that you sh^d. cut him. No doubt you wd’nt feel the same to him after the failure to get my letter inserted, as before, but you have but little personal dealing with him except by letter & it w^d. be a great annoyance to go to a new publisher   Do you not think it w^d. be sufficient then if you were to merely urge it on him strongly & not push it to the point of a cut.

I’m a grown man now & sh^d. stand on my own footing, & if it is refused I’m really no worse off than if I had sent my letter direct to the Editor & it had been refused.

Jackson⁴ said, when I told him you thought you w^d cut Murray, that he doubted whether it was quite fair to put pressure on an Editor, who is probably quite indep^t. of the publisher in his opinions, thro’ the publisher.

Of course if you quite feel you cd’nt stand going on with Murray in case of refusal there’s nothing more to be said.

How w^d. it be to delay till Monday when we can talk about it?

Yours | G H Darwin