From William Clift 22 January 1836

My dear Sir

I avail myself of the first opportunity which has offered itself to me, by the return of M^r Peter Brodie, a nephew of Sir Benjamin, who has been studying in one of your Colleges for a year or two past, to send you a copy of my paper on the Megatherium. You have had abundant reason to think me very dilatory, if not ungrateful for all the kindness showered on me when I had the pleasure of visiting Cambridge, in not sooner having given you some satisfactory account of the fossil Bones you were so kind as to entrust to my keeping and examination, and could I have commanded circumstances, they would have been safely returned to you long since, but in consequence of the almost intire demolition and rebuilding of the College, I was obliged to cease my labours in working them out of the gravel and cement in which they were so firmly imbedded, and repack and deposit them for safety on a third story stage in our new museum; but the new building has now so far advanced that I hope very soon to be able to gain access to them, and resume my endeavours to render them more useful and intelligible than when I received them; though I know you are aware that they require a very patient and delicate hand to preserve them from further injury on account of their very fragile and decomposing state; and I have had no room on the premises in which I could with safety trust their exposure, having been over-run with workmen, and overwhelmed with dust and lumber, I trust you will exercise your patience for a little longer, when I hope to be able to give a satisfactory account of them. In accordance with the wishes expressed by M^r Darwin respecting the preservation of the Numbers attached to many of the specimens, I had from the beginning taken especial care to preserve every one that I met with, and re-attach many that had become separated by the damp and saltness either of the specimens or of the material in which they were packed, being well aware of their value hereafter, but I fear that even M^r Darwin himself will find some difficulty in decyphering some of the almost illegible ones. Though I cannot for a certainty warrant that there are no seeds in either of the packages, yet I believe that every paper was opened, for the sake of allowing the contents to have the benefit of the air, many of them being very damp. I recollect that there were some containing sand and rock and other Geological matters which we wrapped up and replaced in the Boxes but neither myself or the men who assisted me, have any recollection of observing seeds. A very short time will now enable me to be quite certain on this point, as I have a suite of workrooms nearly ready to receive me and all our latent specimens, when I shall not fail to give you the earliest intelligence.

I remain Dear Sir

with the highest respect

your much obliged serv^t

W^m Clift

Professor Henslow

Cambridge