1873.] 'DESCENT/ SECOND EDITION. 175 



to think that you would have retained a friendly recollection 

 of me for so many years. Yet I ought to have felt assured 

 that you would remain as warm-hearted and as true-hearted 

 as you have ever been from my earliest recollection. I know 

 well how many grievous sorrows you have gone through ; but 

 I am very sorry to hear that your health is not good. In the 

 spring or summer, when the weather is better, if you can 

 summon up courage to pay us a visit here, both my wife, as 

 she desires me to say, and myself, would be truly glad to see 

 you, and I know that you would not care about being rather 

 dull here. It would be a real pleasure to me to see you. 

 Thank you much for telling about your family, much of 

 which was new to me. How kind you all were to me 

 as a boy, and you especially, and how much happiness I owe 

 to you. 



Believe me your affectionate and obliged friend, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



P.S. Perhaps you would like to see a photograph of me 

 now that I am old. 



1873. 



[The only work (other than botanical) of this year was the- 

 preparation of a second edition of the ' Descent of Man,' the 

 publication of which is referred to in the following chapter. 

 This work was undertaken much against the grain, as he was 

 at the time deeply immersed in the manuscript of ' Insec- 

 tivorous Plants.' Thus he wrote to Mr. Wallace (Novem- 

 ber 19), " I never in my lifetime regretted an interruption so 

 much as this new edition of the * Descent.' " And later (in 

 December) he wrote to Mr. Huxley : " The new edition of the 

 * Descent ' has turned out an awful job. It took me ten days- 

 merely to glance over letters and reviews with criticisms and 

 new facts. It is a devil of a job." 



The work was continued until April i, 1874, when he was. 



