514 THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1859. 



[Ten days later he wrote to Sir J. D. Hooker : 



"... I write one word to say that I shall return on 



Saturday, and if you have any proof-sheets to send, I shall 



be glad to do my best in any criticisms. 



I had . . . great prostration of mind and body, but entire 



rest, and the douche, and ' Adam Bede,' have together done 



me a world of good."] 



C. Darwin to J. Murray. 



Down, June 14th [1859]. 



My dear Sir, — The diagram will do very well, and I will 

 send it shortly to Mr. West to have a few trifling corrections 

 made. 



I get on very slowly with proofs. I remember writing to 

 you that I thought there would be not much correction. I 

 honestly wrote what I thought, but was most grievously mis- 

 taken. I find the style incredibly bad, and most difficult to 

 make clear and smooth. I am extremely sorry to say, on 

 account of expense, and loss of time for me, that the correc- 

 tions are very heavy, as heavy as possible. But from casual 

 glances, I still hope that later chapters are not so badly writ- 

 ten. How I could have written so badly is quite inconceiva- 

 ble, but I suppose it was owing to my whole attention being 

 fixed on the general line of argument, and not on details. 

 All I can say is, that I am very sorry. 



Yours very sincerely, 



C. Darwin. 



P. S. I have been looking at the corrections, and consid- 

 ering them. It seems to me that I shall put you to a quite 

 unfair expense. If you please I should like to enter into 

 some such arrangement as the following : When work com- 

 pleted, you to allow in the account a fairly moderately heavy 

 charge for corrections, and all excess over that to be deducted 

 from my profits, or paid by me individually. 



