378 THE GROWTH OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' 



I therefore write this in case of my sudden death, as my 

 most solemn and last request, which I am sure you will con- 

 sider the same as if legally entered in my will, that you will 

 devote ^400 to its publication, and further, will yourself, or 

 through Hensleigh,* take trouble in promoting it. I wish 

 that my sketch be given to some competent person, with this 

 sum to induce him to take trouble in its improvement and 

 enlargement. I give to him all my books on Natural History, 

 which are either scored or have references at the end to the 

 pages, begging him carefully to look over and consider such 

 passages as actually bearing, or by possibility bearing, on 

 this subject. I wish you to make a list of all such books as 

 some temptation to an editor. I also request that you will 

 hand over [to] him all those scraps roughly divided in eight 

 or ten brown paper portfolios. The scraps, with copied quota- 

 tions from various works, are those which may aid my editor. 

 I also request that you, or some amanuensis, will aid in de- 

 ciphering any of the scraps which the editor may think possi- 

 bly of use. I leave to the editor's judgment whether to in- 

 terpolate these facts in the text, or as notes, or under appen- 

 dices. As the looking over the references and scraps will be 

 a long labour, and as the correcting and enlarging and altering 

 my sketch will also take considerable time, I leave this sum of 

 ^400 as some remuneration, and any profits from the work. 

 I consider that for this the editor is bound to get the sketch 

 published either at a publisher's or his own risk. Many of 

 the scrap in the portfolios contains mere rude suggestions and 

 early views, now useless, and many of the facts will probably 

 turn out as having no bearing on my theory. 



With respect to editors, Mr. Lyell would be the best if he 

 would undertake it ; I believe he would find the work pleas- 

 ant, and he would learn some facts new to him. As the ed- 

 itor must be a geologist as well as a naturalist, the next best 

 editor would be Professor Forbes of London. The next best 

 (and quite best in many respects) would be Professor Hens- 



* Mr. H. Wedgwood. 



