Still, I am prepared to do any
literary work of the kind, as I told Bates some time ago, and that is
the reason he wrote to me about it. I certainly think, however, that it
would be in many ways more satisfactory to you if your son did it, and I
therefore hope he may undertake it.
Should he, however, for any reasons, be unable, I am at your service as
a _dernier ressort_.
In case my meaning is not quite clear, I will _not do it_ unless your
son has the offer and declines it.--Believe me, dear Darwin, yours very
faithfully,
ALFRED B. WALLACE.
* * * * *
_The Dell, Grays, Essex. November 18, 1873._
Dear Darwin,--I quite understand what you require, and would undertake
to do it to the best of my ability. Of course in such work I should not
think of offering criticisms of matter.
I do not think I could form any idea of how long it would take by seeing
the MSS., as it would all depend upon the amount of revision and
working-in required. I have helped Sir C. Lyell with his last three or
four editions in a somewhat similar though different way, and for him I
have kept an account simply of the hours I was employed in any way for
him, and he paid me 5/- an hour; but (of course this is confidential) I
do not think this quite enough for the class of work.
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