[Under the date of October 1st, 1859, in my father's Diary occurs the entry: “Finished proofs (thirteen months and ten days) of Abstract on ‘Origin of Species’ 1250 copies printed. The first edition was published on November 24th, and all copies sold first day.”

On October 2nd he started for a water-cure establishment at Ilkely, near Leeds, where he remained with his family until December, and on the 9th of that month he was again at Down. The only other entry in the Diary for this year is as follows: “During end of November and beginning of December, employed in correcting for second edition of 3000 copies; multitude of letters.”

The first and a few of the subsequent letters refer to proof sheets, and to early copies of the ‘Origin’ which were sent to friends before the book was published.]

C. Lyell to C. Darwin.

October 3rd, 1859.

My Dear Darwin,—I have just finished your volume and right glad I am that I did my best with Hooker to persuade you to publish it without waiting for a time which probably could never have arrived, though you lived till the age of a hundred, when you had prepared all your facts on which you ground so many grand generalizations.