Howitt to Fison 12 December 1879

Transcription - Page 3

contents. I hope he will not feel hurt
at our taking this memoir out of his
hands - but I am sure we are right.
Does he intend to leave us his money
when he dies and has no further
use for it - or what does he mean
in his last paragraphs? I am
afraid that you may think me dilatory
- but the fact is I am constitutionally
cautious and I like to see what the
ground is ahead before I walk on it.
Hence I find myself compelled to wait
a little before actually crossing the Rubicon.

I have no time at present to rewrite
my monograph or reconstruct my
map - so that I must "willy nilly" wait
a wee and meagre while my manuscript
may arrive if Morgan posts it at
once. In any case I think we may
be able to appear in print within
six months and as soon as possible
I will commence to advertise
I think it very probable that when I
commence at my monograph I shall
make many alterations - perhaps
additions. I have been lately reading
carefully all the works of travel +c bearing
on our Australian researchers in order
to see really what evidence they afford
both for and against the conclusions
we have drawn. I propose to go through