John Murray an Ernst Haeckel, Edinburgh, 13. März 1895
32 Palmerston Place,
Edinburgh.
13 March 1895
My dear Haeckel
The last two volumes of the Great Challenger work have been published and a copy has been sent to you. I enclose you some reviews that appeared in some of the English Newspapers on the day of issue.
It is not easy to give the exact cost of the Expedition as Government accounts are not easily investigated, but we can come very near the || mark. The estimated cost of the Challenger while afloat was £ 30,000 a year say £ 90,000 for the three and a half years, but most of this was for purely naval and military purposes. The salaries of us six civilians our bottles, spirit, microscopes, thermometers, sounding, dredging and other apparatus did not cost over £ 6,000 a year say £ 20,000 in all, which would cover the extra coal for steaming, traveling etc. It || must be remembered that all the officers and men would have had to be paid in any case, but they would have been employed in drill in some port, instead of at sea in the Challenger. In fact the training on board the Challenger was probably much better for both the officers and men than the usual routine drill. It certainly made them better seaman. The || cost of preparing the various reports ‒ i.e. the drawings, the experiments analyses, honoraria to contributors, salaries and rent of the Challenger office have cost during the past 18 years £ 48,500.
The actual printing of the volumes is fully paid for if the whole 750 copies be sold. In many cases all the volumes that have been || offered for sale have been sold, but there are a number of volumes of which a hundred or more remain, and now there are 100 complete sets, for 100 copies were reserved till the whole work was completed.
A large number of scientific men in this country now wish our Government to present these 100 complete sets to Scientific Institutions || and Universities in all parts of the world. It is believed that this would ensure the volumes being accessible to students. Should the Government howevera sell these volumes the whole cost of the Expedition and publications would probably be less than £ 70,000. If they should present the volumes now in stock || as above suggested the total cost to the nation would be about £ 80,000.
What would you say to address a letter to the „Times” suggesting that as England had done so well she should just complete the good work by presenting all the remaining volumes in stock to poor Universities and Scientific Societies in various parts of the || world. It would only be an additional cost of £ 8,000 or £ 10,000 at most and would spread knowledge which, as well as acquiring knowledge, was the real object of the Expedition.
Glad to give you any further information should you desire it in connection with the proposed articles you intend to write.
Yours sincerely
John Murray.
a gestr.: then; eingef.: however