Thomas Henry Huxley an Ernst Haeckel, London, 6. Oktober 1868
Jermyn S. London
October 6th 1868
My dear Haeckel
I returned here, after a long absence, only yesterday, so do not scold me for leaving your letter of the 21th September unanswered.
Dohrn and I had some conversation about the possibility of bringing out a translation of the „Morphologie“ and I asked him particularly to tell you how sorry I was that I did not know the question was to be brought forward at the general meeting of the Ray society at Norwich – However I believe || that the matter is referred to the council of which I am a member and I have just written to the Secretary to tell him what you are prepared to do in case the translation should be untertaken. –
I will gladly undertake what you wish in the matter of looking over the final proofs and the preface. too, if you really think it desirable. –
But you are quite enough known here without any preface from me and I shall have to say that I wish try your wish but people accuse me of impertinence. ||
As soon as anything is settled you shall be informed.
Your friend Miklucho has been kind enough to send me his paper on the Sponges – and I have read it with great interest –
I think there is very much in favour of the view that the Sponges are the only remains of the root of the Coelenterate-„Phylum“: but I conceive that to call them Coelenterates as Leuckart does only leads to confusion.
We shall all get into a muddle if we do not keep apart our classifications by logical categories and our genetic classifications.
I have enlarged upon this topic in a little paper I send by this post || along with another on the Alectoromorphae.
The last ten pages of the letter will, I hope, interest you and I should like to know what you think about my notions in Distribution.
I have as yet received no separate copies of another paper (published in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical science for this month) which I read before the meeting of the British association at Norwich.
It is about a new „Moner“ which lives at the bottom of the atlantic to all appearance, and gives rise to some wonderful calcified bodies –
I have christened it Bathybius Haeckelii and I hope that you will not be ashamed of your godchild. I will send you some of the mud itself with the paper –
We are all well & my wife would desire her best regards if she were here.
Ever yours faithfully
T. H. Huxley ||
P. S. I perceive I have left an inquiry of yours unanswered. I have maintained the close affinity of worms and Echinoderms for a dozen years past, as all sorts of oceanians – but nobody has believed me and some of my friends have regarded me as a kind of lunatic for holding this doctrine – Semper, who was with me yesterday, rejoined me by declaring himself on my side and if you also come over I shall feel as strong as Marshall Serrano. ||
I have discussed the question over soon again. First as a „Report upon J. Müller’'s researches on the Anatomy and Developt. of the Echinoderms“ published in the Annals of Natural History for 1851. Secondly in an Essay on Lacinularia Socialis –
published in the 1st volume Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. Thirdly in my lecture on „General Natural History“ published in the „Medical Times“ for 1856 and lost there.
Fourthly in the Elements of Comparativ anatomy and in my course of Lectures Annually delivered here.
If I can find copies of the two first papers I will send them to you – but I fear I have none left. –
Dohrn is gone to Messina. I will send you note as when I get his address.