Charles Darwin an Ernst Haeckel, Down, 19. Juli [1864]

Down Bromley Kent | July 19

Dear Sir

I have been deeply interested by your most kind letter. – I naturally feel much curiosity on the progress of opinion on the descent of species, & I am delighted to hear that the subject is progressing in Germany which so abounds with great naturalists. – But what you tell me about yourself interests me the most, & I thank you sincerely for your confidence. I feel what you say in praise of my book & your intention of carrying onwards & perfecting the subject, as by far the greatest honour which could be paid me. I was shewn in London your magnificent work || on Radiolariæ. The passage which you refer to was pointed out to me & I was struck by it & admired the boldness of your expressions.

I am grieved to hear that you have suffered any heavy calamity; but at so early a period of life I cannot but hope that time, the great allayer of all evils, will do much for you. I am rendered by ill-health old for my years, which are 56, but I still feel a lively interest on many subjects, & your letter has delighted me. I have thought that perhaps you would like to have a photograph of me (lately taken by one of my sons) & which I enclose. Some time I hope that you will have the goodness to send me your photograph, as I should much like to possess a copy. || I am very much obliged for your promised book, which I will read with care, for what you say on individual variability in the Coelenterata is very remarkable; & this kind of variability has been greatly neglected by naturalists. I have however a very bad head for languages; & every German book takes me a long time which is a great evil, there is so much to read in German. I am slowly recovering from a long illness, which has quite prevented all work; but I hope soon to resume my nearly finished book on “Variation under Domestication”; in the mean time, I have been doing a little easy Botanical work, & one of the papers which I have prepared, will possibly interest you as it relates to reproduction & when printed I will send you a copy.

This kind of work being in some degree || new to me, I have been much struck with the interest which the theory of descent & modification gives to all researches in Natural History; for I was able to use my own views with a feeling of novelty almost as if I had only lately learnt them.

Pray present my respects to Schleicher & Gegenbaur. I am much pleased to know that men so distinguished agree to a large extent with my views.

Accept my cordial thanks for your long letter which has interested me in a high degree

I remain with much respect

Dear Sir

yours very sincerely

Charles Darwin

Brief Metadaten

ID
9857
Gattung
Brief ohne Umschlag
Entstehungsort
Entstehungsland aktuell
Großbritannien
Entstehungsland zeitgenössisch
Vereinigtes Königreich Großbritannien und Irland
Datierung
19.07.1864
Sprache
Englisch
Umfang Seiten
4
Umfang Blätter
2
Format
13,5 x 21,0 cm
Besitzende Institution
EHA Jena
Signatur
EHA Jena, A 9857
Zitiervorlage
Darwin, Charles an Haeckel, Ernst; Down; 19.07.1864; https://haeckel-briefwechsel-projekt.uni-jena.de/de/document/b_9857