To William Ogle 16 December [1878]1
Down, Beckenham, Kent. S.E.
Dec. 16th.
My dear Ogle,
I am heartily obliged to you for your wise advice and kind assistance to my son Horace. We are in awesome perplexity about our confounded well, which is so deep that I thought it must be safe.2
I have now read Kerner’s book which is better even than I anticipated.3 The translation seems to me as clear as daylight and written in forcible and good familiar English. I am rather afraid that it is too good for the English public, which seems to like very washy food, unless it be administered by some one whose name is well known and then I suspect a good deal of the unintelligible is very pleasing to them. I hope to Heaven that I may be wrong. Anyhow you and Mrs Ogle have done a right good service for Botanical Science.4
Yours very Sincerely. | Ch. Darwin.
P. S. You have done me much honour in your prefaratory Remarks.5
Footnotes
Bibliography
Kerner, Anton. 1876. Die Schutzmittel der Blüthen gegen unberufene Gäste. In Festschrift der K. K. Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. Vienna: K. K. Zoologisch-Botanische Gesellschaft; Braumüller.
Summary
Thanks WO for advice and assistance for his son, Horace.
Has read Kerner’s book [see 11666]; finds the translation "as clear as daylight" but fears it is too good for the English public who like "very washy food".
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11797
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Ogle
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 147: 203
- Physical description
- C 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11797,” accessed on 19 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11797.xml