To H. N. Shaw, Secretary, Royal Geographical Society 25 December [1855]1
Down Bromley Kent
Dec. 25th
My dear Sir
You have no idea how useful your various suggestions have been to me. When put on the scent, I have followed up several of your men, got some sort of introduction & written to them.—
But I want to beg one other great favour of you, viz. when you see Mr Consul Brand2 to sound him, & see whether there is any one in Angola who could skin a few specimens for me, & if so, whether he would take the trouble, on his return, to give instructions; & I would in that case write to him, & explain what I want; for I presume there is Poultry every where, if not other domesticated birds.—
I really feel it too impudent to write without knowing him in some degree. Can you aid me in this one respect? Of if you were to write him the briefest note & say that I am a respectable person & would repay any small expence to a bird-skinner &c.—
I have now written to each chief quarter of the world, except Arabia. Can you aid me here; being so anciently civilised it wd. be very fine region for me. Is there any semi-scientific man in Aden? I have written to Revd. J. Erdhardt,3 & used your name, & Col. Sykes4 says he will help me by any request or order to Bombay so as to reach the East coast of Africa.—
With very sincere thanks | Your’s truly | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Has followed correspondent’s useful suggestions of sources of information [on variation in domesticated animals in various regions of the globe].
Asks him to sound out [Mr Consul Brand?] about skinning some bird specimens for him.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1800
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Henry Norton Shaw
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Royal Geographical Society
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1800,” accessed on 21 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1800.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5