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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Julius von Haast   [c. 11 February 1877]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

My dear Sir,

I am much obliged for the extract from Ticknor. It is one of the most curious cases of inheritance which I have met with, & I should think he was a trustworthy man.2 I am not likely to write upon inheritance again, & have therefore sent the extract to Francis Galton who always attends to the subject.3

Many thanks also for your kind & interesting letter. It amuses me to hear how the battle of Evolution rages at the Antipodes.4

I hope all your important scientific work progresses favorably & I remain | dear Sir | yours faithfully | Charles Darwin

Footnotes

The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to Francis Galton, 11 February [1877].
Haast had sent CD a passage from Life, letters, and journals of George Ticknor (Ticknor 1876, 1: 196–7) that described deaf children who, despite having learned Spanish by visual imitation from Castilian teachers, spoke with the accents of their various native provinces (see Correspondence vol. 24, letter from Julius von Haast, 16 December 1876 and n. 1).
Haast had reported on a recent controversy over Darwinian evolution among the religious communities of Dunedin, New Zealand (see Correspondence vol. 24, letter from Julius von Haast, 16 December 1876 and n. 2).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Ticknor, George. 1876. Life, letters, and journals of George Ticknor. Edited by George Stillman Hillard. 2 vols. Boston: Osgood. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.

Summary

The extract from Ticknor [see 10722] is one of the most curious cases of inheritance CD has met with. He has sent it to Francis Galton as CD is not likely to write on inheritance again.

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10756,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10756.xml

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