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From Ernst Krause1   30 March 1879

Berlin N.O. Friedenstrasse 10.II.

den 30.3.79.

Hochverehrter Herr!

Als Ihr freundliches Schreiben vom 27n. c. heute in meinen Besitz kam, war ich schon so weit vorgeschritten in einer neuen Bearbeitung des Lebens von Dr. Darwin, dass ich Sie herzlich bitten möchte, mich dieselbe vollenden zu lassen, bevor Herr Dallas die Uebersetzung beginnt, da er sonst doppelte Arbeit haben würde.2 Ich wünsche nur noch einige Punkte in Betreff des literarischen Lebens in Lichfield festzustellen und zu diesem Zwecke die Correspondence von Dr. Johnson nachzusehen, ebenso die Werke von Blackmore und Broocke (On universal Beauty); von denen man gesagt hat, dass sie dem Dr. Darwin als Vorbilder gedient hätten.3

Alle diese Punkte werden, glaube ich, nicht mit Ihren Feststellungen collidiren, und sollte das irgendwo der Fall sein, so bitte ich Sie, jedenfalls den betreffenden Passus aus meinem Essay herauszustreichen. Ich hoffe Ihnen diese Neubearbeitung in acht oder spätestens vierzehn Tagen senden zu können, so dass Herr Dallas Ihnen die Uebersetzung bequem zu der Zeit wird fertigstellen können, in welcher Sie selbst beginnen zu können glauben.

Für Ihr gütiges Anerbieten uns für die deutsche Ausgabe eine Anzahl von Lichtdruck-Portraits ueberlassen zu wollen, sage ich Ihnen vorläufig herzlichsten Dank; ich werde demnächst mit dem Buchhändler Rücksprache nehmen, um zu erfahren, eine wie hohe Auflage derselbe zu veranstalten denkt, aber ich sollte meinen, die Herstellungskosten könnten recht wohl von dem betreffenden Buchhändler getragen werden.4

Wahrscheinlich würden Sie wünschen, dass die deutsche Ausgabe bei Herrn E. Koch in Stuttgart erschiene.5 Allein ich habe schon im vorigen Monat (Februar) über eine Separat-Ausgabe der Lebens-Beschreibung mit Herr Carl Alberts verhandelt, und es würde vielleicht nicht gut gehen, dies nachträglich zu ändern. Herr Preyer in Jena hatte ursprünglich die Absicht, seine Biographie zu erweitern und sie in demselben Bändchen mit abdrucken zu lassen.6 Diese Idee ist aufgegeben worden, seit wir erfahren haben, dass Herr Rade in Münster Vorbereitungen für eine ausführlichere und gründlichere Beschreibung Ihres Lebens macht.7

Mit den herzlichsten Wünschen für Ihr Wohlbefinden zeichne ⁠⟨⁠ich⁠⟩⁠ | Hochverehrter Herr | Ihr | treulich ergebenster | Ernst Krause

Footnotes

1
For a translation of this letter, see Appendix I.
2
See letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879. CD had suggested that William Sweetland Dallas might begin translating Krause’s original text from Krause 1879a and add Krause’s new material later.
3
Erasmus Darwin’s philosophical poetry was said to have been inspired by Henry Brooke’s poem ‘Universal beauty’, which, in turn, was thought to imitate Richard Blackmore’s physico-theological poem ‘Creation’ (Hunt et al. 1806–7, 1: 215). The reference to Brooke as a model for Erasmus Darwin’s poetry is in Biographie universelle 10: 558. Krause also refers to Samuel Johnson.
4
In his letter of 14 March 1879, CD told Krause that he hoped to have autotype copies made of a portrait of Erasmus Darwin owned by his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin. Autotype, a kind of carbon printing process for the monochrome facsimile reproduction of images, was patented in 1868 by the Autotype Company of London (OED).
5
CD’s German publisher was E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung; Eduard Koch was head of the firm.
6
Karl Alberts was the head of Ernst Günther’s Verlag, Leipzig, which published Kosmos; the German version of Erasmus Darwin was published by his firm (Krause 1880). William Preyer, who was professor of physiology at Jena, had contributed a biographical sketch of CD to a special number of Kosmos published in February 1879 in celebration of CD’s 70th birthday (Preyer 1879).
7
Emil Rade had organised the production of an album of photographs of German and Austrian scientists made in honour of CD, which was presented to CD in 1877 (see Correspondence vol. 25, letter from Emil Rade, [before 16] February 1877, and Rade 1877). Rade never published a biography of CD.

Bibliography

Biographie universelle: Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne. Par une société de gens de lettres et de savants. 85 vols. Paris: Michaud; Beck. 1811–62.

Erasmus Darwin. By Ernst Krause. Translated from the German by W. S. Dallas, with a preliminary notice by Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1879.

Hunt, Leigh, et al. 1806–7. Classic tales, serious and lively: with critical essays on the merits and reputation of the authors. 5 vols. London: John Hunt & Carew Reynell.

Krause, Ernst. 1879a. Erasmus Darwin, der Großvater und Vorkämpfer Charles Darwin’s: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Descendenz-Theorie. Kosmos 4 (1878–9): 397–424.

Krause, Ernst. 1880. Erasmus Darwin und seine Stellung in der Geschichte der Descendenz-Theorie von Ernst Krause. Mit seinem Lebens- und Charakterbilde von Charles Darwin. Leipzig: Ernst Günther.

Preyer, William. 1879. Charles Darwin. Eine biographische Skizze. Kosmos 4 (1878–9): 339–50.

Rade, Emil. 1877. Charles Darwin und seine deutschen Anhänger im Jahre 1876. Eine Geschichte der deutschen Ehrengabe zu Darwin’s 69. Geburtstage. Strasbourg: J. Schneider.

Translation

From Ernst Krause1   30 March 1879

Berlin N.O. Friedenstrasse 10.II.

30.3.79.

Most esteemed Sir!

When your kind letter of the 27th of this month came into my possession today, I had already progressed so far with the new version of the life of Dr Darwin that I want to plead with you to let me complete it before Mr Dallas starts the translation, since he would otherwise have twice the work.2 I only wish to establish a number of details in reference to the literary life in Lichfield and with this aim to consult the correspondence of Dr Johnson, as well as the works of Blackmore and Broocke (On universal Beauty); of which it has been said that they served Dr Darwin as models.3

All these points will not, I believe, conflict with your observations, and should this be the case in any instance I beg you to delete the passage in question from my essay. I hope to be able to send you this revised version in eight days or at the latest a fortnight, so that Mr Dallas will easily be able to complete the translation for you by the time that you yourself think you can begin.

For your kind offer to let us have a number of autotype-portraits for the German edition I thank you most cordially in advance; I will consult with the publisher soon, to establish what number of copies he is aiming to produce, but I should think that the production costs could very well be borne by the publisher in question.4

You would probably want the German edition to be published by Mr E. Koch in Stuttgart.5 However, last month (February), I already negotiated with Mr Carl Alberts regarding a separate edition of the biography, and it would not easily be feasable to change this later. Originally Mr Preyer in Jena intended to expand his biography and to publish it in the same little volume.6 This idea has been abandoned since we heard that Mr Rade in Münster has been making preparations for a more extensive and more thorough description of your life.7

With the most cordial wishes for your health I remain | Most esteemed Sir | Yours | truly devoted | Ernst Krause

Footnotes

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original German, see Transcript.
2
See letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879. CD had suggested that William Sweetland Dallas might begin translating Krause’s original text from Krause 1879a and add Krause’s new material later.
3
Erasmus Darwin’s philosophical poetry was said to have been inspired by Henry Brooke’s poem ‘Universal beauty’, which, in turn, was thought to imitate Richard Blackmore’s physico-theological poem ‘Creation’ (Hunt et al. 1806–7, 1: 215). The reference to Brooke as a model for Erasmus Darwin’s poetry is in Biographie universelle 10: 558. Krause also refers to Samuel Johnson.
4
In his letter of 14 March 1879, CD told Krause that he hoped to have autotype copies made of a portrait of Erasmus Darwin owned by his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin. Autotype, a kind of carbon printing process for the monochrome facsimile reproduction of images, was patented in 1868 by the Autotype Company of London (OED).
5
CD’s German publisher was E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung; Eduard Koch was head of the firm.
6
Karl Alberts was the head of Ernst Günther’s Verlag, Leipzig, which published Kosmos; the German version of Erasmus Darwin was published by his firm (Krause 1880). William Preyer, who was professor of physiology at Jena, had contributed a biographical sketch of CD to a special number of Kosmos published in February 1879 in celebration of CD’s 70th birthday (Preyer 1879).
7
Emil Rade had organised the production of an album of photographs of German and Austrian scientists made in honour of CD, which was presented to CD in 1877 (see Correspondence vol. 25, letter from Emil Rade, [before 16] February 1877, and Rade 1877). Rade never published a biography of CD.

Bibliography

Biographie universelle: Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne. Par une société de gens de lettres et de savants. 85 vols. Paris: Michaud; Beck. 1811–62.

Erasmus Darwin. By Ernst Krause. Translated from the German by W. S. Dallas, with a preliminary notice by Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1879.

Hunt, Leigh, et al. 1806–7. Classic tales, serious and lively: with critical essays on the merits and reputation of the authors. 5 vols. London: John Hunt & Carew Reynell.

Krause, Ernst. 1879a. Erasmus Darwin, der Großvater und Vorkämpfer Charles Darwin’s: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Descendenz-Theorie. Kosmos 4 (1878–9): 397–424.

Krause, Ernst. 1880. Erasmus Darwin und seine Stellung in der Geschichte der Descendenz-Theorie von Ernst Krause. Mit seinem Lebens- und Charakterbilde von Charles Darwin. Leipzig: Ernst Günther.

Preyer, William. 1879. Charles Darwin. Eine biographische Skizze. Kosmos 4 (1878–9): 339–50.

Rade, Emil. 1877. Charles Darwin und seine deutschen Anhänger im Jahre 1876. Eine Geschichte der deutschen Ehrengabe zu Darwin’s 69. Geburtstage. Strasbourg: J. Schneider.

Summary

Wants to finish revision of MS on Erasmus Darwin before Dallas begins translation. Has discussed possible German edition with Carl Alberts.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-11961
From
Ernst Ludwig (Ernst) Krause
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Berlin
Source of text
DAR 92: B21
Physical description
ALS 2pp (German)

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11961,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11961.xml

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