To Charles Kingsley 1 December [1859]1
Ilkley Wells House | Otley Yorkshire
Dec 1
Dear Sir
Thank you for your second note.2 I am very glad you wrote the Winter Garden, I did so extremely like it.3 I felt myself amongst the tall fir-trees.— With respect to Cirripeds, the Ray Soc. published two awfully big volumes of my work with many Plates4 They cost together 1.1.0; but would not be in the least worth your buying, as I describe all species of world & go into great detail of anatomy, homologies & metamorphosis. Owen in his second Edition of Comp. Anat gives good abstract.5 In the new Edit. of Penny Cyclop. I wrote a brief abstract for Dr. Lankester of my work.—6 If you shd care much for subject, you might borrow the vols. from any of the Scientific societies. The facts given on the Complemental (i e accessory males married to a hermaphrodite) males are, I think, really very curious, & these males, almost the most degraded creatures in the world. It took me months before I could believe my own eyes & I have given evidence in great detail.—7
I would venture to advise you to read one of the abstracts, & then if you care for subject borrow my volumes.—
I can in truth hardly say how glad I am you have permitted me to quote the sentence in your note.8
Pray believe me | Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Kingsley, Charles. 1858. My winter garden. Fraser’s Magazine 57: 408–25.
Summary
Is very glad CK wrote the article My Winter Garden (Kingsley 1858), which CD enjoyed.
Thinks CK should read abstracts of Living Cirripedia (1851) and Living Cirripedia (1854), and then, if he is particularly interested, borrow the actual volumes, rather than purchase them.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2564F
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Charles Kingsley
- Sent from
- Ilkley
- Source of text
- University of Toronto, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (MSS gen 30.058)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2564F,” accessed on 27 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2564F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 18 (Supplement)