From C. V. Naudin1 6 December 1864
Paris,
le 6 décembre 1864
A Monsieur Ch. Darwin, membre de la Soc. royale &c.
Monsieur,
Je viens de lire dans un journal que je crois bien informé, que la Societé royale vous a décerné récemment la grande médaille de Copley, pour vos incomparables travaux en philosophie naturelle.2 Permettez-moi de vous en adresser mes plus sincères félicitations d’ajouter que la Societé royal⟨e⟩ ⟨ ⟩ à elle-même beaucoup ⟨one or two words missing⟩ vous donnant ⟨several words missing⟩
Si vous vous ⟨several words missing⟩ encore, ⟨several words missing⟩ photo ⟨several words missing⟩ portrait d’un de vos plus sincères admirateurs.3 Je serais fier que vous voulussiez bien la classer dans votre album des botanistes contemporaines,4 parmi lesquels je tiendrai la place la plus infime.
J’ai publié récemment, dans les Comptes-rendus de l’Académie des Sciences, un court mémoire sur du cas de variabilité provoqués par le croisement, qui me paraissent assez remarquables.5 Peut-être la lecture en aura-t-elle quelque intérêt pour vous. Je regrette de n’avoir pas d’exemplaires de ce Mémoire à ma disposition, mais je pense qu’il vous fera facile de vous procurer le No du Comptes-rendus— C’est celui du 21 Novembre ⟨dern⟩ier
⟨ ⟩ conti⟨nuer⟩ mes recherches expé ⟨rimentales⟩ ⟨three or four words missing⟩ mes travaux cucurbi⟨ ⟩6 ⟨three or four words missing⟩ derniers, malheureusement, ⟨several words missing⟩ Pénélope; il ⟨several words missing⟩ refaire;7 aussi marchent-ils avec une lenteur plus que Sage.
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, avec mes meilleurs compliments, l’expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués
Votre bien dévoué Serviteur, | Ch. Naudin | Mbre de l’Institut.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Geison, Gerald L. 1969. Darwin and heredity: the evolution of his hypothesis of pangenesis. Journal of the History of Medicine 24: 375–411.
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Naudin, Charles Victor. 1864. De l’hybridité considérée comme cause de variabilité dans les végétaux. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des Sciences 59: 837–45.
Olby, Robert. 1985. Origins of Mendelism. 2d edition. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Rheinberger, Hans-Jörg. 1983. Naudin, Darwin, Nägeli: Bemerkungen zu den Vererbungsvorstellungen des 19. Jahrhunderts. Medizinhistorisches Journal 18: 198–212.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Translation
From C. V. Naudin1 6 December 1864
I have just read in a journal that I believe to be well informed, that the Royal Society has recently awarded you the prestigious Copley Medal for your incomparable works on natural philosophy. Permit me to send you my most sincere congratulations [and] to add that the Royal Society ⟨ ⟩ for itself a great deal ⟨of honour⟩ in presenting you ⟨ ⟩.
If you ⟨ ⟩ still, ⟨ ⟩ photograph ⟨ ⟩ portrait of one of your most sincere admirers. I would be proud if you would place it in your album of contemporary botanists, among whom I will occupy the most lowly place.
I have recently published in the Comptes-rendus de l’Académie des Sciences a short communication on some cases of variability caused by crossing, which seem to me quite remarkable. Perhaps you would be interested in reading it. I regret that I have no copies of this paper at my disposal, but I think that it will be easy for you to obtain the issue of the Comptes-rendus— it is the one of 21 November last. ⟨ ⟩ to continue—my experimental research ⟨ ⟩ my work [on] Cucurbitaceae ⟨ ⟩ last, unfortunately, ⟨like⟩ Penelope’s ⟨web, it is necessary⟩ to redo; and so they proceed more slowly than is wise. Please accept, Sir, with my compliments, the expression of my greatest esteem. Your very devoted servant, | Ch. Naudin. | Member of the Institute.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Geison, Gerald L. 1969. Darwin and heredity: the evolution of his hypothesis of pangenesis. Journal of the History of Medicine 24: 375–411.
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Naudin, Charles Victor. 1864. De l’hybridité considérée comme cause de variabilité dans les végétaux. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des Sciences 59: 837–45.
Olby, Robert. 1985. Origins of Mendelism. 2d edition. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Rheinberger, Hans-Jörg. 1983. Naudin, Darwin, Nägeli: Bemerkungen zu den Vererbungsvorstellungen des 19. Jahrhunderts. Medizinhistorisches Journal 18: 198–212.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Congratulates CD on the Copley Medal.
Directs CD to his short memoir on crossing ["De l’hybridité", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 59 (1864): 837–45].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4703
- From
- Charles Victor Naudin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Mus. Hist. Nat. Cult., Paris
- Source of text
- DAR 172: 7
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp (French) damaged
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4703,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4703.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12
