To J. V. Carus 11 April [1867]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Ap 11
My dear Sir
First for my own book: I am quite delighted to hear that you will undertake the translation. I am sorry to say my book is very large, much larger I fear than it is worth. A considerable part is a compilation, but it contains a good many original observations. I advised Schweizerbart not to undertake the publication until he had submitted a large part to some competent judge; but he seems resolved & I am of course glad of it.2
It consists of 2 Vols. large 8vo. with I fear at least 500 pages in each. The 2 Vols will be published together next Nov.3 I have already corrected 250 pages & I suppose the first clean sheets will soon be printed off, & they shall be sent direct to you. I have written to Murray about the stereotypes.4 I fear from what you say about yr many works in hand, that there must be a considerable delay in the German edition.5
With respect to Haeckel’s book, I admire & quite sympathize with all that you say about him with so much kindness & frankness. I agree with you that the book is too large.6 It is, also, I believe bad policy to speak so positively as he does about any disputed theory.
I am so poor a German scholar that I have read here & there only portions, but these seem to me to be put with admirable clearness, force & method. With respect to the severity of his criticisms I am in a difficulty, for I do not know German well enough to perceive the sting of all his remarks, & these passages I have merely skimmed over. Nevertheless I have stumbled on some severe & contemptuous remarks on difft authors; & Fritz Müller has written to me from Desterro to the same general effect with you.7 Hence I can, without mentioning any names, say that I have heard from several quarters of the severity of his criticisms, & I will speak strongly how injudicious I think this is, for my experience leads me to agree with you that severe strictures do no good, but only cause bitter anger.8 I fear however that my remonstrance will be of no use, for when a man has once taken to writing in letters of blood & is conscious of his own power, he seldom, as far as I see, is ever cured of this bad practice.
With sincere respect I remain | my dear Sir yours very truly | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Haeckel, Ernst. 1866. Generelle Morphologie der Organismen. Allgemeine Grundzüge der organischen Formen-Wissenschaft, mechanisch begründet durch die von Charles Darwin reformirte Descendenz-Theorie. 2 vols. Berlin: Georg Reimer.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
CD is delighted that JVC will undertake translation of Variation.
Agrees with JVC’s opinion of Haeckel’s book [Generelle Morphologie (1866)]. CD believes it is bad policy for Haeckel to speak so positively about a disputed theory [i.e., CD’s] and particularly regrets the severity of EH’s criticisms of other authors.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5498
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Julius Victor Carus
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter Lc 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 8–9)
- Physical description
- LS(A) 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5498,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5498.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15
