From Federico Delpino1 5 September 1867
Illustre Signore
Pieno d’ammirazione pel grande talento della S. V. Illm˜a, oso offerirle in omaggio due miei scritti.2
Se Ella si compiacerà di darvi uno sguardo, si accorgerà tosto quanta influenza abbiano avuto su di me le Sue ammirabili opere sulla variabilità delle specie e sulla fecondazione delle orchidee.3
Quanto alla prima opera, accettando interamente il piano di variazione così ingegnosamente trovato ed esposto dalla S. V., mi parve doverlo interpretare Spiritualisticamente, locché (se non sono in errore) toglie via tutte quante le objezioni sollevate contro il piano medesimo.4
Quanto alla seconda opera, Ella vedrà che io sono stato fortunato di ritrovare che la legge delle nozze miste mediante gl’insetti ha luogo nelle asclepiadee e in altre famiglie di piante con pari ragione che nelle orchidee.5
Le chieggo perdono della libertà che mi prendo, ed ho l’onore di protestarmi con profonda stima
Suo vero ammiratore e servitore | Delpino Federico
Italia | Genova | Chiavari addì 5 7.bre 1867
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Delpino, Federico. 1865. Relazione sull’apparechio della fecondazione nelle asclepiadee. Aggiuntevi alcune considerazioni sulle cause finali e sulla teoria di Carlo Darwin intorno all’origine delle specie. Gazzetta Medica di Torino 2d ser. 15 (1865): 372–4, 382–4, 390–1, 398–400.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Pancaldi, Giuliano. 1991. Darwin in Italy. Science across cultural frontiers. Translated by Ruey Brodine Morelli. Updated and expanded edition. Bloomington and Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press.
Translation
From Federico Delpino1 5 September 1867
Distinguished Sir
Full of admiration for the great talent of your most distinguished honour, I venture to offer you two of my publications as a token of my respect.2
If it pleases you to glance at them, you will notice at once how much influence your admirable works on the variability of species and on the fertilisation of orchids had on me.3
Concerning the first work, while I accept entirely the model of variation that has been so ingeniously uncovered and expounded by your honour, it seems to me that it needs to be interpreted in a spiritualistic manner, which (unless I am mistaken) would dispose of all the objections that have been raised against the selfsame model.4
Concerning the second work, you will see that I have had the good luck of finding that the law of mixed marriages mediated by insects occurs in equal proportions in the asclepiads and other plant families as in orchids.5
I beg your pardon for the liberty I have taken, and have the honour of professing my deep respect
Your true admirer and servant | Delpino Federico
Italy | Genoa | Chiavari 5 September 1867
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Delpino, Federico. 1865. Relazione sull’apparechio della fecondazione nelle asclepiadee. Aggiuntevi alcune considerazioni sulle cause finali e sulla teoria di Carlo Darwin intorno all’origine delle specie. Gazzetta Medica di Torino 2d ser. 15 (1865): 372–4, 382–4, 390–1, 398–400.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Pancaldi, Giuliano. 1991. Darwin in Italy. Science across cultural frontiers. Translated by Ruey Brodine Morelli. Updated and expanded edition. Bloomington and Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press.
Summary
Support CD’s views on variability of species, but believes they must be interpreted "spiritualisticamente".
Cross-fertilisation in the Asclepiadaceae.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5622
- From
- Federico Delpino
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Genoa
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 142
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp (Italian)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5622,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5622.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15
