To G. N. Smith1 [c. 15 August 1840]
[Maer]
Whether Mr Smith be willing I read his paper to Geolog. Socy. in Autumn, as I think it well worth communicating. (President being willing constant proviso)—2 If so give me Christian name &c &c. It appears to me highly desirable if he will add information, as far as his in his power on following points.—
(1. Were any bones of any of the skeletons found in proper relative ⟨p⟩osition, as if animal had been washed in whole.—3
⟨2.⟩Are bones rounded, or broken.4
(3) Are there any stones, angular, or rounded, of limestone or of foreign rock in mud.—5 Are there horizontal lines of deposition in mud.6
(4) Distance of Caldy Isd from main7 & depth of channel.—8
(5) Particularly describe whether beaks of birds were embedded actually with Elephants bones, or chiefly in upper part of fissure.9
(6) Describe same for fishes bones.10
It would be a very valuable present ⟨to⟩ Geologl. Socy. if Mr. Smith would send some of these beaks & breast bones or bones of leg to Somerset House, directed to me. And if any can be spared, teeth of lion & horse &c, or any bones which are tolerably perfect with their articulations nearly perfect.—
If Mr Smith has no duplicates to spare., if he would send the birds beaks & bones to my house, I would (as soon as pretty well) get them described & examined & account written by good anatomist & append account to his paper & most carefully return them to him, or to any one who would lend them him for this purpose, & pay carriage And without they are examined by Anatomist, they are almost useless to science
Footnotes
Bibliography
Emma Darwin (1915): Emma Darwin: a century of family letters, 1792–1896. Edited by Henrietta Litchfield. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1915.
Smith, Gilbert Nicholas. 1860. On three undescribed bonecaves near Tenby, Pembrokeshire. Report of the 30th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held at Oxford, Transactions of the sections, pp. 101–2.
Summary
Questions GNS on remains found in caves on Caldy Island. [CD’s pencilled queries sent via Frances Allen].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-576
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Gilbert Nicholas Smith
- Sent from
- Maer
- Source of text
- Tenby Museum
- Physical description
- Amem 4pp ††
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 576,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-576.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 2