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Darwin Correspondence Project

To J. V. Carus   16 August [1868]1

Freshwater | I. of Wight.

Sunday Aug 16

My dear Sir

You will see by the address above that I am not at home & I regret extremely to have missed your visit.2

My health lately has been very indifferent & we came to this place for a change, but it has not done me much good.

We return home on Friday night & if you could spare time, after the British Assoc, to pay me a visit I should be delighted to see you.3

I have heard that the second part of my book is now published in Germany & I dare say that a copy of it is at Down; but I have not seen it as yet.4 I shall always feel greatly indebted to you for the honour which you have done me in translating it & for the great care which you have taken in making the translation accurate.

With sincere respect & thanks I remain | my dear Sir | yours very truly | Charles Darwin

P.S. I have some scruples in asking you to come so far to see me as owing to my health I can only converse for a short time, nevertheless I must repeat how very glad I shd be to see you

Footnotes

The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. V. Carus, 14 August 1868.
The Darwins arrived back in Down on Friday 21 August (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). CD did not meet Carus in 1868 (Correspondence vol. 17, letter to J. V. Carus, 5 January 1869).
See letter from Eduard Koch, 21 July 1868. CD refers to the German translation of Variation (Carus trans. 1868). The Darwins went to the Isle of Wight on 16 July (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.

Summary

Regrets having missed JVC’s visit. CD’s health is poor. He hopes JVC will come to Down after BAAS meeting.

Has heard second part [of Variation] is out in German. Thanks JVC for his great care in making translation accurate.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6317
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Julius Victor Carus
Sent from
Freshwater
Source of text
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter Lc 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 25–26)
Physical description
LS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6317,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6317.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16

letter