From Vladimir Onofrievich Kovalevsky [January–March 1869]1
My dear Sir
I did not answer your first letter immediately, and yesterday I received your second letter with questions concerning the Edition of your “Origin”2 The publisher is not living here but at Moscow, I write to him to day and shall directly after receiving his answer send it to you. There are two russian editions of the “Origin”, no remark is made to show from which Engl-edition the translation was made but I think it is from the Second Engl. edition; the second Russ. edition is merely a reprint from the first without any corrections or additions.3 At all events if there is no hope of a new edition appearing in a short time I will with your permission translate all the additions of the Fifth Engl. edition of the “Origin” and print them aparte as a supplement.—4
I am very astonished that Messr. Petter & Cassel have complained to you of my not fulfilling an engagement towards them5—but as there never was an engagement I dont well understand what they are complaining for,—the matter is simply thus: One of my partners asked me to go, during my visit in England, at Messr Cassel and ask them if “in case there will be a Russian edition of an illustrated Bible they will sell coppercasts of their great illustrated Bible”,—he gave me full power to treat about the price;—Mrs Cassel consented to sell coppercasts at 6d per sq. inch.— After my returning in Russia I knew that all endeavours of my partner to have a permission for printing an illustrated Bible were in vain, all the holy & Scriptural books being considered as litterary property of the Chief Church establishment (Synode)—and in this sense I wrote to Mrs Cassel, saying that our Government did not allow to print holy books to private persons and therefore there could be no russian Edition of the Illust. Bible, thanking them for their readiness to furnish casts I could make no use of them.— Not one single inch of casts was commanded, and not one made for me, so that I consider Mrs Cassel pretension as wholly unfounded, but I thank you very much you wrote me about it.
My brother is now in the University of Casan, he will be very pleased with the good opinion you formed on account of his Ascidiae— 6 The year beeing at Triest he made the full development of the “Pyrosoma” and came to entirely different conclusions with Mr Huxley, who wrote his memoir I think only studying preserved specimens.—7
Yours very truly | V. Kovalevsky
As soon as I receive an answer from Moscow, I shall communicate it to you.—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
DSB: Dictionary of scientific biography. Edited by Charles Coulston Gillispie and Frederic L. Holmes. 18 vols. including index and supplements. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1970–90.
Origin 5th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 5th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1869.
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.
Summary
Has written to Moscow about translations of Origin. Wishes to translate additions to the fifth English edition and print them as a supplement.
Pleased by CD’s high opinion of Alexander Kovalevsky.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6541
- From
- Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky (Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский)
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 169: 54
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6541,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6541.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17