Summary

Progress on his Russian translation of Descent.

Alexander Kovalevsky is at Tor in Sinai, where C. G. Ehrenberg was in 1827.

Has CD seen Ernst Haeckel’s new book [Biologische Studien (1870–7)]?

Summary

Sofya Kovalevsky not admitted to University in Berlin.

Translating the four sheets CD sent. When will book [Descent] be printed?

Alexander [Kovalevsky] has gone to the Red Sea to study corals.

Will work on live Scalpellum at Naples in spring.

Bemoans England’s Prussian sympathies. Paris will fall without bombardment.

Summary

Forwards Alexander Kovalevsky’s letter [7326] with the information on the vertebrate character of ascidian larvae.

Summary

Thanks for Cirripedia. Sorry CD has had to buy the books.

Summary

Plans to visit Down in a week.

Summary

Leaving England.

Asks CD to send four sheets [of Descent proofs].

Summary

Wishes to visit Down.

Summary

Will order the first set of casts from Murray.

Thanks CD for a book for his wife from the Royal Society Library.

His brother [Alexander] is delighted at being referred to in CD’s work [Descent 1: 205].

Summary

Moritz Wagner is going to attack selection theory in his new book on his travels in America [Naturwissenschaftliche Reisen im tropischen Amerika (1870)].

K. G. Semper may attack CD’s theory of coral islands.

Summary

Requests a copy of [Living] Cirripedia to send to his brother, Alexander, who is working in Naples and wishes to verify CD’s discovery of complementary males.

Summary

Describes his brother Alexander’s discovery of male of Bonellia, a striking example of dimorphism. Encloses a plate with notes on his brother’s work.

The difficulty his wife, Sofya Kovalevsky, has had as a woman in being admitted to Berlin University. Kirchow [Gustav Robert Kirchhoff], at Heidelberg, has taken an interest in her.

Summary

Has received (from CD) the sheets of the second volume [of Descent].

He fears he has offended CD or someone in England and he begs to know his offence.

His brother is working at the Red Sea and wishes CD to know that he has evidence for the affinity of ascidians and vertebrates in their nervous systems.

Plans to go to Paris upon its imminent capitulation to help his sister-in-law.

Summary

A. J. Gaudry is one of few supporters of Darwinism in Paris.

The climate is so hostile that Kovalevsky must mitigate his views so as not to irritate the French.

Working on Anchitherium, which he believes is intermediate between Palaeotherium and the horse.

His brother-in-law has been arrested.

Summary

Has received all the proof-sheets of first volume and of second volume to p. 168 [Descent].

Leaves for Paris tomorrow.

Summary

Paris is in the hands of "brigands and socialists", but one grows accustomed to sporadic bombardment,

and VOK is peacefully studying invertebrate palaeontology collections.

Reports on Paul Gervais’ successful cross between a Triton and an axolotl.

Summary

Lost proofs have arrived.

Proposes to append the woodcuts of dog and cat varieties from Brehm [Illustrirtes Thierleben (1864–7)], which he has also translated, to the Russian edition of Variation.

Summary

Will translate passages as CD requests [see 7735].

Bitter at Prussian militarism.

Summary

Russian translation of Descent in progress, but the Minister of Interior has banned CD’s work and the book will be seized.

His foolish brother-in-law, Mayor of Montmartre, attempted to defend their section against the government.

CD’s queries on man and camels have gone to Alexander [Kovalevsky] in Sinai.

Summary

VOK and his wife walked 25 miles through the Prussian lines to Paris.

Natural history collections undamaged by bombardment, but Edmond Hébert and A. J. Gaudry fear Prussians will rob them.

Several sheets of Descent lost as they passed through the lines.