Ɛpsilon

From Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg   16 August 1875

Paris,

16. August 1875,

Dear and honoured Sir,

A few days ago I took the liberty, to send you the two numbers of the “fremdenblatt”—the Pall mall gazette of Vienna—which contains my review on your last renowned work: “Insectivorous Plants”.1

A glance through them will have shown to you, how much I think of the work, and how much I admire your diligence, your patience, your endurance and, above all, your genius.

The little articles I wrote, may they be a little evidence of the acknowledgment of the great services, which you rendered to the natural history and the science generally!

The critic, which I wrote for the German “Illustrated London News”—called “Der Pionier” will appear in about a month, and I shall not fail, to send you also copies of this paper.2

The book, you lend me, I have sent to the Savile Club, after your advice.3

I should be very happy, if you would kindly acknowledge the receipt of the “fremdenblatt”—for otherwise I would send you another copy.

With the assurance of my high regard, and my admiration | I am, Dear Sir, | yours | most faithfully | Ernest von Hesse Wartegg | Author of the Werkzeugmasch: der Neuzeit,4 | Unterseeische Tunnelbauten etc, etc,—5

at present: | 11, Rue de Strassbourg | Paris.

1
Insectivorous plants was published on 2 July 1875 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). Hesse-Wartegg’s unsigned review ([Hesse-Wartegg] 1875c) was published in two parts in the Vienna daily newspaper Fremden-Blatt (Notes from abroad), and credited the book with laying the foundations for wholly new observations and research, and breaking the ice that had previously prevented the stream of knowledge from taking this direction (‘Das buch wird die Grundlage für künstige Beobachtungen und Forschungen bilden; es hat des Eis gebrochen, das biß jetzt den Strom des Wissens nach dieser Richtung hin bannte)’. CD’s annotated copy is in the DAR 139.18: 3–4.
2
CD’s copy of the Leipzig illustrated newspaper Der Pionier is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL, and contains, in addition to Hesse-Wartegg’s profile of CD (Hesse-Wartegg [1875a]), an unsigned two-part review (‘critic’) of Insectivorous plants ([Hesse-Wartegg 1875b]) .
3
CD’s name does not appear on the membership lists of the Savile Club, but George Howard, William Erasmus, and Leonard Darwin were all members, and CD’s publisher, John Murray, was an honorary secretary ([Glubb] 1923, pp. 18–22, 107–9). The club was a social club for writers and artists as well as scientists. The book may have been a copy of Insectivorous plants.
4
Werkzeugmasch: der Neuzeit: machine tools of the new age (German). Die Werkzeug-Maschinen zur Metall- und Holzbearbeitung: Machine tools for metal- and woodwork (Hesse[-Wartegg] 1874).
5
Unterseeische Tunnelbauten: undersea tunnel-building (German). Der Unterseeische Tunnel zwischen England und Frankreich vom geologischen, technischen und finanziellen Standpunkte beleuchtet, etc.: The undersea tunnel between England and France examined from geological, technical, and financial standpoints, etc. (Hesse[-Wartegg] 1875d).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10123,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10123