Ɛpsilon

To Constantin James1   5 July 1877

Dow, Beckenham, Kent,

5 juillet 1877.

Mon cher Monsieur,

En rentrant hier chez moi, j’ai trouvé votre livre et votre lettre si parfaitment courtoise, pour lesquels je vous offre mon double remerciement.2 Je suis maintenant tellement absorbé par ces questions, que je n’ai pas encore pu trouver le temps de lire votre livre avec l’attention voulue. De plus, votre lettre en est une nouvelle preuve, des écrivains dont les vues diffèrent autant que les nôtres croient généralement que l’un comprend ou interprète mal les travaux de l’autre. Aussi, ce qu’il y a de mieux à faire, selon moi, c’est de laisser le public juger la chose, sans chercher à l’influencer.

Permettez-moi encore une fois de vous remercier cordialement de votre extrême courtoisie, et croyez-moi, cher Monsieur, bien sincèrement à vous. | Charles Darwin.

1
For a translation of this letter, see Appendix I. The only version that survives is James’s published translation of it.
2
The Darwins returned from a visit to their son William Erasmus Darwin in Southampton on 4 July 1877 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). James’s letter has not been found. The book he sent was Du Darwinisme ou l’homme singe (James 1877), which blamed all the evils of the time on the theories of CD and his supporters.

To Constantin James1   5 July 1877

Dow, Beckenham, Kent,

5 July 1877.

My dear Sir,

On returning home yesterday, I found your book and your very courteous letter, for which I offer many thanks.2 I am now so occupied with these questions, that I have not yet been able to find the time to read your book with the attention it deserves. Further, your letter is a new proof that writers whose opinions differ as much as ours believe in general that the one understands or interprets poorly the works of the other. Also, in my opinion, it is better to leave the public to make up its own mind, without seeking to influence it.

Allow me again to thank you kindly for your great courtesy, and believe me, dear Sir, very sincerely yours. | Charles Darwin.

1
For a transcription of this letter in the French of its published source, see Transcript.
2
The Darwins returned from a visit to their son William Erasmus Darwin in Southampton on 4 July 1877 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). James’s letter has not been found. The book he sent was Du Darwinisme ou l’homme singe (James 1877), which blamed all the evils of the time on the theories of CD and his supporters.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11036F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11036F