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From Edmund Mojsisovics von Mojsvár   28 April 1878

Kaiserlich-Königliche | Geologische Reichsanstalt | III., Rasumoffskygasse 3. | Vienna,

April 28th. | 1878.

Dear Sir!

I have taken the liberty, to send to your adress, by book post, some of my former paleontological publications, and the first part of my book, in course of publication, on the Geology of Southern Tyrol.1 This book intends to demonstrate the structure and extension of the Coral Reefs of the Triassic Period. In the first Chapter I tried to show the way, which the paleontological-geological inquiry has to go, in the mind of Your Theory, and to elucidate the true nature of the “imperfection of the Geological Record”.2 I would feel very much honoured, and greatly rewarded for my trouble, if You would be kind enough, to communicate to me in a few lines Your views on this Essay.

With the highest respect, I remain, | dear Sir, | Your | obedient servant | Dr. Edm. von Mojsisovics | [Mojsisovics]3

Charles Darwin, Esq. | Down, Beckenham.

1
Mojsisovics von Mojsvár’s book Die Dolomit-Riffe von Südtirol und Venetien (The Dolomitic reefs of South Tyrol and Veneto; Mojsisovics von Mojsvár 1878–9) was being published in parts. There are six parts, inscribed by the author, in the Darwin Library–Down House. Mojsisovics von Mojsvár also sent a map, Geologische Übersichtskarte des tirolisch-venetianischen Hochlandes zwischen Etsch und Piave (Geological outline map of the Tyrolian-Venetian highlands between Etsch and Piave) and two earlier palaeontological works (Mojsisovics von Mojsvár 1873–5 and 1874).
2
CD had devoted chapter 10 in Origin to a discussion of the imperfection of the geological record (Origin 6th ed., pp. 264–89). For Mojsisovics von Mojsvár’s explanation of gaps in the fossil record, see Mojsisovics von Mojsvár 1878–9, pp. 7–9.
3
Mojsisovics von Mojsvár was evidently trying to clarify the spelling of his name, which ran into the margin at the first attempt, but the second is barely legible.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11487,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11487