To Ernst Krause   3 September [1879]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)

Sept 3d

My dear Sir

Pray do whatever you think best in the German edition; & I can add in the Preface to English Edition that parts omitted.— I have always thought your article very well done & more interesting than mine.—2

I send (Registered) your original & the translation of the parts which I have not used; & I have marked with pencil the few errors which I have found.— If, as I suppose, there is a French edition, perhaps the French may like to translate your additions, so please have an additional set of proofs printed.—3

I sent 2 days ago the 2 first sheets of my notice to Friederick St. as you directed.

I will attend to your instructions for the future.—

It will be necessary for you to read the Eng. Translation of your Article when in Proof, for Mr. Dallas could not read some words.—4

I suppose that you received safely your ‘History of Evolution’5

In Haste to catch Post | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. | I cannot send the few first pages of your M.S. as Mr Dallas told me that he shd. require them in correcting the Translation; but they shall be sent as soon as he has corrected first sheet.—

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Ernst Krause, 1 September 1879.
2
See letter from Ernst Krause, 1 September 1879. Krause was preparing a German edition of Erasmus Darwin (Krause 1880), based on a revised and expanded version of his article in Kosmos (Krause 1879a). CD had written a lengthy biographical notice to the English translation (Erasmus Darwin), but had declined to include all of Krause’s additional material.
3
CD had been in contact with the publisher Charles-Ferdinand Reinwald about the possibility of a French edition of Erasmus Darwin (letter to Ernst Krause, 5 [May] 1879.
4
William Sweetland Dallas had translated the revised version of Krause 1879a from the German manuscript (see letter from W. S. Dallas, 28 August 1879).
5
Krause had included a history of descent theory since Erasmus Darwin in his revised version of Krause 1879a; CD wanted to exclude this from the English translation, and Krause had asked for it back (see letters to Ernst Krause, 13 August 1879 and 19 August [1879]).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added
1.1 in the] ‘the’ interl
2.1 (Registered)] interl
5.1 when in Proof, 5.2] interl
6.1 your] after del ‘the’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12216,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12216