From W. S. Dallas   14 November 1879

Geological Society, | Burlington House, W.

14 Nov. 1879

My dear Mr. Darwin

I have to thank you for a copy of the little book on Erasmus Darwin, & for the kind manner in which I am spoken of in your note mentioning my share in the work.—1 I have only read a portion of your text, but have done so with great interest.— Your explanation of Miss Seward’s curious treatment of your Ancestor’s memory is a very natural one,— I presume the Doctor was what was called in those days & earlier a very gallant man, & may have roused hopes in the Lady’s bosom the disappointment of which would be painful.—2

Dr Krause occupies the smaller portion of the volume,—3

Believe me | Yours very truly | W. S. Dallas

1
Dallas’s name is on CD’s presentation list for Erasmus Darwin (Appendix IV). CD acknowledged his work on Ernst Krause’s essay, which formed the second part of the book, in Erasmus Darwin, p. iii: ‘Mr. Dallas has undertaken the translation, and his scientific reputation, together with his knowledge of German, is a guarantee for its accuracy’.
2
CD suggested that the critical remarks in Anna Seward’s biography of Erasmus Darwin (Seward 1804) had been motivated by jealousy: ‘The only possible explanation appears to be that she had wished to marry him after the death of his first wife and before his second marriage’ (Erasmus Darwin, p. 78).
3
CD’s preliminary notice was 127 pages long; Krause’s essay, ‘The scientific works of Erasmus Darwin’, was 95 pages (Erasmus Darwin, pp. 131–216). CD had recommended substantial cuts to Krause’s revised essay after reading it in translation (see letter to Ernst Krause, 13 August 1879, and letter to John Murray, 4 September 1879).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12319,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12319