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From Francisco de Arruda Furtado1   29 July 1881

Île St. Michel (Açores)

29 juillet | 1881

Mr. Charles Darwin

Monsieur

Il est inutile de vous dire les sentiments de joie, de reconnaissance, d’encouragement, que votre lettre très bienveillante a eveillée en moi.2 Vous, Monsieur, bien mieux que personne, vous comprenez ce qu’il y a dans l’esprit d’un jeune homme qui débute sous la protection pleine de bonté des Prêtres de la Science.

Votre lettre, Monsieur, est pour moi du plus grand valeur. Les instructions que vous avez bien voulu me donner, je les savais pour la plupart, oui; mais c’était à votre livre que je devais leur connaissance et vous savez bien ce qu’il sera pour moi de les avoir réunies et écrites de votre main.

Il est un peu difficile de visiter les autres îles; mais j’ai déjà pensé à me procurer des collecteurs.

Je savais que à Terceira et à S. Maria il y avait des vestiges de la période glaciaire. Je possède quelques fossiles de S. Maria et je me procurerais des fragments des blocs erratiques que Mr. Hartung a signalés à Terceira et que vous avez observés aussi, je crois, dans votre voyage sur le “Beagle”.3

Je n’ai jamais entendu parler du dent de mastodon.4

Nous avons à St. Michel deux phares, un à P. delgada5 et un autre à Nordeste sur la pointe N.E. de l’île. Sur ce point de votre lettre j’ai eu à apprendre un excellent moyen d’investigation que je ne connaissais pas, de même que au sujet des Lacertæ: je n’avais pas encore pensé, je dois le dire, à ce qu’elles étaient ovipares(!) quoique je connaissais bien vos considérations à l’égard des œufs de moll. terr.6

Les transports d’arbres avec leurs racines avec leurs racines je les crois nuls, ou au moins très rares. Au milieu des fucus on trouve parfois des graines de 3 ou 4 espèces de plantes entrainées par le gulf stream(?) et bien connues de nos pécheurs qui les emploient comme ornement de table et en vidant les plus grosses (qu’ils appellent fava do mar) pour en faire des tabatières. Bientôt je prendrai la liberté de vous offrir quelques exemplaires de ces graines et les documents de mon étude “Indagações, &”7 .... ....

Après votre bienveillante lettre, Monsieur, mes études, quoique sur la même bonne voie de la saine orientation transformiste dont il m’a été donné hereusement de bien comprendre les effets, ont été vivement portées vers des aspirations nouvelles, et je vois bon nombre de faits que je ne voiais pas:— daignez agréer, très honoré Monsieur, l’expression de mon humble et profonde reconnaissance

Arruda Furtado.

1
For a translation of this letter, see Appendix I.
3
Georg Hartung. See Hartung and Bronn 1860, pp. 294–5. Terceira and São Miguel (St Michel or St Michael) in the Azores were HMS Beagle’s last landfalls before returning to England in 1836. CD described the geology of the area briefly in his diary of the voyage (see ‘Beagle’ diary), but did not mention erratic blocks; nor did he mention Terceira in his published account of the voyage (Journal of researches 2d ed.). Volcanic islands does describe the geology of Terceira, but does not note the existence of erratic blocks.
5
Ponta Delgada is the capital of São Miguel.
6
CD had discovered that recently hatched freshwater molluscs attached themselves to ducks’ feet (see Origin 6th ed., pp. 344–6). Lacerta is a genus of lizards.
7
There is a copy of Arruda Furtado 1880a (‘Indagações sobre a complicação das maxillas de alguns helices naturalisados nos Açores’; Enquiry on the complexity of the jaws of some Helixes naturalised in the Azores) in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL. Helix is a genus of land snails.

From Francisco de Arruda Furtado1   29 July 1881

Île St. Michel (Azores)

29 July | 1881

Mr. Charles Darwin

Sir

It is unnecessary to explain the feelings of joy, gratitude, and encouragement that your very kind letter inspired me with.2 You, Sir, know better than anyone what is in the heart of a young man who makes his debut under the kindly protection of the high priests of science.

Your letter, Sir, is for me of the greatest value. The instructions that you have kindly given me, for the most part I know them, yes: but it is to your book that I owe that knowledge and you know well what it means to me to have them all together and written in your hand.

It is rather difficult to visit the other islands, but I have already thought of finding myself collectors.

I knew that at Terceira and at S. Maria there were signs of the glacial period. I possess some fossils from S. Maria and I am going to get fragments of the erratic blocks that Mr. Hartung pointed out at Terceira and that I believe you too observed in your voyage on the “Beagle”.3

I have never heard tell of the tooth of the mastodon.4

We have two lighthouses at St Michel, one at P. delgada5 and another at Nordeste at the N.E. corner of the island. On this point in your letter, I had to learn an excellent method of investigation that I did not know before, as well as about Lacerta: I must say, I had not yet realised that they were oviparous (!), even though I knew well your observations in respect of the eggs of terrestrial molluscs.6

I believe trees are not transported with their roots, or at least only rarely. Among the seaweed, one sometimes finds seeds of 3 or 4 species of plant brought by the gulf-stream (?) and well known to our fisherfolk, who use them as a table ornaments and hollow out the biggest (which they call ‘bean of the sea’) to make snuffboxes. I will soon take the liberty of offering you some examples of these seeds, and an offprint of my paper, “Indagações, &”7 .... ....

After your kind letter, Sir, my studies, though on the same good track of sound transformist orientation, the effects of which I have fortunately been given a good understanding of, have been eagerly turned towards new aspirations, and I see a great number of facts that I could not see:— please accept, honoured Sir, my humble and profound gratitude

Arruda Furtado.

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original French, see Transcript.
3
Georg Hartung. See Hartung and Bronn 1860, pp. 294–5. Terceira and São Miguel (St Michel or St Michael) in the Azores were HMS Beagle’s last landfalls before returning to England in 1836. CD described the geology of the area briefly in his diary of the voyage (see ‘Beagle’ diary), but did not mention erratic blocks; nor did he mention Terceira in his published account of the voyage (Journal of researches 2d ed.). Volcanic islands does describe the geology of Terceira, but does not note the existence of erratic blocks.
5
Ponta Delgada is the capital of São Miguel.
6
CD had discovered that recently hatched freshwater molluscs attached themselves to ducks’ feet (see Origin 6th ed., pp. 344–6). Lacerta is a genus of lizards.
7
There is a copy of Arruda Furtado 1880a (‘Indagações sobre a complicação das maxillas de alguns helices naturalisados nos Açores’; Enquiry on the complexity of the jaws of some Helixes naturalised in the Azores) in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL. Helix is a genus of land snails.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13258,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13258