Ɛpsilon

To Arthur Henfrey   31 March [1855]

Down Farnborough Kent.

March 31st

My dear Sir

I thank you exceedingly & very sincerely for all the trouble you have taken.1 I really had no thought to give so much trouble.— You indeed in your note show yourself well up to the current literature— If you cannot find Godron, it is hopeless. It is not known by booksellers at Paris, or here by Williams & Norgate2 or at Kew by Hooker & Bentham.—

I shd. certainly have been very glad to have known what it is about. But I must give it up.3 How useful a parallel book to Agassiz & Stricklands Zoolog Bibliography4 would be in Botany!.— Thank you, also, for telling me where to find Hornschuch, though your remarks take off much of my wish to see it.5

Thank you very much for the extremely kind manner in which you offer me assistance: I do not know that I shall require it; but if I do, I will not scruple to intrude on your kindness.

Pray believe me | My dear Sir | Your’s truly obliged | Charles Darwin

1
See letter to Arthur Henfrey, 17 March [1855]. CD had been searching for a copy of Godron 1848–9 since early March (see letter from J. D. Hooker, [before 7 March 1855], and letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 March [1855]).
2
Booksellers specialising in foreign medical and scientific literature.
3
CD recorded the title of Godron’s paper (Godron 1848–9) in his list of books to be read and at some stage marked it as having been read (Correspondence vol. 4, Appendix IV, *128: 177). However, it is likely that he did not succeed in locating a copy until after writing Natural selection and Origin, for it is not cited in either of these works. CD acquired a copy of Godron’s expanded version of the earlier work (Godron 1859), which is now in the Darwin Library–CUL.
4
The Bibliographia zoologiæ et geologiæ, compiled by Louis Agassiz and expanded by Hugh Strickland (Agassiz 1848–54). CD had prepared a list of his publications for inclusion (see Correspondence vol. 4, letter to H. E. Strickland, 29 January [1849]).
5
Hornschuch 1848 (see letter to Arthur Henfrey, 17 March [1855]). In spite of his reservations, CD cited Friedrich Hornschuch twice in Natural selection, pp. 102, 127.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.2 March] after omitted point
1.2 give] above del ‘cost’
2.2 Zoolog] interl
2.3 you,] before omitted comma
2.4 Hornschuch,] altered from ‘Hornscuch’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1658,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1658