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From the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, Berlin1   26 February 1863

[Enclosure]

REGIA SCIENTIARUM ACADEMIA BORUSSICA

Virum eruditissimum suisque titulis condecorandum

CAROLUM DARWIN

in Epistolarum de re litteraria commercium, cum classe potissimum physica et mathematica cooptat, et, quoties aliquid augendis et promovendis studiis optimis quibusque inserviens aut ab ipso repertum aut aliunde cognitum habebit, ut illud secum humaniter communicet, invitat.

Datum Berolini d. 26 Febr: a. MDCCCLXIII.

Classis physicae et mathematicae Secretarii:

Joannes Franciscus Encke2

Christianus Godofr. Ehrenberg3

[Translation]

THE ROYAL PRUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Elects the most learned man, who is to be graced with its titles,

CHARLES DARWIN

to a correspondence on matters of learning, especially in the department of physics and mathematics, and, whenever he either himself discovers, or learns from elsewhere, of something serving the expansion and promotion of the best studies, it invites him kindly to communicate the same to itself.

Despatched at Berlin, 26 Febr: 1863

The secretaries of the department of physics and mathematics:

Johann Franz Encke^2^

Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg^3^

1
The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin was founded in 1700. The list of corresponding members was limited to 200. For an account of the academy and its history, see Harnack 1900.
2
Johann Franz Encke was professor of astronomy at the academy and at the University of Berlin, and director of the Berlin observatory (DSB).
3
The comparative anatomist and microscopist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg was professor of medicine at the University of Berlin (DSB). He corresponded with CD between 1844 and 1846 (see Correspondence vol. 3).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4014F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4014F