To Ray Society1   [before 7 January 1865]2

1141 In reference to Minutes 1118 & 1132, the consideration of the Translation of Gaertner’s work on Bastardezeugung was then resumed, & a letter from Mr Darwin was read stating that the work was in no degree antiquated & that no one would be able to add to it notes of much value—3 The production of an English Translation of this work being strongly recommended both by Mr Darwin & Dr Hooker | Resolved to accept the Translation of Gaertner’s work for an early year.4

1
The letter has not been found. The text given here has been taken from the minutes of the special council meeting of the Ray Society, 13 January 1865.
2
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865].
3
CD had previously written to the Ray Society, recommending a translation of Karl Friedrich von Gärtner’s Versuche und Beobachtungen über die Bastarderzeugung im Pflanzenreich (Gärtner 1849; see Correspondence vol. 12, enclosure to letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 September [1864]). This letter was read at the special council meeting of the Ray Society on 4 November 1864 (see Correspondence vol. 12, letter to Ray Society, [before 4 November 1864]). On receiving a communication from the society’s secretary, Henry Tibbats Stainton, Joseph Dalton Hooker had asked CD to write a second letter of recommendation, evidently addressing concerns about the possible need for explanatory notes to accompany the translation (see letter from J. D. Hooker, 1 January 1865 and n. 1).
4
The translation was not undertaken (see Curle 1954, pp. 25–6).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4744F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4744F