Ɛpsilon

From Alfred Newton   29 January 1868

Magd: Coll: Cambridge

29 Jany. 1868.

Dear Mr. Darwin,

Pray accept my warmest thanks for your most kind and unexpected present—as well as my hearty congratulations on the completion of this work, to which I, in common with so many others, have long been looking forward—1 I have also to offer you my congratulations on the highly honourable place taken by your son in the late Mathematical Tripos—2 He is a living proof of your beautiful theory of “descent with modification   The talent is inherited but applied in a different manner—

I have just glanced at your introductory chapter and am delighted to see that you promise us two more works—3

Believe me | Yrs. very truly & obliged | Alfred Newton—

1
The reference is to Variation. Newton’s name appears on the presentation list for the book (see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix IV).
2
George Howard Darwin was second in the final examination for the mathematical tripos at Cambridge (Cambridge University calendar 1868).
3
Variation was the first of a projected series of three works; the second was to discuss variability in the state of nature, and the third was to consider how the theory of natural selection could be applied to explain present and past forms of life (see Variation 1: 8–14). Neither of the succeeding works was published.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5810,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5810