Ɛpsilon

To Armand de Quatrefages   6 March 1869

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Mar 6. 1869

Dear Sir

As you have always shewn so friendly a feeling towards me, I hope that you will allow me to introduce to you my son Mr George Darwin.1 He is fond of science & is a very good mathematician, but has not paid particular attention to natural history. He is anxious to have the honour of being introduced to you, but will cause you no other trouble.

As I live in the country I do not see many periodicals, & was surprized to observe, a few days ago in the January number of the Revue des deux Mondes your second article on general natural history. As it was on a friend’s table, I had not time to read it, but I saw that you take the kindest & most honourable notice of my works, notwithstanding that you differ entirely from my conclusions.2 I ordered both numbers, but have received only the first, as the second is already out of print, I shall however be able to borrow it from some library or friend—

With my best thanks & the most sincere respect | I remain dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | Charles Darwin

LS

1
George Howard Darwin travelled to Paris in early March 1869 (see Correspondence vol. 17, letter from G. H. Darwin, [23 February 1869]).
2
CD was in London from 16 to 24 February 1869 (Correspondence vol. 17, Appendix II). Quatrefages’s three-part article was his ‘Origines des espèces animales et végétales’ (Origins of animal and plant species; Quatrefages 1868–9). The first part was titled ‘Les précurseurs français de Darwin’, and the second ‘Théorie de Darwin’; in the second part, he praised CD’s ‘conscientious perseverance’ (ibid., p. 209). CD’s annotated copy of the articles is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6645F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6645F