From Thomas Meehan   10 February 1871

Germantown, Pa.,

Feby 10 1871

Charles Darwin Esq

Dear Sir

I have taken the liberty of sending you to day, some remarks of mine before the Academy of Natural Sciences here—1

I have done this on several occasions, not that I regard them of very great moment, as they are the simple results of observation without much thought or study,—for which unfortunately for my own pleasure my various avocations leave me little time,—but because it was the reading of your origin of Species, which first suggested to me that the recording of such observations, might possibly be of use to those who like yourself are working out these greater lessons of nature.

With great respect | truly yours | Thomas Meehan

1
There are a number of offprints of Meehan’s articles in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL. See also Correspondence vol. 10, letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] and n. 13, and letter from Asa Gray, 2–3 July 1862. The last item in the pamphlet collection dating from before this letter is Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 22 (1870): 71–92, including remarks by Meehan on sexes of Rumex and fertilisation of Petunia made on 5 July and 2 August 1870. It is lightly annotated.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7479,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7479