To Anton Dohrn   8 September 1871

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Sep 8 1871

My dear Sir

I am much obliged for yr long & interesting letter.1 Pray add my name to those to whom the annual report is to be sent; for I feel it an honour to assist even in so humble a way.2 I admire yr zeal in so good a cause, & I think you are quite right to take every precaution that you may not be unjustly accused of merely seeking some good for yourself. What enormous labour the scheme must have cost you; & this is the one point which I cannot help regretting, for it must interfere with yr valuable original researches. But do not let it thus interfere after yr plan is once well started.

With every good wish believe me | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

My health has been very bad of late & for the last six weeks I have been able to do hardly anything.

Dohrn was attempting to gain support for a zoological station in Naples; see letter from Anton Dohrn, 7 September 1871 and n. 12.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

3.1 My … anything. 3.00] in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7926,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7926