To T. H. Huxley 9 October 1851
Down Farnborough Kent
Oct. 9. 1851
Dear Sir
I have much pleasure in expressing my opinion, from the high character of your published contributions to Science, and from the course of your studies during your long Voyage,1 that you are excellently qualified for a Professorship in Natural History.—
You have my best wishes for success in your present application,2 & I beg to remain | Dear Sir | Your’s faithfully | Charles Darwin T. H. Huxley Esqe
Footnotes
Huxley had been assistant-surgeon on board H.M.S. Rattlesnake, surveying the seas between Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, 1846–50, and had worked extensively on marine organisms.
This letter, together with testimonials from Edward Forbes, Richard Owen, William Benjamin Carpenter, and twelve other scientists, was printed for Huxley’s unsuccessful application for the chair of natural history at the University of Toronto (see L. Huxley ed. 1900, 1: 77–83). Huxley reported that he had ‘put together … twelve or fourteen testimonials from the first men. I will have no other.’ (ibid., p. 78).
Summary
Testimonial for THH’s application for Chair in Natural History at Toronto.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1457
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Thomas Henry Huxley
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 1)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1457,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1457.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5
letter
