From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hooker1 25 October 1868
Lund (Suède)
25 Okt. 1868.
Monsieur le Professeur!
J’ai écrit à deux de mes amis qui ont des connaissances personnelles à la Lapponie, pour avoir les renseignements qu’a souhaitté Mr. Darwin, sur les Cornes du Renne &c2 Mais comme la poste va très lentement d’ici aux regions les plus septentrionales ou se trouve le Renne, il passera sans doute long temps avant que je puis avoir la reponse desirée.3
En attendant je preds la liberté de Vous avertir ou plutôt Mr. Darwin par Vous, qu’il se trouve dans les Amoenitates Academiæ de Linné, Tome IV. pag. 149 et sequ. une description du Renne où on lit, à ce qu’il me semble la plus grande partie de ce que veut connaitre Mr. Darwin.4 De l’autre partie j’espère tôt ou tard pouvoir communiquer des notices.
Dans mon Album où j’ai recueilli des portraits d’un grand nombre d’illustres Savants, il manque encore des photographies de Vous et de Mr. Darwin. Quant à Vous je prends la liberté de joindre ici la mienne en échange de la Votre, et j’espère que Vous avez la bonté de me recommender chez Mr. Darwin pour avoir la sienne.
Je me suis engagé par Mr. Longman de lui procurer un manuscrit en Anglais, de mon “Age du Bronze”, qu’il veut bien publier à Londres.5
Je le ferai avec le plus grand plaisir, quoque je voie bien que ce sera sans doute très difficile de faire cette epreuve, parceque je sais que les Anglais ne veulent pas en general admettre que les phoeniciens ont eu des colonies sur leurs côtes.6 Mais comme il me semble ⟨les⟩ recherches de la science ⟨doivent⟩ être exempts de la pol⟨itique.⟩
Votre très dev⟨oué⟩ | Sven Ni⟨lsson⟩
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Nilsson, Sven. 1866–7. Die Ureinwohner des scandinavischen Nordens: ein Versuch in der comparativen Ethnographie und ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des Menschengeschlechtes. Das Bronzealter. 2d edition. 2 vols. Hamburg: O. Meissner.
Nilsson, Sven. 1868. The primitive inhabitants of Scandanavia: an essay on comparative ethnography, and a contribution to the history of the development of mankind. Containing a description of the implements, dwellings, tombs, and mode of living of the savages in the north of Europe during the Stone Age. Edited by John Lubbock. 3d edition. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
Translation
From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hooker1 25 October 1868
Lund (Sweden)
25 Oct. 1868
Professor!
I have written to two of my friends who have personal knowledge of Lapland, to obtain the information that Mr. Darwin wanted about Reindeer Antlers &c2 But as the post travels very slowly between here and the regions in the far north where the Reindeer is found, a long time will doubtless go by before I can have the desired response.3
While waiting I shall take the liberty of advising you or rather Mr. Darwin through you, that a description of the Reindeer is to be found in the Amoenitates Academiæ of Linné, vol. IV pag. 149 et sequ., where one can read, it seems to me, the major part of what Mr. Darwin wants to know.4 Regarding the rest, I hope to be able to pass on some notices sooner or later.
In the Album in which I have collected the portraits of a large number of famous Men of Science, the photographs of yourself and of Mr. Darwin are still missing. In your case I take the liberty of enclosing mine in exchange for yours, and I hope that you will have the goodness to recommend me to Mr. Darwin to obtain his.
I have been engaged by Mr. Longman to procure for him a manuscript of my “Bronze Age” in English, which he hopes to publish in London.5
I shall do it with the greatest pleasure, even though I can quite well see that it is undoubtedly going to be very difficult to carry out this endeavour, because I know that the English do not generally admit that the Phoenicians had colonies on their coasts.6 But it seems to me that scientific research ⟨should⟩ be free of politics.
Your most devoted | Sven Ni⟨lsson⟩
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Nilsson, Sven. 1866–7. Die Ureinwohner des scandinavischen Nordens: ein Versuch in der comparativen Ethnographie und ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des Menschengeschlechtes. Das Bronzealter. 2d edition. 2 vols. Hamburg: O. Meissner.
Nilsson, Sven. 1868. The primitive inhabitants of Scandanavia: an essay on comparative ethnography, and a contribution to the history of the development of mankind. Containing a description of the implements, dwellings, tombs, and mode of living of the savages in the north of Europe during the Stone Age. Edited by John Lubbock. 3d edition. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
Summary
His correspondents in Lapland will provide CD with the information on reindeer horns. Refers him to Linnaeus, Amoenitates academicae, vol. 4.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6430
- From
- Sven Nilsson
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Lund
- Source of text
- DAR 172: 68
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp (French)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6430,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6430.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16
