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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Ernst Dieffenbach   8 April [1845]

Down Bromley Kent

April 8th

My dear Sir

I have just heard that you are in London.— I wrote a few days ago to Giesen1 to thank you very much for your copy of my Journal & to say how exceedingly pleased I am with its appearance & how much gratified I am in my work being thus rendered in some degree known in Germany.—

I also wrote to explain the circumstances, which makes me so anxious to have the plates & M.S. back again, & unfortunately I have not yet received them!

Have you written to Viewig?2 Pray write again— I am sincerely sorry thus to give you so much trouble; but I am sure you will not think me unjustifiable in urging you to write again to Viewig to send the goods to Smith & Elders 65 Cornhill.

I hope you will write to me & tell me your plans & how long you are likely to be in England.

I shd much like to see you: but unfortunately, I was in London last week & have been unwell ever since.

Believe me dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | C. Darwin

P.S. | Pray tell Viewig not to wait to alter the Plates. I hope, however, there is no cause for writing & that you have taken care to bring the Plates &c with you.

Footnotes

Dieffenbach had been in Giessen to deal with personal legal problems (see letter from C. G. Ehrenberg, 13 March 1845).
The firm of Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn was the publisher of Dieffenbach’s translation of Journal of researches.

Bibliography

Journal of researches: Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by HMS Beagle, under the command of Captain FitzRoy, RN, from 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Henry Colburn. 1839.

Summary

Thanks ED for copy of German edition of Journal of researches. Asks him to write and ask German publisher to return plates and MS.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-854
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Ernst Dieffenbach
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Swiss National Library, Helvetic Archives (SLA-Rhyn-06-d/01)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 854,” accessed on 25 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-854.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 3

letter