From Gerard Krefft 6 September 1873
Australian Museum Sydney
Septbr 6/ 1873
Dear Mr Darwin
I thank you for your last letter and also for the Origin of Species which has been duly received.1 I am proud of your good opinion and shall try and bring up my little boy as I would have liked to have been brought up myself2 I spent ten years of my life in the dreary work of a merchants office in a little German country town3 I was 8 years a Gold digger in this colony & in Victoria and when above 30 I first began to study natural History I never had a teacher since I left school at 14 years & I regret to say that I do not know latin or greek except just suffici⟨en⟩t to look up a word in the lexicon.
I consider it my duty to tell you all this because there are many errors in my writings & the mode of expressing myself may not be always a happy one I shall try and deserve your good opinion in future and will not trouble you any more I do not know much about plants but a hint from you is sufficient, if you desire observations of any kind; besides I know many Gardeners and am ready to serve you whenever you ask me to do so.—
May you be able to accomplish your task and enlighten the ignorant, I shall always remain | my dear Mr Darwin | your most devoted | Gerard Krefft
Ch Darwin Esq | FRS. &c
Footnotes
Bibliography
Aust. dict. biog.: Australian dictionary of biography. Edited by Douglas Pike et al. 14 vols. [Melbourne]: Melbourne University Press. London and New York: Cambridge University Press. 1966–96.
Origin 6th ed.: The origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 6th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
Proud of CD’s good opinion of him. He worked in a merchant’s office in Germany for many years. Emigrated to Australia as a gold-digger and took up natural history after he was 30.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9044
- From
- Johann Louis Gerard (Gerard) Krefft
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Australian Museum, Sydney
- Source of text
- DAR 169: 120
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9044,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9044.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21