From Francisco de Arruda Furtado1 29 July 1881
Île St. Michel (Açores)
29 juillet | 1881
Mr. Charles Darwin
Monsieur
Il est inutile de vous dire les sentiments de joie, de reconnaissance, d’encouragement, que votre lettre très bienveillante a eveillée en moi.2 Vous, Monsieur, bien mieux que personne, vous comprenez ce qu’il y a dans l’esprit d’un jeune homme qui débute sous la protection pleine de bonté des Prêtres de la Science.
Votre lettre, Monsieur, est pour moi du plus grand valeur. Les instructions que vous avez bien voulu me donner, je les savais pour la plupart, oui; mais c’était à votre livre que je devais leur connaissance et vous savez bien ce qu’il sera pour moi de les avoir réunies et écrites de votre main.
Il est un peu difficile de visiter les autres îles; mais j’ai déjà pensé à me procurer des collecteurs.
Je savais que à Terceira et à S. Maria il y avait des vestiges de la période glaciaire. Je possède quelques fossiles de S. Maria et je me procurerais des fragments des blocs erratiques que Mr. Hartung a signalés à Terceira et que vous avez observés aussi, je crois, dans votre voyage sur le “Beagle”.3
Je n’ai jamais entendu parler du dent de mastodon.4
Nous avons à St. Michel deux phares, un à P. delgada5 et un autre à Nordeste sur la pointe N.E. de l’île. Sur ce point de votre lettre j’ai eu à apprendre un excellent moyen d’investigation que je ne connaissais pas, de même que au sujet des Lacertæ: je n’avais pas encore pensé, je dois le dire, à ce qu’elles étaient ovipares(!) quoique je connaissais bien vos considérations à l’égard des œufs de moll. terr.6
Les transports d’arbres avec leurs racines avec leurs racines je les crois nuls, ou au moins très rares. Au milieu des fucus on trouve parfois des graines de 3 ou 4 espèces de plantes entrainées par le gulf stream(?) et bien connues de nos pécheurs qui les emploient comme ornement de table et en vidant les plus grosses (qu’ils appellent fava do mar) pour en faire des tabatières. Bientôt je prendrai la liberté de vous offrir quelques exemplaires de ces graines et les documents de mon étude “Indagações, &”7 .... ....
Après votre bienveillante lettre, Monsieur, mes études, quoique sur la même bonne voie de la saine orientation transformiste dont il m’a été donné hereusement de bien comprendre les effets, ont été vivement portées vers des aspirations nouvelles, et je vois bon nombre de faits que je ne voiais pas:— daignez agréer, très honoré Monsieur, l’expression de mon humble et profonde reconnaissance
Arruda Furtado.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Arruda Furtado, Francisco d’. 1880a. Indagações sobre a complicação das maxillas de alguns helices naturalisados nos Açores com respeito ás das mesmas especias observadas por Moquin Tandon em França. Era Nova 1 (1880–1): 135–43.
‘Beagle’ diary: Charles Darwin’s Beagle diary. Edited by Richard Darwin Keynes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988.
Hartung, Georg and Bronn, Heinrich Georg. 1860. Die Azoren in ihrer äusseren Erscheinung und nach ihrer geognostischen Natur. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann.
Journal of researches 2d ed.: Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle round the world, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN. 2d edition, corrected, with additions. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1845.
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.
Volcanic islands: Geological observations on the volcanic islands, visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle, together with some brief notices on the geology of Australia and the Cape of Good Hope. Being the second part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1844.
Translation
From Francisco de Arruda Furtado1 29 July 1881
Île St. Michel (Azores)
29 July | 1881
Mr. Charles Darwin
Sir
It is unnecessary to explain the feelings of joy, gratitude, and encouragement that your very kind letter inspired me with.2 You, Sir, know better than anyone what is in the heart of a young man who makes his debut under the kindly protection of the high priests of science.
Your letter, Sir, is for me of the greatest value. The instructions that you have kindly given me, for the most part I know them, yes: but it is to your book that I owe that knowledge and you know well what it means to me to have them all together and written in your hand.
It is rather difficult to visit the other islands, but I have already thought of finding myself collectors.
I knew that at Terceira and at S. Maria there were signs of the glacial period. I possess some fossils from S. Maria and I am going to get fragments of the erratic blocks that Mr. Hartung pointed out at Terceira and that I believe you too observed in your voyage on the “Beagle”.3
I have never heard tell of the tooth of the mastodon.4
We have two lighthouses at St Michel, one at P. delgada5 and another at Nordeste at the N.E. corner of the island. On this point in your letter, I had to learn an excellent method of investigation that I did not know before, as well as about Lacerta: I must say, I had not yet realised that they were oviparous (!), even though I knew well your observations in respect of the eggs of terrestrial molluscs.6
I believe trees are not transported with their roots, or at least only rarely. Among the seaweed, one sometimes finds seeds of 3 or 4 species of plant brought by the gulf-stream (?) and well known to our fisherfolk, who use them as a table ornaments and hollow out the biggest (which they call ‘bean of the sea’) to make snuffboxes. I will soon take the liberty of offering you some examples of these seeds, and an offprint of my paper, “Indagações, &”7 .... ....
After your kind letter, Sir, my studies, though on the same good track of sound transformist orientation, the effects of which I have fortunately been given a good understanding of, have been eagerly turned towards new aspirations, and I see a great number of facts that I could not see:— please accept, honoured Sir, my humble and profound gratitude
Arruda Furtado.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Arruda Furtado, Francisco d’. 1880a. Indagações sobre a complicação das maxillas de alguns helices naturalisados nos Açores com respeito ás das mesmas especias observadas por Moquin Tandon em França. Era Nova 1 (1880–1): 135–43.
‘Beagle’ diary: Charles Darwin’s Beagle diary. Edited by Richard Darwin Keynes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988.
Hartung, Georg and Bronn, Heinrich Georg. 1860. Die Azoren in ihrer äusseren Erscheinung und nach ihrer geognostischen Natur. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann.
Journal of researches 2d ed.: Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle round the world, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN. 2d edition, corrected, with additions. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1845.
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.
Volcanic islands: Geological observations on the volcanic islands, visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle, together with some brief notices on the geology of Australia and the Cape of Good Hope. Being the second part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1844.
Summary
Many thanks for CD’s advice and suggestions. His letter is a great source of encouragement.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13258
- From
- Francisco de Arruda Furtado
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Azores
- Source of text
- DAR 159: 114a
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp (French)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13258,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13258.xml
