To W. P. Snow 22 November 1881
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)
Nov. 22d 1881
Dear Sir
I hope that you may succeed in publishing a new edition of your Cruise to T. del Fuego.— You saw so much more of the natives than I did, that whenever we differ you probably are in the right. Indeed the success of the Missionary establishment there proves that I took a very erroneous view of the nature & capabilities of the Fuegians..—1
I have read with interest the striking account of the storm in Chambers Journal.—2
I have attended for so many years exclusively to Botany that I have forgotten what little I knew about animals, & I shd. not profit by inspecting your specimens of Holothuriæ.3
I am so old and my health is so indifferent that conversing with anyone fatigues me much: I will not, therefore ask you to take so long a walk for the mere chance of my being able to see you for five or ten minutes.—
With my sympathy for your distresses & troubles, I remain | Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Snow, William Parker. 1857. A two years’ cruise off Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, Patagonia, and in the river Plate: a narrative of life in the southern seas. 2 vols. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts.
Summary
Hopes WPS may succeed with a new edition of his book [see 13495]. WPS saw so much more of the natives of Tierra del Fuego than did CD and his opinion of them is probably right.
Discourages him from visiting.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13505
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Parker Snow
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13505,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13505.xml
