To William Bernhard Tegetmeier 27 February [1865]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Feb 27.
My dear Sir
In a week’s time I shall be ready to correct my M.S. on Fowls. Will you therefore have the kindness to return soon this M.S., which you have kept so long for me, with any corrections or errors pointed out.2 You will remember that I have asked your permission to state that the M.S. has had the benefit of your supervision, & I hope you will grant me this favour.3 In the course of a few weeks I shall put a number of specimens into the engraver’s hands & as soon as they are finished I will return your skulls, which owing to my ill-health, I have retained for so unreasonable a period.4
Will you be so good as to register the M.S., when returned, & as there is no reason to put you to the most trifling expense I beg permission to enclose stamps.
Can you grant me one small favour, that is to enclose 2 or 3 spangled feathers of Hamburgs or any other breed, or more particularly any dark-tipped feathers of the Game breed as I want to compare them with some curious tipped feathers which have been sent me.5
Believe me my dear Sir | yours sincerely | Charles Darwin
I hope that you are well & that all things go on pretty well with you.— My health is better, but I much fear I shall ever remain that most wretched creature, a confirmed invalid.—6
Footnotes
Bibliography
Calendar: A calendar of the correspondence of Charles Darwin, 1821–1882. With supplement. 2d edition. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1994.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Wants his fowl MS.
Will shortly return WBT’s skulls.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4776
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Bernhard Tegetmeier
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection)
- Physical description
- LS(A) 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4776,” accessed on 1 October 2023, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4776.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13