From T. H. Farrer 24 September 1868
Eashing Park
24 Sept/68
My dear Mr Darwin
The printers of the Annals of Natural History have sent me proofs at once; and I am not a little astonished at seeing my own name in print to a paper on such a subject—which after all is a good deal more interesting than “Tonnage” &c1 Many thanks to you for all your kindness.2
It is wonderful how every flower one looks at is explained by & throws light on the fertilizing process. The anthers & hollow stigma & spur of Viola: the tails of anthers in Erica: the difference of times of maturity of stamens & pistil in Mallow Achimenes &c &c—and above all the wonderful Co relation of variety of similar structure in flowers nearly related—e.g. in Kidney Bean: Broad Bean: Pea: & Furze—afford endless entertainment and illustration of what is I hope something more than Entertainment.3 It is pleasant to see what interest this has given to my little girl with whom I sometimes pick flowers to pieces— She says with truth that botany—however interesting is too much dead work— This is living.4
I cannot help sending you from memory what I dare say you know well—a great favorite of mine among Goethes scattered bits of wisdom—which I think would make a capital motto for your book.5
Pray dont answer this— It is only thanks
Sincerely yours | T H Farrer
Footnotes
Bibliography
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. 1983. Goethe. Poems and epigrams. Selected, translated, and with an introduction by Michael Hamburger. London: Anvil Press.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. 1988. Gedichte 1800–32. Edited by Karl Eibl. Frankfurt am Main: Deutscher Klassiker Verlag.
Summary
Wonderful how every flower one looks at is explained by, and throws light on, the fertilising process.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6391
- From
- Thomas Henry Farrer, 1st baronet and 1st Baron Farrer
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Eashing Park, Godalming
- Source of text
- DAR 164: 46
- Physical description
- ALS 5pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6391,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6391.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16