My dear Sir!

I thank You again and again for all the kindness, You have shown me by Your letter!¹

Of course, I never intended to ask You the smallest sum of money in favour of my plan,—and I hope I shall carry it on without making use of your Kindness and liberality. I have got that idea of the Zoological Stations into my head, and I think I’ll not get rid of it, but by building at least one.

I am also very thankful for Your kind caution. But I hope, I shall not have committed such grave things as would justify anybody to withdraw confidence from me. It was rather, because I thought it right to name an error an error, that I wrote to You as I did,—² but certainly there are in our Science a quantity of much heavier faults withdrawn and hidden by those who committed them, by preparing soft envelops for them, so that they might go down easier and without making any noise. This could never be my way,— therefore perhaps I shall risk more;— but there is a good deal of confidence within me, that makes me open and free.

The Editors of the Journal of Microscopical Science have applied to me, for an abstract of my present investigations. I have declined to give one, before I have finished them. But then I’ll not fail to do so, and I’ll send You a copy, that You might see, what a state the Embryology of Arthropods is in.³ I trust, You will be satisfied. There is an immense quantity of labour spent in that chapter since some years. My endeavouring has been, to show as clear as possible principles and method of genealogical investigation, by applying them to Crustacea and Insects. And I hope the conclusiveness of the results, I have reached at, will then justify as well principles as method.

With regard to Limulus, I thank You too for the trouble You have kindly taken in my behalf. I had already written to a young Naturalist in Salem (Massachusetts)⁴ and he has promised, to send me Embryonic Stages in spirits. Besides that I saw lastly two Limulus in the Berlin-Aquarium in, as one must believe—copula; and the owner of the Aquarium⁵ has promised me to tell me in the very moment, that eggs will be found. So I hope, I shall get to my purpose.

I cannot finish this letter without thanking You once more Your last letter, especially the caution You placed on its end. Your words are heavier within my ears than anybody’s else; so I’ll always remember them, as soon as I shall risk some dangerous things in our Science.

With the most sincere good wishes for your health | Yours very faithfully | Anton Dohrn

Charles Darwin Esq.