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Darwin Correspondence Project

To E. H. Stanley   8 July 1880

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)

July 8th 1880

Dear Lord Derby

I am very much obliged for your Lordships great kindness in having taken the trouble to inform me about the Niagara affair, & for all that you have done.1 I hope that the Governments of the U. States & Canada may be induced to take some active steps.—

I beg leave to remain | your Lordship’s very faithfully | Charles Darwin

Footnotes

No letter from Stanley regarding the Niagara affair has been found, but see the letter to E. H. Stanley, 25 June 1880. According to notes attached to that letter, Stanley replied to CD on 27 June 1880 and again on 7 July 1880. The first note reads: ‘Darwin, C. June 26/80 Ansd. June 27. Will ascertain how the matter stands. Ready to put question if of use, but no use if the answer is that nothing has been heard of the matter Such would only show failure. The Cans. & Amers must take the initiative—we can only back them up. Wrote again July 7.’ The second note reads: ‘Ansd that nothing known of the matter here, they must make the first move. July 7.’ In November 1879, CD had signed a memorial for the protection of Niagara Falls from commercial and industrial development (see Correspondence vol. 27, letter from W. E. Darwin, [9 November 1879]). For more on the campaign to preserve Niagara Falls, see Runte 1973.

Bibliography

Runte, Alfred. 1973. Beyond the spectacular: the Niagara Falls preservation campaign. New York Historical Society Quarterly 57: 30–50.

Summary

Thanks EHS (Lord Stanley) for his trouble in providing information about the Niagara affair.

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12649F,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12649F.xml

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