Letters on Geology
Letters on Geology (German: Geologische Briefe ) is the title of a collection of excerpts from letters that Charles Darwin sent to his mentor and friend John Stevens Henslow during his trip with the HMS Beagle , which lasted almost five years until the beginning of October 1836 .
History of origin
John Stevens Henslow had recommended Charles Darwin in August 1831 for participation in the surveying expedition with the HMS Beagle under Captain Robert FitzRoy . The 23-year-old Darwin left the port of Plymouth on December 27, 1831 with the HMS Beagle . During the almost five-year voyage, he once circumnavigated the world. He recorded his observations during this time in numerous letters, many of which he also sent to Henslow.
Unbeknownst to Darwin, Henslow read excerpts from letters addressed to him in front of the Cambridge Philosophical Society in late 1835 . He had these printed at his own expense and privately distributed the Letters on Geology . With this publication, Henslow ensured Darwin's recognition in scientific circles even before Darwin's return. One of the first to receive the book was Darwin's father, Robert Darwin , who was delighted with the book.
Darwin only learned of Henslow's violation on June 1, 1836, through a letter from his sister, Emily Catherine, sent four months earlier. Worried, he wrote back two days later:
"I have been a good deal horrified by a sentence in your letter where you talk of 'the little books with the extracts from your letters'. I can only suppose they refer to a few geological details. But I have always written to Henslow in the same careless manner as to you; & to print what has been written without care & accuracy, is indeed playing with edge tools. But as the Spaniard says, 'No hay remedio'. "
“I was quite horrified by a sentence in your letter in which you speak of 'the little book with excerpts from your letters'. I can only assume that these relate to a few geological details. However, I have always written to Henslow in the same careless manner as I have to you; to print something that has been written without care and accuracy is of course like playing with sharp tools. But as the Spaniard says: 'No hay remedio - you can't do anything about that'. "
content
The preface to Letters on Geology is dated December 1, 1835. In it Henslow wrote:
"The opinions here expressed must be viewed in no other light than as the first thoughts which occur to a traveler respecting what he sees, before he has had time to collate his notes, and examine his collections, with the attention necessary for scientific accuracy. "
“The views presented here are to be viewed in no other light than that they are the first thoughts that come to mind to a traveler about what he is seeing, before he has time with the attention necessary for scientific accuracy is to organize his notes and examine his collections. "
The published extracts included only a few geological observations. On the other hand, they offered an insight into Darwin's scientific observations and expeditions into the interior of the country. Henslow published excerpts from the following letters:
| date | place | Weblink (English) |
|---|---|---|
| May 18 and June 16, 1832 | Rio de Janeiro | Full letter |
| [23. July -] August 15, 1832 | Montevideo | Full letter |
| [26. October -] November 24, 1832 | Montevideo | Full letter |
| April 11, 1833 | at sea (en route from the Falkland Islands to Montevideo) | Full letter |
| July 18, 1833 | Río de la Plata | Full letter |
| November 12, 1833 | Montevideo | Full letter |
| March 1834 | East Falkland | Full letter |
| July 24th, October 28th and November 7th, 1834 | Valparaíso | Full letter |
| [10-13] March 1835 | Valparaíso | Full letter |
| April 18, 1835 | Valparaíso | Full letter |
proof
literature
- Adrian Desmond, James Moore: Darwin . List Verlag, Munich Leipzig 1991. ISBN 3-471-77338-X
- Léo F. Laporte: Darwin the Geologist (PDF; 339 kB) .
- Sandra Herbert: Charles Darwin, Geologist . Cornell University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8014-4348-2
Individual evidence
- ↑ Desmond / Moore p. 213 f.
- ^ Robert Waring Darwin to John Stevens Henslow, December 28, 1835, Letter 290 in The Darwin Correspondence Project (accessed November 7, 2008)
- ↑ Emily Catherine Darwin to Charles Darwin, January 29, 1836, Letter 296 in The Darwin Correspondence Project (accessed November 7, 2008)
- ↑ Charles Darwin to Emily Catherine Darwin, June 3, 1836, Letter 302 in The Darwin Correspondence Project (accessed November 7, 2008)
Web links
- Scan from Letters on Geology
- Introduction to the Letters on Geology