RECORD: Darwin, C. R. & Emma Darwin. [4-6.1865]. [Translation of a letter from Clémence Auguste Royer]. CUL-DAR80.B42-B44. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe 10.2021. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR80-86 contain material for Darwin's book Descent of man (1871).
The red crayon 'Man' indicates that this document was filed by Darwin in his portfolio for the research that culminated in Descent.
[B42]
Man
Prosper Lucas about Beautiful men marrying beautiful in caste
F. Great [illeg]
Natural selection is practically contained in the whole of these laws, & above all in all which concerns the regime of castes where one recognizes probably different races & races very unequal in their human development, at least in the origin.
This same principle of arises from the rules & counsels driven by the legislature
[B42v]
to the men of the castes – in the connections of their women. They are enjoined not to marry women who bear the signs such as having eyes & other deformities or infirmities.
It is perhaps the of these laws which have transformed the instincts, the habits & physical character of the Indo-Germanic race.
If such is the general bearing of these laws which one finds
[B43]
in the whole of them
The paragraphs where it is most clearly expressed are the following
liv. III. parag 6. 10–14–19
liv. IX. par 72–73 & 178
liv X. par 5 to 49 – 66 to 73.
[B44]
Castes of India as apposed to breeding like domestic animals.
[Royer's letter]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 25 September, 2022