RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1953. [Letter to A. W. Merriam, 1873]. In E. L. Tinker, Creole city: its past and its people. New York: Longmans, Green & Co., p. 331.
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Freeman Bibliographical Database, enter its Identifier here.
See the notes to this letter in Correspondence vol. 21 where it is commented "...Merriam probably sent CD two newspaper clippings: a description of the parade and ball held by the Mystick Krewe of Comus to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, containing a copy of the poem 'The missing links to Darwin's origin of species' (Daily Picayune, 26 February 1873), and an article from the New Orleans Times, 26 February 1873, containing a heated denouncement of Darwinian theory and of CD personally."
[page] 331
After such a diatribe it is not surprising that Darwin answered with a very curt note in which he obviously could not be sure whether or not his leg was being pulled. He wrote:
Down,
Beckenham, Kent.
April 13, 73
Dear Sir:
As I suppose that Comus & the newspaper were sent in good faith, I thank you for your kindness & for your letter. The abusive article in the newspaper amused me more than Comus: I cannot tell from the wonderful mistakes in the article, whether the writer is merely ignorant or blunders for the sake of fun.
Yours faithfully,
Ch. Darwin
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 28 November, 2022