I Remain - Digital Archive

Beattie, James, 1735-1803.
[Letter] 1758 February 20 Fordoun [to] Mr. John Ogilvie, Aberdeen / Jas. Beattie.
Beattie thanks Ogilvie for his kind letter which he would have answered sooner had not the letter carrier crippled himself "so as not as yet [sic] to have recovered the use of his limbs." Beattie encloses a "translation of this piece of antiquity" for Ogilvie to review, asking for his judgment as both friend and critic, and explaining how his efforts are not an expression of arrogance. Beattie held the professorship of moral philosophy and logic at Marischal College from 1760, providing him with material for his Elements of Moral Science (1790-93). In addition, Beattie also composed poetry, songs, and translations of Virgil which he may be referencing here in his letter. Beattie moved in the intellectual circles of his day; his Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth, in Opposition to Sophistry and Scepticism (1770) debunks the skepticism expressed by philosopher David Hume, and his poem The Minstrel (1771 and 1774) was admired by Wordsworth.
Cowper, William, 1731-1800; Homer.
[Manuscript] fragment of Cowper's translation of _The Iliad_ / [William Cowper].
This manuscript fragment of one of Cowper's translations of the Iliad presents the effect of a meeting in which the Greeks attempt to persuade Achilles to forget his grudge against Agamemnon and join in the fight against the Trojans. Achilles is unmoved by the comparison of his behavior with Meleager's and Ajax upbraids him for being angry over "a very toy/ A girl, one single girl" though they attempted to replace her with seven others. Achilles counters that his rights have been robbed and he will not join in the war until Hector fights his way to Achilles' very ships. Though trained as a lawyer, Cowper's greatest professional success came from the publication of poems like "John Gilpin" (1782), The Task (1785), and "The Cast-Away" (1799). After encountering the Iliad at the Westminster School, Cowper was inspired with a lifelong love of the epic. At the challenge of his friend Lady Austen, he began a translation of it in 1784, publishing it in 1791 for the remuneration of one thousand pounds; he began a radical revision of his translation in 1797 and in 1800 his last publication was another revision of a passage from his former publication.
Cruz Bahamonde, Nicolás de la, 1757-1828.
[Manuscript] [c. 1813] Anecdotas a del viage / Nicolas de la Bahamonde Cruz.
Cruz's manuscript contains accounts of his travels in South America (Chile and Argentina) and Europe (Spain, France, and Italy). File notes indicate page numbers for his discussion of various places (Buenos Aires 6-8, Spain 9-15, France 16-18 and 30-37, Italy 18-29). He published his account of traveling in Spain France and Italy (1806-1813) and also wrote about conditions in his native Chile Compendio de la historia civil del reyno de Chile (1795) with Juan Ignacio Molina.
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882.
[Letter] 1877 March 7, Kent [to] Messrs. Smith & Elder, London / Charles Darwin.
Darwin states that Balliere would like to do a French translation of his Coral Reefs which he would be glad to see. He inquires as to the cost of stereotypes of the woodcuts and 500 copies of the maps already colored. Since Balliere's decision to publish the book will be driven by the expense, Darwin hopes that "you will not charge much more than the cost price." In a postscript he considers whether the maps will do after all, since they have English names. The work Darwin is referencing here is his The structure and distribution of coral reefs; being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832 to 1836 (1842), the first work in a trilogy focused on the geology of South America. Darwin's speculations about evolution and natural selection in his Origin of the Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) were published and widely discussed during his lifetime.
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882.
[Letter] April 25, Kent [to] Dear and Honored Sir / Ch[arles]. Darwin.
Darwin relates, "At last I have found time to correct the Origin." He states that he has compared the text of the third English edition with the second edition which was translated into German, and has made pencil corrections. "As I am a poor German scholar," Darwin confesses, "it would take me a long time to compare all, but it will lose you very little time." He also discusses "enlarging the part which has been most criticized." Darwin feels "quite doubtful" about the possibility of Mr. Swigerbart[?] translating his book on orchids. He mentions the woodcuts and the possibility of Mr. Murray printing the edition. Darwin's speculations about evolution and natural selection in his Origin of the Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) were published and widely discussed during his lifetime.