skip to content
Home

Darwin Correspondence Project

From F. A. Hagenauer to Ferdinand von Mueller1   [12 September 1867]2

Aborigena Mission Station | Lake Wellington, Gippsland

Werthester Herr

Es thut mir leid dass ich nicht eher dazu gekommen bin Ihrer Bitte Genüge zu leisten im Bezug Mr. Darwins Fragen, die ich Ihnen nun heute erst beantworte.3 Ich hoffe dass dieselben dem Zweck entsprechend sind.

Sollten Sie selbst einmal in unsre Nähe hier kommen, würde ich mich gewiss sehr freuen Sie bei uns zu sehen.

Unter besten Grüssen | Ihr ergebenster | F. A. Hagenauer

Answers to Queries about Expression 4

1. Astonishment is very often expressed by the eyes and mouth being opened wide and the eyebrows raised.

2., I have never seen anything like a blush, but I have seen them looking down to the ground in account of shame.

3., It is seldom that a man in an indignant state frowns or holds the head erect, but may oftener clench his fist.

4. When considering deeply he does frown.

5., Not observed.

6. When in good spirit the eyes sparkle, with the skin round and under them a little wrinkled and with the mouth a little drawn back in the corners.

7. Not observed.

8., A dogged and obstinate expression can clearly be recognised by the mouth being firmly closed and a frown.

9. Not observed.

10. Not observed.

11., fear is expressed in the same manner as by Europeans even still more so, that they would lift up both arms above the head.

12. I have often seen tears coming into their eyes by great laughter.

13. Not observed,

14. Children when sulky do pout—

15. Guilty expressions can be seen by the eyes being generally closed a little; jealousy by a frown.

16. A gentle hiss is uttered as a signal for silence.

17. The head is nodded vertically in affirmation and shaken latterly in negation.

CD annotations

Top of letter: ‘10 | Australia’ brown crayon

Footnotes

1
For a translation of the German section of this letter, see Correspondence vol.15, Appendix I.
2
The date is established by an annotation, probably by Mueller, at the top of the letter, which reads: ‘date of Poststamp 12/9, received 19 Septb 67’.
3
CD sent queries on expression to Mueller to pass on to contacts who could provide answers pertaining to indigenous Australians (see letter to Ferdinand von Mueller, 28 February [1867]; see the enclosure for the list of queries). It is possible that this letter was sent by Mueller with another letter containing answers to CD’s queries (see letter from Ferdinand von Mueller, 8 October 1867).
4
CD cited Hagenauer’s answers to questions 2 and 15, as well as a later response to question 5, in Expression. Hagenauer’s later responses were enclosed with the letter from R. B. Smyth, 13 August 1868 (Correspondence vol. 16).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Translation

From F. A. Hagenauer to Ferdinand von Mueller1   [12 September 1867]2

Aborigena Mission Station | Lake Wellington, Gippsland

My dear Sir

I apologise that I have not been able to satisfy your request with regard to Mr. Darwin’s questions sooner; I am sending the replies today.3 I hope that they are suitable.

Should you ever be in the vicinity, I would certainly be very glad to see you.

With best wishes | Yours sincerely | F. A. Hagenauer

Footnotes

1
For a transcription of this portion of the letter in its original German, as well as the English part, which includes Hagenauer’s responses to CD’s queries about expression, see p. 369.
2
The date is established by an annotation, probably by Mueller, at the top of the letter, which reads: ‘date of Poststamp 12/9, received 19 Septb 67’.
3
CD sent queries on expression to Mueller to pass on to contacts who could provide answers pertaining to indigenous Australians (see letter to Ferdinand von Mueller, 28 February [1867]; see the enclosure for the list of queries). It is possible that this letter was sent by Mueller with another letter containing answers to CD’s queries (see letter from Ferdinand von Mueller, 8 October 1867).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Summary

Replies to CD’s queries about expression.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5620
From
Friedrich August Hagenauer
To
Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich (Ferdinand) von Mueller
Sent from
Lake Wellington, Australia
Source of text
DAR 166: 80
Physical description
ALS 1p (German) †, encl 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5620,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5620.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15

letter

Darwin Correspondence Project
darwin@lib.cam.ac.uk

© University of Cambridge 2022

Copyright declaration

Privacy policy

Website by Surface Impression

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge