Darwin's letter on evolution may fetch USD 15k at auction

A signed letter written by British scientist Charles Darwin - setting straight some misconceptions about his theory of evolution - may fetch USD 15,000 at an auction in the US.

The recipient of the letter, Julius Frazelle Galbraith of Nelsonville, Manitoba in Canada, had written a three-page long letter to Darwin on October 20, 1881.

Galbraith recounts an incident of development of worms in a barrel of wheat, noting that he had pondered Darwin's view that plants and animals may have had a common ancestor.

In a reply dated November 11, 1881, Darwin tactfully sets him straight, according to Boston-based RR Auctions "I thank you for your kindness in having written me so long a letter, but I can assure you that there is not a naturalist in the world who would credit that germinating seeds could be developed into animals of any kind," Darwin wrote.

"There was plenty of time and means for the indefinite multiplication of innumerable kinds of animals in the cask," he wrote.

Signed "Ch. Darwin" the one-page letter is in good condition, with light soiling and staining, the auction said.

The bidding for the letter ends on March 7.