To James de Carle Sowerby 12 February [1850]
Summary
Because of health, CD will postpone coming to London until all drawings are finished.
Asks JdeCS, if he is able "with any honesty", to "purloin" for him a proof-sheet of Frederick Dixon’s plate with cirripedes [in Geology and fossils … of Sussex (1850)].
Requests statement of total owed to JdeCS as a guide to the future.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James de Carle Sowerby |
| Date: | 12 Feb [1850] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1303 |
To Charles Lyell [8 March 1850]
Summary
Comments on CL’s Anniversary address [Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 6 (1850): xxvii–lxvi]. Notes CL’s criticism of R. I. Murchison’s catastrophism.
Asks whether there are Lower Cretaceous beds in Scandinavia. Thinks Leopold von Buch must have neglected them.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | [8 Mar 1850] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.92) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1308 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … Lyell devoted his address to a review of the developments in geology since the publication …
- … of his Principles of geology ( C. Lyell 1830–3 ). He maintained that the progress in the …
- … Christian Leopold von Buch described the geology of northern Scandinavia in great detail …
- … Lyell, Charles. 1830–3. Principles of geology, being an attempt to explain the former …
- … someone w d . treat languages, as you had Geology, & study the existing causes of change & …
From J. D. Hooker 26 November 1850
Summary
Falconer’s misbehaviour.
Geology of Khashia [Khasi] mountains. Speculations on mountain building and origin of Himalayas.
| Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 26 Nov 1850 |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (India letters 1847–51: 314–15 JDH/1/10) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1371 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Falconer’s misbehaviour. Geology of Khashia [Khasi] mountains. Speculations on mountain …
- … overwhelming I shall think no [ more ] . In Geology I fear my results are but poor, indeed …
- … would appear as if physical geography & geology were at cross purposes. I suppose that the …
- … that I had little time for any but rock geology, & have sections of the M ts . but I fear …
To Richard Owen 10 September [1850]
Summary
About to go to press with "wearyful" Fossil Cirripedia [vol. 1 (1851)];
would like to borrow proof-sheets of Frederick Dixon’s work [The geology and fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous formations of Sussex (1850)]. Would also like to borrow a specimen of Balanus glacialis from Royal College of Surgeons. Encloses formal request [see 1356].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Richard Owen |
| Date: | 10 Sept [1850] |
| Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (General Special Collections Owen correspondence 9/198) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1355 |
To Charles Lyell [3 January 1850]
Summary
Discusses CL’s paper, "On craters of denudation" [Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 6 (1850): 207–34], which "will be a thorn in the side of É[lie] de B[eaumont]". Notes evidence from Galapagos overlooked by CL. Mentions other examples of craters.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | [3 Jan 1850] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.90) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1287 |
To Charles Lyell [8 June 1850]
Summary
Discusses depths at which ripple-marks appear on sea-floor.
Personal and social comment.
Mentions receiving Agassiz’s Lake Superior [1850].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | [8 June 1850] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.94) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1337 |
To Richard Owen 28 April [1850]
Summary
Discusses possibility of providing B. J. Sulivan with a vessel for fossil hunting in Patagonia.
Asks RO to ask Mrs Dixon about borrowing cirripede specimen.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Richard Owen |
| Date: | 28 Apr [1850] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1322 |
To J. G. Forchhammer 20 May [1850]
Summary
Thanks JGF for geological information.
Steenstrup’s cirripede specimens have been of great use and interest. CD has now described 33 fossil pedunculated cirripedes.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Johan Georg Forchhammer |
| Date: | 20 May [1850] |
| Classmark: | University of Copenhagen, Mineralogical Museum Archives |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1328 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … clearly, all that I wanted to know of your Geology. Prof. Steenstrup’s specimen which I …
To Richard Owen [before 28 April 1850]
Summary
Asks to borrow a cirripede specimen from collection of Frederick Dixon.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Richard Owen |
| Date: | [before 28 Apr 1850] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.89) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1357 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Bibliography Dixon, Frederick. 1850. The geology and fossils of the Tertiary and …
From William Masters 3 April 1850
Summary
Replies to CD’s questions regarding impregnation of peas, beans, cabbages, and other plants by insects, wind, etc.
| Author: | William Masters |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 3 Apr 1850 |
| Classmark: | DAR 77: 168–9 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1318 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin’s notebooks, 1836–1844. Geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical …
To W. J. Hooker 22 May [1850]
Summary
Encloses a letter from J. D. Hooker [see 1257], thinking that WJH would like to see it.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Jackson Hooker |
| Date: | 22 May [1850] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Directors’ Correspondence English letters A–H 1850, 29: 200) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1331 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … your son give a capital motto for a Book on Geology? — I hope Lady & Miss Hooker are quite …
To J. D. Dana 24 February [1850]
Summary
Regrets delay in sending pamphlets for JDD.
Thanks him for information concerning cirripedes.
Sends thanks to Charles Pickering for information about plant distribution.
Discusses boring species of cirripedes.
Believes Harry D. S. Goodsir mistaken about parasites on Balanus ["Observations on organs of generation in Crustacea", Edinburgh New Philos. J. 36 (1843–4): 183–6]. In fact parasites are the males of the species.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Dwight Dana |
| Date: | 24 Feb [1850] |
| Classmark: | Yale University Library: Manuscripts and Archives (Dana Family Papers (MS 164) Series 1, Box 2, folder 43) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1305 |
From Abraham Clapham 8 March 1850
Summary
Results of crosses in Phlox.
| Author: | Abraham Clapham |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 Mar 1850 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 150 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1309 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin’s notebooks, 1836–1844. Geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical …
To S. P. Woodward [April 1850 – January 1851]
Summary
Thanks JWF and G. R. Waterhouse for cirripede specimens.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Samuel Pickworth Woodward |
| Date: | [Apr 1850 – Jan 1851] |
| Classmark: | Wellcome Collection |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13807 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Woodward, an assistant in the department of geology and mineralogy at the British Museum , …
To Charles Henry Lardner Woodd 4 March 1850
Summary
Comments on paper by CHLW.
Considers effect of heat on bending of strata, and producing volcanoes and elevation.
"I can have no doubt that speculative men, with a curb on, make far the best observers."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Henry Lardner Woodd |
| Date: | 4 Mar 1850 |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 375 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1307 |
From J. D. Hooker 6 and 7 April 1850
Summary
Spoke too harshly about CD’s involvement in nomenclatural reform.
JDH used to think CD "too prone to theoretical considerations about species", hence was pleased CD took up a difficult group like barnacles. CD’s theories have progressed but JDH not converted. Sikkim has not cleared up his doubts about CD’s doctrines.
Argument with Falconer.
| Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 6 and 7 Apr 1850 |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (India Letters 1847–51: 274–6 JDH/1/10) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1319 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … definite views on the subject of Himalayan Geology, & geography. Rivers & Mt chains met …
| letter | (16) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (12) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (2) |
| Clapham, Abraham | (1) |
| Masters, William | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (4) |
| Lyell, Charles | (3) |
| Owen, Richard | (3) |
| Dana, J. D. | (1) |
| Forchhammer, J. G. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (16) |
| Lyell, Charles | (3) |
| Owen, Richard | (3) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (2) |
| Clapham, Abraham | (1) |
Darwin & Geology
Summary
The lessons Darwin learned from Adam Sedgwick at Cambridge, and in the field in North Wales, stood him in good stead during the Beagle voyage. While he was attached to the Beagle from 1831 to 1835, Darwin actually spent about two-thirds of his time ashore,…
Matches: 8 hits
- … actually spent about two-thirds of his time ashore, where geology was his single most frequent …
- … and the coral reefs of the Pacific, Darwin’s notes on geology accumulated twice as fast as those on …
- … he believed the same basic processes that had shaped the geology of South America were also at work …
- … of the previous decade by publishing three volumes on the geology of the Beagle voyage, but as …
- … for further reading… On Darwin’s work in geology: Herbert, Sandra. 2005. …
- … A. 1991. The discovery of a vocation: Darwin’s early geology. British Journal for the History of …
- … of Science 9: 199–218. On the history of geology: Greene, Mott C. 1982. …
- … Laudan, Rachel. 1994 [1987]. From mineralogy to geology . Chicago: University of Chicago Press …
The geology of the Beagle voyage
Summary
The primary concern that linked much of Darwin’s geological work in the Beagle years was to understand the changing relation between the levels of land and sea. As he studied the shores of South America, and discovered shells inland at thousands of feet…
Darwin’s introduction to geology
Summary
Darwin collected minerals as a child and was introduced to the science of geology at the University of Edinburgh, but he only became actively interested in the subject as he was completing his degree at Cambridge.
Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications
Summary
This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…
Matches: 10 hits
- … Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and …
- … and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, …
- … of HMS Beagle, together with some brief notices on the geology of Australia and the Cape of Good …
- … observations on South America. Being the third part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, …
- … London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1846. [F273.] —On the geology of the Falkland Islands. …
- … [ Shorter publications , pp. 209-17. F1677.] —Geology. Section VI, pp. 156-95, in A …
- … for further reading… On Darwin’s work in geology: Herbert, Sandra. 2005. …
- … James A. 1991. The discovery of a vocation: Darwin’s early geology. British Journal for the …
- … of Science 9: 199–218. On the history of geology: Greene, Mott C. 1982. …
- … Laudan, Rachel. 1994 [1987]. From mineralogy to geology . Chicago: University of Chicago Press. …
Darwin in letters, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles
Summary
Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…
Matches: 8 hits
- … Hooker: ‘I hope this next summer to finish my S. American geology; then to get out a little zoology …
- … from these years and a series of interesting exchanges on geology with David Milne, Robert Chambers, …
- … through the mountains. Hooker writes of the complicated geology of the area, of the community of …
- … with which they had come to regard each other. Geology, and geological controversy …
- … Sir John Frederick William Herschel, to write the chapter on geology ( letter to J. F. W. Herschel, …
- … the zoological chapter, show how they divided the topics of geology and zoology between them. Owen …
- … contribute most to the leading questions of contemporary geology. Perhaps with himself in mind, he …
- … in the preparation of new editions of his Principles of geology and Manual of elementary …
Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 8 hits
- … on various subjects to major theoretical monographs in geology. In addition, he organised and …
- … and sold separately as Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various …
- … one of Darwin’s visits to Maer in Staffordshire. Geology Darwin’s work and …
- … an application of his Beagle work, and it too was in geology. In 1838 he set out on a geological …
- … of the Beagle voyage In addition to his work on geology Darwin undertook to provide a …
- … network that Darwin established as he worked on the geology and zoology of the voyage a most …
- … lately been sadly tempted to be idle, that is as far as pure geology is concerned, by the delightful …
- … these years was that it put an end to further field work in geology. From his South American days he …
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Lyell had begun work on a sixth edition of Elements of geology (C. Lyell 1865). At the same time …
- … book had been completed and set in type for Elements of geology in 1860 and then re-set in 1861 …
- … in 1860 for the sixth edition of the ‘ Elements of geology ’ 34 [C. Lyell 1865], and the …
- … , pp. lx–lxxv. Lyell, Charles. 1865. Elements of geology, or the ancient changes of the …
Commentary
Summary
This section provides pages of commentary on the following themes: Evolution Geology Life sciences Human nature Religion
Matches: 1 hits
- … on the following themes: Evolution Geology Life sciences …
Darwin & coral reefs
Summary
The central idea of Darwin's theory of coral reef formation, as it was later formulated, was that the islands were formed by the upward growth of coral as the Pacific Ocean floor gradually subsided. It overturned previous ideas and would in itself…
Darwin & the Geological Society
Summary
The science of geology in the early nineteenth century was a relatively new enterprise forged from the merging of several distinct traditions of inquiry, from mineralogy and the very practical business of mining, to theories of the earth’s origin and the…
Science, Work and Manliness
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …
Darwin in letters, 1844–1846: Building a scientific network
Summary
The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but he broadened his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species. Far from being a recluse, Darwin was at the heart of British scientific society,…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 26 hits
- … Natural History, and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology and Meteorology ] read …
- … [Lisyansky 1814]— nothing Lyell’s Elements of Geology [Lyell 1838] Gibbon’s Life of …
- … my subjects Elie de Beaumont’s 2 vol of memoirs on Geology of France [Dufrénoy and Élie de …
- … life of Johnsons [Boswell 1831] 4 vols 25 Phillips Geology [J. Phillips 1837–9] Lardners 2 …
- … need not try them again. 18 th . Maclarens Geology of Fife [Maclaren 1839] References at …
- … Natural History, and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology and Meteorology ] 4. Vol. …
- … the Horse [W. C. L. Martin 1845b] —— Hitchock’s Geology of Mass: [Hitchcock 1841] (skimmed) …
- … [DAR 119: 22a] 1849. Feb 8 th . Geology of Russia by Murchison. Veneuil &c …
- … of the Creator [H. Miller 1849] Dec. 10. Dana’s Geology. U.S. Expedition [J. D. Dana 1849] …
- … Sanatory Reform [Anon. 1850].— April 5 Manual of Geology Lyell [Lyell 1851] —— 30 …
- … it. & buy it.— 112 Jukes. “Students Manual of Geology” [Jukes 1857]— published a few …
- … Insects [T. W. Harris 1842] Jukes Student Manual of Geology [Jukes 1857] Azara’s …
- … the years 1797 and 1798, including observations on the geology and geography, the natural …
- … Library.] 119: 2a Buckland, William. 1836. Geology and mineralogy considered with …
- … *119: 3v.; 119: 5a Dana, James Dwight. 1849. Geology . Vol. 10 of United States …
- … New Zealand; with contributions to the geography, geology, botany, and natural history …
- … their scientific institutions, and a few notices of the geology and mineralogy of those …
- … Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology in London 2, pt 2: 457–82. …
- … Survey of Great Britain, and of the Museum of Practical Geology in London 2, pt 2: 483–534. …
- … or, original memoirs in medicine, surgery, physiology, geology, zoology, and comparative anatomy …
- … 13a Hitchcock, Edward. 1841. Final report on the geology of Massachusetts . 2 vols. …
- … 119: 20a ——. 1857. The student’s manual of geology. Edinburgh. [Darwin Library.] *128 …
- … 119: 3a Lyell, Charles. 1837. Principles of geology: being an inquiry how far the …
- … Library.] 119: 3a ——. 1838. Elements of geology . London. [Darwin Library.] 119: 2a …
- … 119: 16a ——. 1847. Principles of geology; or, the modern changes of the earth and its …
- … 22a Lyell, Charles. 1851. A manual of elementary geology; or, the ancient changes of …
Living and fossil cirripedia
Summary
Darwin published four volumes on barnacles, the crustacean sub-class Cirripedia, between 1851 and 1854, two on living species and two on fossil species. Written for a specialist audience, they are among the most challenging and least read of Darwin’s works…
John Murray
Summary
Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, particularly politics, travel and science, and had published…
Matches: 5 hits
- … as head of the business in 1843, had spent a year studying geology at Edinburgh University; as a …
- … he asked his friend Charles Lyell, whose Principles of geology (1830-3) had proved to be a …
- … contributed a section on using a microscope and a chapter on geology to A manual of scientific …
- … his authors and added Origin to his list: but although geology was his favourite hobby and he …
- … pseudonym ‘Verifier’ an essay entitled Scepticism in Geology (1877), an argument against Lyell’s …
Darwin’s earthquakes
Summary
Darwin experienced his first earthquake in 1834, but it was a few months later that he was really confronted with their power. Travelling north along the coast of Chile, Darwin and Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, were confronted with a series of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … the low coral islands of the Pacific Ocean, and even the geology of Europe. In his Red Notebook …
Journal of researches
Summary
Within two months of the Beagle’s arrival back in England in October 1836, Darwin, although busy with distributing his specimens among specialists for description, and more interested in working on his geological research, turned his mind to the task of…
Matches: 5 hits
- … with the new title Journal of Researches into the geology and natural history of the various …
- … of animals will occupy a large portion, sketches of the geology, the appearance of the country, and …
- … where he set out his views on human migration and reconciled geology with the Biblical account. ‘You …
- … food as an egg ’; William Henry Fitton considered the geology to be ‘excellent’ while relishing the …
- … title Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during …
Darwin & Glen Roy
Summary
Although Darwin was best known for his geological work in South America and other remote Beagle destinations, he made one noteworthy attempt to explain a puzzling feature of British geology. In 1838, two years after returning from the voyage, he travelled…
Matches: 1 hits
- … noteworthy attempt to explain a puzzling feature of British geology. In 1838, two years after …
Darwin in letters, 1821-1836: Childhood to the Beagle voyage
Summary
Darwin's first known letters were written when he was twelve. They continue through school-days at Shrewsbury, two years as a medical student at Edinburgh University, the undergraduate years at Cambridge, and the of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.…
Matches: 3 hits
Charles Lyell
Summary
As an author, friend and correspondent, Charles Lyell played a crucial role in shaping Darwin's scientific life. Born to a wealthy gentry family in Scotland in 1797, Lyell had a classical and legal education but by the 1820s had become entranced by…
