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Darwin Correspondence Project
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From Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker   [7 December 1863]

Summary

CD too ill to write.

Has evidence of long life of seed transported on a partridge’s foot.

Sends a squib by Samuel Butler on the Origin.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  Joseph Dalton Hooker
Date:  [7 Dec 1863]
Classmark:  DAR 115: 215
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4351

From Emma Darwin to John Murray   [before 17 December 1863]

Summary

CD too ill to write.

Asks that a presentation copy of Origin be sent off.

He has authorised an Italian translation of Origin.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  John Murray
Date:  [before 17 Dec 1863]
Classmark:  National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff. 128–129)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4352

To J. D. Hooker   5 [December 1863]

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Summary

His bad health continues.

Thirty-two plants have come up from the earth attached to partridge’s foot.

Origin to be published in Italian.

Owen was wrong: Origin will not be forgotten in ten years.

Author:  Charles Robert Darwin
Addressee:  Joseph Dalton Hooker
Date:  5 [Dec 1863]
Classmark:  DAR 115: 213
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4353

From Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox   8 December [1863]

Summary

Thanks WDF for his letter [on steel traps].

Gives a better report of CD’s health since he gave up water-cure.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  William Darwin Fox
Date:  8 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 142)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4355

From Emma Darwin to Julius von Haast   12 December [1863]

Summary

CD too unwell to answer JvH’s letter.

He was interested in the "marvellous ground parrot"

and the report on "naturalisation of animals in New Zealand".

Honoured by election to the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  John Francis Julius (Julius) von Haast
Date:  12 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand (Haast family papers, MS-Papers-0037-051-3)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4356

From J. B. Innes   17 December [1863]

Summary

Suggests a new school for CD’s son [Horace].

Author:  John Brodie Innes
Addressee:  Charles Robert Darwin
Date:  17 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  DAR 167: 13
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4357

From Emma Darwin to Alphonse de Candolle   17 December [1863]

Summary

CD sends thanks for pamphlet.

He has been very unwell for three months; it will be long before he can apply himself to his usual pursuits.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  Alphonse de Candolle
Date:  17 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  Archives de la famille de Candolle (private collection)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4358

From Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker   26 December [1863]

Summary

CD would be pleased to sit for a bust by Thomas Woolner for JDH, but he is too ill now.

Emma’s views on slavery and the Civil War.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  Joseph Dalton Hooker
Date:  26 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  DAR 115: 214
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4359

From Emma Darwin to George Maw   28 December 1863

Summary

CD too unwell to write but has signed the [unspecified] paper and forwarded it as requested.

Author:  Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin
Addressee:  George Maw
Date:  28 Dec 1863
Classmark:  Royal Horticultural Society, Lindley Library (MAW/1/11)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4360

To the Geological Society of London   [c. 28 December 1863]

Summary

Recommendation of the admission of George Maw to the fellowship of the Geological Society of London.

Author:  Charles Robert Darwin
Addressee:  Geological Society of London
Date:  [c. 28 Dec 1863]
Classmark:  Geological Society of London (GSL/F/1/6 No.2179)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4360F

To Ernst Haeckel   30 December [1863] – 3 January [1864]

Summary

Will be proud to receive EH’s Die Radiolarien [1862].

Health continues very weak.

[P.S. 3 Jan] Has sent EH another letter by mistake.

Author:  Charles Robert Darwin
Addressee:  Ernst Philipp August (Ernst) Haeckel
Date:  30 Dec [1863] – 3 Jan [1864]
Classmark:  Ernst-Haeckel-Haus (Bestand A-Abt. 1: 1026/1)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4361

To John Higgins   4 December 1863

Summary

Acknowledges receipt of £248 2s. 1d.

Author:  Charles Robert Darwin
Addressee:  John Higgins
Date:  4 Dec 1863
Classmark:  Dominic Winter Auctioneers (dealers) (10 April 2019, lot 138)
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4361F

From Hugh Falconer   31 December [1863]

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Summary

Returns a letter wrongly addressed by CD [4361].

Author:  Hugh Falconer
Addressee:  Charles Robert Darwin
Date:  31 Dec [1863]
Classmark:  DAR 164: 25
Letter no:  DCP-LETT-4362
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Lost in translation: From Auguste Forel, 12 November 1874

Summary

You receive a gift from your scientific hero Charles Darwin. It is a book that contains sections on your favourite topic—ants. If only you had paid attention when your mother tried to teach you English you might be able to read it. But you didn’t, and you…

Matches: 1 hits

  • … barely understand a word. Writing in French on 12 November 1874 to thank Darwin for the …

Darwin’s hothouse and lists of hothouse plants

Summary

Darwin became increasingly involved in botanical experiments in the years after the publication of Origin. The building of a small hothouse - a heated greenhouse - early in 1863  greatly increased the range of plants that he could keep for scientific…

Matches: 9 hits

  • … Correspondence  vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] and n. 13). Initially, …
  • … Stove [that is, cool hothouse]’ ( Correspondence  vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26[–7] March …
  • … of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869] ,  Calendar  no. 6661) …
  • … 100 yards’ to the greenhouses ( Correspondence  vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, [25 January …
  • … in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). The second list is …
  • …       Anoectochilus argenteus  12 5 s . …
  • … punctatum. 11.  Mormodes aurantiaca 12.  ‘Anoectochilus argenteus 5 s .’ deleted in …
  • …     Bolbophyllum barbigerum 12  major     …
  • …  Ampelidae. 11.  Alloplectus chrysanthus. 12.  Bulbophyllum barbigerum. 13. …

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots

Summary

Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…

Matches: 12 hits

  • … Seventy years old Darwin’s seventieth birthday on 12 February was a cause for international …
  • … and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ). The masters of …
  • … ). The botanist and schoolteacher Hermann Müller wrote on 12 February to wish Darwin a ‘long and …
  • … well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard …
  • … ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). It was little …
  • … Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 ). Darwin’s final task …
  • … inn ‘ very comfortable’, but told Leonard Darwin on 12 August that there were ‘too many human …
  • … not to have come up when the Darwins lunched with him on 12 August (Darwin’s ‘Journal’). Nor did …
  • … the world. At the end of the year he was awarded a prize of 12,000 francs by the Turin Academy of …
  • … which greatly pleased Darwin ( letter from Grant Allen, 12 February 1879 ). One of Allen’s targets …
  • … engagement being made public ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 12 October 1879 ). Darwin’s response not …
  • … accurate in its treatment’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 12 November 1879 ). The comment that …

Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year

Summary

The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…

Matches: 11 hits

  • … (letters from George Cupples, 21 February 1874 and 12 March 1874 ); the material was …
  • … the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii; letters from T. N. Staley, 12 February 1874 and 20 February 1874 …
  • …  was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though containing …
  • … print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Darwin's …
  • … Review & in the same type’  ( letter from John Murray, 12 August 1874 ). George’s letter …
  • … he finally wrote a polite, very formal letter to Mivart on 12 January 1875 , refusing to hold any …
  • … & snugness’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ).   More …
  • … vicar of Deptford ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ), but to her …
  • … mechanism that Darwin agreed with ( letter to F. J. Cohn, 12 October 1874 ). Darwin’s American …
  • … bank with enormous tips to his ears ( letter from Asa Gray, 12 May 1874 ). The Manchester …
  • … excellent, & as clear as light’ ( letter to John Tyndall, 12 August [1874] ). Hooker …

1.2 George Richmond, marriage portrait

Summary

< Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more may once have existed. In a letter of 1873 an old Shrewsbury friend, Arthur Mostyn Owen, offered to send Darwin a watercolour sketch of him, painted many years…

Matches: 1 hits

  • … < Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more …

Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers

Summary

In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…

Matches: 6 hits

  • … made a small omission ’. Stephen’s reply on 12 January was flattering, reassuring, and …
  • … books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May he described …
  • … Darwin had difficulty in obtaining mature plants. On 12 April, he reported to Müller , ‘I have …
  • … to make me happy & contented,’ he told Wallace on 12 July , ‘but life has become very …
  • … fight’ (letters to J. D. Hooker, 6 August 1881 and 12 August 1881 ). Darwin may have …
  • … else’s judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). However, some requests …

Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?

Summary

Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … which I ought to have observed” ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 January [1873] ).  Drosera  was the …
  • … on it—root leaf & branch!” ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ). Darwin found …
  • … of November 1872 and sold quickly. He wrote to Hooker on 12 January [1873] , “Did I ever boast to …

Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments

Summary

1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…

Matches: 6 hits

  • … Hooker: ‘he is no common man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ). Two sexual …
  • … of the year, he wrote to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ): ‘my notions on …
  • … least 3 classes of dimorphism’ ( letter to Daniel Oliver, 12 [April 1862] ), and experimenting to …
  • … passed so miserable a nine months’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 12 September [1862] ). A family …
  • … ‘Botany is a new subject to me’ ( letter to John Scott, 12 November [1862] ), but, impressed by …
  • … into Tyndall’s ears’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10–12 November [1862] ). Another of Darwin’s …

German and Dutch photograph albums

Summary

Darwin Day 2018: To celebrate Darwin's 209th birthday, we present two lavishly produced albums of portrait photographs which Darwin received from continental admirers 141 years ago. These unusual gifts from Germany and the Netherlands are made…

Matches: 1 hits

  • … their generous sympathy. ( Letter to A. A. van Bemmelen, 12 February 1877 )  View the …

Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings

Summary

‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…

Matches: 5 hits

  • … than insectivorous plants. As he confessed to Hooker on 12 December , ‘I have not felt so angry …
  • … from his family, he sent a curt note to Mivart on 12 January , breaking off all future …
  • … of a bill that was presented to the House of Commons on 12 May, one week after a rival bill based on …
  • … The author, Fritz Schultze, contacted Darwin himself on 12 June , describing the aims of his book …
  • … scientific Socy. has done in my time,’ he told Hooker on 12 December . ‘I wish that I knew what …

Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep

Summary

In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … on his sixty-ninth birthday ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 12 February [1878] ), Darwin reflected that …
  • … ( letter to Francis Darwin, 17 July [1878] ). On 12 September , Darwin wrote: ‘Bernard is as …
  • … The Swiss botanist Arnold Dodel-Port announced on 12 June 1878 the first issue of an atlas with …

Diagrams and drawings in letters

Summary

Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…

Matches: 1 hits

  • … Rubiaceae  with enclosures containing bud samples,  12 May 1878 G. H. Darwin's …

Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts

Summary

At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of  Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…

Matches: 2 hits

  • … ( Correspondence  vol. 16, letter to W. D. Fox, 12 December [1868] ). He may have resented the …
  • … he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March 1869 ). This research …

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: 3 hits

  • … speak of their own original researches’. He then added: 12 Very many other parts …
  • … was ‘unintentional’ ([Lubbock] 1863b, p. 214). 12. Letter from Hugh Falconer to John …
  • … Gesellschaft in Zürich  9 (1853–6): 65–100; 12 (1857–8): 111–56; 13 (1858–63): i–x; 14 (1858–63): 1 …

Darwin’s queries on expression

Summary

When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…

Matches: 4 hits

  • … Haast, J.F.J. von 12 May - 2 June 1867 Christchurch, …
  • … Hagenauer, F.A. [12 Sept 1867] Lake Wellington, …
  • … Wedgwood, Sarah E to ED [30 March-12 April 1868] …
  • … Wilson, Samuel 12 Nov 1867 Longerenong, Wimmera, …

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: 2 hits

  • … ( Correspondence  vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, [5 or 12 November 1845] ). In the event, the …
  • … a young Balanus in this illformed little monster? Fig 12.— . . . It is manifest this curious little …

Cross and self fertilisation

Summary

The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … offspring of English fertile plants’ ( To Fritz Müller, 12 May 1870 ). From a fairly early …
  • … if the book had not yet been released ( From Asa Gray, 12 October 1876 ). Darwin sent the sheets, …
  • … as being as faultless as your temper’ ( From Asa Gray, 12 November 1876 ). The book was …

Henrietta Darwin's diary

Summary

Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…

Matches: 2 hits

  • … my telegram & I feared so to find from G. Lushingtons. 12 I think he  must  care—it can …
  • … parable of the talents see Matt. 25: 14–30. 12 Godfrey Lushington and Beatrice Ann …

Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'

Summary

In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … selection might work in nature ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. 10 ). He was …
  • … first made in a letter written by Lyell from London on 1–2 May 1856. Darwin took the suggestion …
  • … whole Lamarckian doctrine.’ ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. 7 ). The excitement and …

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: 2 hits

  • … Lyell, [9 March 1841] To Charles Lyell, [12? March 1841] To William Fitton, …
  • … Chambers, 11 September 1847 To J.D. Hooker, [12? September 1847] To David …
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