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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: 24 hits
- … The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom , published on 10 November …
- … own pollen. He set out to compare several generations of cross and self fertilised plants, comparing …
- … to long months and years of research on other projects, Cross and self fertilisation would …
- … to the American botanist Asa Gray, ‘I have just begun a large course of experiments on the …
- … ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, reporting back to …
- … ( To Edouard Bornet, 20 August [1867] ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin …
- … unnoticed, had it existed in all individuals of such a common garden plant. Perhaps in the case of …
- … of these seeds to Müller, hoping that he would ‘raise a plant, cover it with a net, & observe …
- … generations. In June 1869, Müller remarked, on receiving a new batch of seeds from Darwin, ‘that it …
- … plants’ ( To Fritz Müller, 12 May 1870 ). From a fairly early stage in his experimental …
- … & about which I dont know whether you w d care, is that a great excess of, or very little …
- … weight, or period of germination in the seeds of Ipomœa. I remember saying the contrary to you & …
- … germinate quicker than seeds produced by a cross between two distinct plants’ ( To J. D. Hooker, …
- … ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both cross and self-fertilised plants in order to ‘compare …
- … Drosera , Darwin had been able to concentrate solely on cross and self-fertilised plants, as he …
- … Julius Carus, who wrote in early May, Darwin stated, ‘M r Murray announced my next book without …
- … Lathyrus odoratus ; for here in England the vars. never cross, & yet are sometimes visited by …
- … [1873] ). Darwin’s suspicion that sweet peas were cross fertilised in their native setting was …
- … [1873] ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly …
- … the set of all my works, I would suggest 1,500’ ( To R. F. Cooke, 16 September 1876 ). In the …
- … kingdom’) to the more sober and cautious The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the …
- … 15 November 1876 ). In fact, Murray sold 1100 copies of Cross and self fertilisation at his …
- … of hybrids, has not yet been produced’ ( From A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this …
- … In contrast, as Hooker told Darwin, ‘Dyer is full of your Cross & Self Fertilization & about …
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 21 hits
- … ‘my wife … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). …
- … and cosseting regarding the ailments that were so much a feature of Darwin family life. But the calm …
- … by anxiety and deep grief. In May, William Darwin suffered a serious concussion from a riding …
- … edition of Orchids and checking the page-proofs of Cross and self fertilisation , that the …
- … expected in September. Their joy at the safe delivery of a healthy boy was soon replaced by anguish …
- … death. For once, the labour of checking proofs proved a blessing, as Darwin sought solace for the …
- … his anxiety about Francis. By the end of the year there was a different order at Down House with …
- … Year's resolutions Darwin began the year by making a resolution. He would in future …
- … quantity of work’ left in him for ‘new matter’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). The …
- … Origin for the very last time, and made minor changes to a reprint of the second edition of …
- … voyage, Volcanic islands and South America , in a new single-volume edition titled …
- … & I for blundering’, he cheerfully observed to Carus. ( Letter to J. V. Carus, 24 April 1876. …
- … of crossing’, was seen by Darwin as the companion to Cross and self fertilisation , which …
- … (Appendix II)). During a two-week holiday after finishing Cross and self fertilisation , Darwin …
- … year to write about his life ( Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, 20 …
- … nowadays is evolution and it is the correct one’ ( letter from Nemo, [1876?] ). …
- … him ‘basely’ and who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). …
- … ... supporting friends Despite being busy drafting Cross and self fertilisation , Darwin …
- … disgrace’ of blackballing so distinguished a zoologist ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 29 January 1876 ) …
- … that he had copied three hundred pages of the draft of Cross and self fertilisation , and, unlike …
- … while Galton’s statistical analysis (later published in Cross and self fertilisation ) was a …
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: 25 hits
- … in two books, Insectivorous plants (1875) and Cross and self fertilisation (1876). Darwin’s …
- … in this botanical research, eventually renouncing plans for a medical career to become his father’s …
- … and he was clearly delighted by Francis’s decision. A large portion of the letters Darwin …
- … occasional criticisms, some of which were incorporated in a later edition. Darwin also contributed …
- … in science were manifest in his leading roles in creating a private memorial fund for Thomas Henry …
- … I omitted to observe, which I ought to have observed” ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 January [1873] …
- … and even electrical stimulation. On sending Darwin a specimen of the carnivorous Drosophyllum …
- … work your wicked will on it—root leaf & branch!” ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ) …
- … tentacles to bend inward, so that the plant closed like a fist. Darwin was fascinated by this …
- … seemed analogous to muscular contraction in animals: “a nerve is touched … a sensation is felt” ( …
- … research on insectivorous plants involved collaboration with a wide range of experts, including the …
- … ferment would later be known as a digestive enzyme. Cross- and self-fertilisation …
- … parts of the flower would become modified & correlated” ( letter to T. H. Farrer, 14 August …
- … it again, “for Heaven knows when it will be ready” ( letter to John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). …
- … we take notes and take tracings of their burrows” ( letter from Francis Darwin, 14 August [1873] ) …
- … in importance; and if so more places will be created” ( letter to E. A. Darwin, 20 September 1873 …
- … our unfortunate family being fit for continuous work” ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 25 September …
- … on any point; for I knew my own ignorance before hand” ( letter to George Cupples, 28 April [1873] …
- … “he would fly at the Empr’s throat like a bulldog” ( letter from L. M. Forster to H. E. Litchfield, …
- … force & truth of the great principle of inheritance!” ( letter to F. S. B. F. de Chaumont, 3 …
- … the heavy breathing that accompanied sexual intercourse? (letter from ?, [1873?]). The Scottish …
- … with up lines; & sadness & decay with the reverse—” ( letter from William Main, 2 April …
- … with the advance of civilisation and good breeding ( letter from Henry Reeks, 3 March 1873 ). …
- … believes whether or not they are sound” ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 November 1873 ). But no …
- … unorthodoxy, troubling and potentially undermining (J. R. Moore 1985, pp. 471–2). A courted …
A tale of two bees
Summary
Darwinian evolution theory fundamentally changed the way we understand the environment and even led to the coining of the word 'ecology'. Darwin was fascinated by bees: he devised experiments to study the comb-building technique of honey bees and…
Matches: 13 hits
- … one of the Darwin Correspondence Project editors noticed a rather unusual and attractive bee in the …
- … Wales (see ‘ Bombus hypnorum (Hymenoptera: Apidae), a new British bumblebee?’ British Journal …
- … consequences are likely to ensue. It is perhaps a sign of the times that the pleasure …
- … John Lubbock seems very much ahead of his time when, in a letter to Darwin in 1867 , he commented …
- … from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws …
- … of the external conditions of life, and from use and disuse; a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead …
- … be recreated. Instead of the comforting representation of a cyclical recurrence of familiar animals …
- … his own property: The routes remain the same for a considerable time and the buzzing …
- … stationed five or six of my children, each close to a buzzing place, and told the one farthest away …
- … the buzzing place where I myself was standing. (letter to Herman Müller, [before 5 May …
- … as an example of acquired knowledge in insects. The letter was in response to one from a disgruntled …
- … researching the aspects of floral morphology that encouraged cross fertilisation for his botanical …
- … ). Darwin came close to the answer when he noticed a leafcutter bee, Megachile willughbiella …
Origin is 160; Darwin's 1875 letters now online
Summary
To mark the 160th anniversary of the publication of Origin of species, the full transcripts and footnotes of nearly 650 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1875 are published online for the first time. You can read about Darwin's life in 1875…
Matches: 14 hits
- … Darwin's life in 1875 through his letters and see a full list of the letters . The …
- … the end of the year. At the same time, Darwin was writing Cross and self fertilisation , also …
- … ways to the Drosera secretion. In 1875, Klein was a very controversial witness at the Royal …
- … at all’ for the sufferings of animals when performing a painful experiment. Huxley told Darwin about …
- … disgusted at what you say about Klein. I am very glad he is a foreigner; but it is most painful as I …
- … very much more about the wide distribution of my books. ( Letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 June [1875] ) …
- … on these plants since 1859. The highly technical work was a surprising success, with 3000 copies …
- … over the sickening work of preparing new Editions . ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 August [1875] ) …
- … taste. However, by the autumn he was able to start writing a new book, Cross and self …
- … insensible, if the experiment made this possible ( Letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] …
- … me in the vestry of having made false statements ( Letter to John Lubbock, 8 April 1875 ) …
- … former vicar, that they had succeeded in again setting up a winter reading room for working men, …
- … done in science I owe to the study of his great works ( Letter to A. B. Buckley, 23 February 1875 …
- … act which any scientific Socy. has done in my time ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, [12 December 1875] ) …
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: 16 hits
- … travel and science. He was the grandson of John Macmurray, a Scot who had arrived in London, altered …
- … Darwin Archive at Cambridge University Library a similar number of letters from John Murray …
- … had been unsatisfactory. When they came to discuss a second edition, probably at the end of 1845, …
- … parts (July to September 1845) before being reissued in a single volume. Returning to Murray the …
- … have transacted the business with me’ (27 August [1845] Letter 908 ). Thus began the business …
- … three years later was not so successful. Darwin contributed a section on using a microscope and a …
- … copies some pages in Darwin’s chapter were transposed ( Letter 1244 ). Darwin was anxious lest an …
- … by specialist societies and would not have interested a commercial publisher. In 1854 Darwin had …
- … his ‘big species book’; on 18 June 1858, he received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace with the …
- … asked Lyell to act as his intermediary with John Murray ( Letter 2437 ), who, without even reading …
- … not repent of having undertaken it’ (15 October [1859] Letter 2506 ). Murray decided on a retail …
- … proud at the appearance of my child’ ([3 November 1859] Letter 2514 ). In the event, all Murray’s …
- … – and a second edition was immediately called for ( Letter 2549 ). In the end Murray paid Darwin …
- … (Variation ), but work progressed slowly ( Letter 3078 ); meanwhile in 1862 Murray published On …
- … a translation into English of Fritz Müller‘s book Für Darwin (in English, ‘Facts and arguments …
- … year Darwin presented Murray with The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable …
Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…
Matches: 20 hits
- … , anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied …
- … that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
- … persevered with his work on Variation until 20 July, his letter-writing dwindled considerably. The …
- … when he and his family departed on 2 September for more than a month at a hydropathic establishment …
- … Evidence as to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s species theory and on …
- … from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] …
- … ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863] …
- … theory led him, after some consideration, to briefly play a public role in the controversies that …
- … than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
- … had been rapidly accumulating. Lyell’s argument for a greater human antiquity than was commonly …
- … from an ape-like animal, while dating human origins to a time far earlier than that decreed by …
- … from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
- … letters to Lyell discussing Antiquity , Darwin made a list of criticisms, including the objection …
- … leap from that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
- … out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
- … book he wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
- … produced by selective breeding, were either unable to cross or else formed sterile hybrids. Huxley …
- … for Darwin to continue the work on dimorphic plants, and on cross and hybrid sterility, that had …
- … papers published later, and of Forms of flowers and Cross and self fertilisation , both …
- … very slowly recovering, but am very weak’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [29 September? 1863] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 19 hits
- … and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any man wants to gain a good opinion of his fellow man, he …
- … or in satisfying female preference in the mating process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in …
- … of changing the races of man’ (Correspondence vol. 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
- … was still anticipating that his book would take the form of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to …
- … on the subject to the zoologist Albert Günther: ‘a drunkard might as well say, he would drink a …
- … early as 1865, the two-volume work appeared in January 1868. A final delay caused by the indexing …
- … manuscript to the publisher in February 1867, and had spent a good deal of that year reading and …
- … would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to …
- … of labour to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). …
- … if I try to read a few pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). …
- … reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from the Isle of Wight on the formation …
- … . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] ). The review was …
- … Advertiser headed ‘Freak of Nature’, describing a cross between a goldfinch and a green linnet …
- … as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] ). Francis …
- … question of the “Origin of Species”’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 4 October 1868 ). …
- … hands of the enemies of Nat. Selection’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 ). …
- … mission stations in Victoria, Australia ( letter from R. B. Smyth, 13 August 1868 ); lengthy …
- … in Reseda odorata , work he would later report in Cross and self fertilisation , pp. 119–20. …
- … who wished to pay ‘his devotions at the shrine of D r . Darwin’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 …
Darwin’s observations on his children
Summary
Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children, began the research that culminated in his book The Expression of the emotions in man and animals, published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, published in Mind…
Matches: 21 hits
- … in man and animals , published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, …
- … scientific correspondents and, in 1867, by preparing a printed questionnaire.[3] He solicited …
- … ‘You will be forming theories about me & if I am cross or out of temper you will only consider …
- … his first-born—his ‘Little Prince’ or ‘animalcule of a son’[7] —to such a degree that on occasion he …
- … 1844, Henrietta Emma was one year old, and there are a few entries relating to her. However, at this …
- … diaphragm, so as to allow gas to escape from stomach.— A person trying to liberate air from stomach …
- … his eyebrows are very little prominent, & with scarcely a vestige of down,—therefore if frowning …
- … At his 9 th day however he appeared to follow a candle with his eyes.— In crying, frowns …
- … old, smiled, but certainly not from pleasure, but merely a chance movement of muscles, without a …
- … of eye during sucking change. into vacancy & then into a swimming expression, with half closed …
- … I have no doubt this rolling of the eyes is connected with a tendency for them to turn upwards & …
- … the same time Henrietta smiled at 3 weeks & Mrs Locke says a fortnight[15] I have …
- … or knuckle from bosom.— Little frowns continually cross his face, when feeling uncomfortable, …
- … mother. & mine; I think was once attracted by noise towards a certain point. — Has no definite …
- … itself.— Henrietta also just at the same period or a few days earlier— Nov. 8[16] When …
- … argues that his smiles were from seeing her face, because a tassel dangling did not make him smile— …
- … he wanted to suck. Annie at 2 months & four days had a very broad sweet smile & a …
- … He continues to enjoy music exceedingly, & even when very cross is brought into ectascies by it— …
- … our door N o 12 and N o 11 is in the slit for the Letter box.— he decidedly ran past N o 11 …
- … has learned them from my sometimes changing the first letter in any word he is using—thus I say …
- … , pp. 131–2. [6] Correspondence vol. 2, letter from Emma Wedgwood, [23 January 1839] . …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 15 hits
- … | Class | Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections …
- … and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
- … Bonds of friendship were very important in science in a period when strong institutional structures …
- … in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
- … botanist Asa Gray. Darwin and Hooker Letter 714 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
- … not immutable. He admits to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — …
- … wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
- … and questions Gray on the alpine flora of the USA. He sends a list of plants from Gray’s Manual of …
- … and relationships of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 6 Oct [1848] Darwin …
- … Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., 3 Feb 1849 In this gossipy letter, Hooker …
- … descriptions. Letter 1260 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 12 Oct 1849 Darwin …
- … Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., 6 & 7 Apr 1850 Hooker apologises for the …
- … heights. He writes of his zoological collection and plans to cross the Cordilleras. …
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: 17 hits
- … by Cambridge University Press . Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth …
- … Darwin’s preoccupation with his own roots ran alongside a botanical interest in roots, as he and his …
- … his publishers, he warned that it was ‘dry as dust’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 9 September 1879 ). …
- … turned out, alas, very dull & has disappointed me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June …
- … home again’, he fretted, just days before his departure ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26 …
- … Darwin, despite his many blessings, was finding old age ‘a dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, …
- … old age, which creeps slily upon one, like moss upon a tree, and wrinkles one all over like a baked …
- … itself, or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and …
- … but they were ‘as nice and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ) …
- … on your life’s work, which is crowned with glory’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 9 February 1879 ). …
- … to wish Darwin a ‘long and serene evening of life’. This letter crossed with one from Darwin, …
- … the statement ‘In the beginning was carbon’ ( letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 ). …
- … of the Admiralty described the unknown young man as ‘A M r Darwin grandson of the well known …
- … leaving Darwin ‘more perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 …
- … and Bernard proved to be a ‘capital traveller … neither cross nor ennuied’ (Emma Darwin to W. E. …
- … which is his profession tho’ not a profitable one; also D r C[lark]’s opinion that he was so …
- … greatly amused Darwin, who felt it was ‘very acute of M r Ruskin to know that I feel a deep & …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 23 hits
- … On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 …
- … of dimorphic plants with William’s help; he also ordered a selection of new climbing plants for his …
- … physician-in-ordinary to Queen Victoria. Jenner prescribed a variety of antacids and purgatives, and …
- … of the five physicians Darwin had consulted in 1863. In a letter of 26[–7] March [1864] , Darwin …
- … continued throughout the summer. When he finished a preliminary draft of his paper on climbing …
- … and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
- … As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
- … arose over the grounds on which it was conferred, brought a dramatic conclusion to the year. Darwin …
- … his observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] , Darwin …
- … However, the queries that Darwin, describing himself as ‘a broken-down brother-naturalist’, sent to …
- … gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
- … for another specimen: ‘I want it fearfully for it is a leaf climber & therefore sacred’ ( …
- … matters which routinists regard in the light of axioms’ ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864 …
- … transitional forms. Darwin came to think, for example, that a leaf, while still serving the …
- … long series of changes . . .’ When he told Asa Gray in a letter of 29 October [1864] that he was …
- … paper was published, Darwin remarked to Hooker in a letter of 26 November [1864] that nothing …
- … of the two species with the common oxlip. In a letter of 22 October [1864] , Darwin triumphantly …
- … the ‘splendid case of Dimorphism’ in Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. …
- … this interest. At the start of the year, he received a letter, insect specimens, and an article on …
- … that it was ‘the best medicine for my stomach’ ( letter to Daniel Oliver, 17 February [1864] ). …
- … at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, in 1862 with a letter regarding the fertilisation of the …
- … 5 September 1864 ). Fritz Müeller sent his book, Für Darwin , and Darwin had it translated by a …
- … on intellectual & moral qualities’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…
Matches: 22 hits
- … learn that the book was on sale even in railway stations ( letter to Charles Lyell, 14 January …
- … the book, thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
- … critiques of his views. ‘One cannot expect fairness in a Reviewer’, Darwin commented to Hooker after …
- … he told Hooker, did not at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] …
- … began to fly’. His ‘dearly beloved’ theory suffered a series of attacks, the most vicious of which …
- … his theory would have been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A …
- … list. Adam Sedgwick, not surprisingly, attacked the book on a number of fronts. But it was his …
- … from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
- … statement in his March review that natural selection was a hypothesis, not a theory, therefore also …
- … ‘It seems to me that an hypothesis is developed into a theory solely by explaining an ample lot …
- … phenomena it comes in time to be admitted as real.’ ( letter to C. J. F. Bunbury, 9 February [1860] …
- … readily admitted that his failure to discuss this point was a ‘most serious omission’ in his book …
- … about global change. Darwin also knew that Lyell was a powerful potential ally. Indeed, the letters …
- … selection. Even Huxley, an avowed supporter, proved a formidable critic. Huxley extolled the …
- … whereas sterility had long been recognised by naturalists as a criterion of specific difference. He …
- … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
- … naturalists because more accustomed to reasoning.’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 18 May 1860 ). …
- … two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
- … tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 April [1860] ). By the …
- … favour of change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). …
- … his study of the geographical distribution of species ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 6 August 1860 …
- … No by Jove I will tell you what you are, a hybrid, a complex cross of Lawyer, Poet, Naturalist, & …
Before Origin: the ‘big book’
Summary
Darwin began ‘sorting notes for Species Theory’ on 9 September 1854, the very day he concluded his eight-year study of barnacles (Darwin's Journal). He had long considered the question of species. In 1842, he outlined a theory of transmutation in a…
Matches: 17 hits
- … considered the question of species. In 1842, he outlined a theory of transmutation in a short pencil …
- … was ‘almost convinced’ that species were not immutable—a view so controversial that it was, he …
- … & on the question of what are species’, and possessed ‘a grand body of facts’ from which he …
- … Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation caused a publishing sensation in October 1844, the …
- … contained several points that challenged his theory. ‘ In a year or two’s time, when I shall be at …
- … & comparing them, in order in some 2 or 3 years to write a book with all the facts & …
- … as Darwin began his pigeon breeding programme, he started a series of ‘seed-salting experiments’ to …
- … the readership of the magazine that he had experimented on a random selection of seeds, but he was ‘ …
- … involved dealing with ill-smelling and putrid water as a result of soaking the seeds for long …
- … in some cases, planting seeds so slimy that they cohered in a mass. Nonetheless, the surprising …
- … and experimental evidence he had been gathering over a long period. ‘Nineteen years (!) ago’, he …
- … had found the confidence to describe his views on species to a select group of fellow naturalists. …
- … easily work them in, & then I sh d . have to quote from a work perhaps despised by naturalists …
- … it adequately. On 18 June 1858, Darwin received a now lost letter from Wallace enclosing his essay …
- … I had, however, quite resigned myself & had written half a letter to Wallace to give up all …
- … works such as Descent, Different forms of flowers, and Cross and self-fertilisation , just as …
- … and a half chapters were edited and published in 1975 by R. C. Stauffer under the title Charles …
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: 22 hits
- … this manuscript. Although advised by Lyell to publish only a brief outline—probably more for the …
- … was reluctant to squeeze his expansive material into such a small compass and soon abandoned Lyell’s …
- … quantities of information, pursuing his own experiments in a variety of different areas, analysing …
- … still felt cautious in expressing his views before a large scientific audience and anxious to ensure …
- … valued the views of Thomas Henry Huxley, at that time a somewhat precariously placed lecturer and …
- … an illustration of how selection might work in nature ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. …
- … the real structure of varieties’, he remarked to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 September [1856 …
- … ‘& I mean to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] …
- … and this, since it was composed so many years later, is not a safe guide to his pre- Origin …
- … plants, he asked Asa Gray, vary in the United States ( letter to Asa Gray, 2 May 1856 )? What …
- … plants to be more hairy than their lowland relatives. But a last-minute check with Hooker revealed …
- … plants pretty effectually’ complained Darwin in 1857 ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857] ). …
- … John Lubbock that his method of calculation was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). …
- … but all they actually showed was the self-evident fact that a large genus was more likely to contain …
- … among marine invertebrates. His request led Huxley to make a note for future reference, ‘Darwin, an …
- … which the bird had naturally eaten have grown well.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1856] …
- … he wrote to Syms Covington in New South Wales ( letter to Syms Covington, 9 March 1856 ). …
- … his work on species and the preparation of his manuscript ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 1 May 1857 ) …
- … a preliminary sketch was apparently first made in a letter written by Lyell from London on 1–2 May …
- … and went up to London to see Lyell to discuss it further ( letter to Charles Lyell, 3 May [1856] ) …
- … Hearing about the party afterwards, Lyell reported in a letter to his brother-in-law that, ‘When …
- … so far, and not embrace the whole Lamarckian doctrine.’ ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, …
Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…
Matches: 22 hits
- … spent completing Forms of flowers , his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the …
- … of bloom, each of these projects would culminate in a major publication. Darwin’s botany was …
- … by his engagement to Sara Sedgwick, an American from a family that the Darwins had befriended. The …
- … He returned to his alma mater in November to hear a Latin oration composed specially for the …
- … the fertility of individual flowers and plants across a range of common species, such as the …
- … pleases me.’. Darwin dedicated the book to Gray, ‘as a small tribute of respect and affection’. He …
- … measure: ‘it might then be highly beneficial to [a plant] that the same flower or the same …
- … I believe it is of value, it is not likely that more than a few hundred copies w d . be sold’. His …
- … have shared Hooker’s suspicion of ambitious gardeners ( letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 25 August …
- … method of recording leaf motion for extended periods. In a letter to Thiselton-Dyer of 11 October …
- … … tap one of the young leaves with a delicate twig’ ( letter to R. I. Lynch, 14 September 1877 ). …
- … , or to the vibratory flagella of some Infusoria’ ( letter from F. J. Cohn, 5 August 1877 ). …
- … in July 1877 (F. Darwin 1877b), and Darwin sent Cohn’s letter vindicating his son’s research to …
- … his sense of form and of motion was exact and lively’ ( letter from W. E. Gladstone, 23 October …
- … larger aim was announced in the subtitle: Zeitschrift für einheitliche Weltanschauung auf Grund …
- … the Westphalian Provincial Society for Science and Art. In a letter to Darwin written before 16 …
- … the only one full-page in size. Haeckel sent a personal letter of congratulation on 9 February , …
- … (see Appendix V). The album arrived with a long letter from the director and secretary of the …
- … reported, ‘but found him as soft & smooth as butter’ ( letter to C. E. Norton, 16 March 1877 ) …
- … write to Owen & offer himself you & me to dejeuner!!!’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 14 June …
- … where I hope it may remain for centuries to come’ ( letter from C. C. Graham, 30 January 1877 ). …
- … view the creature, and Chesney even hoped that Darwin would cross the Atlantic for its inspection. …
Species and varieties
Summary
On the origin of species by means of natural selection …so begins the title of Darwin’s most famous book, and the reader would rightly assume that such a thing as ‘species’ must therefore exist and be subject to description. But the title continues, …or…
Matches: 18 hits
- … famous book, and the reader would rightly assume that such a thing as ‘species’ must therefore exist …
- … especially to the modern reader, for whom race carries a different and highly charged meaning. In …
- … used the term here, he simply meant ‘variety’, as in ‘a fast-growing race of wheat’. The question, …
- … of books he wanted to read (DAR 119: 2v), Darwin scribbled a reminder to himself in 1838 to ‘read …
- … ancient’. He never got around to reading Aristotle beyond a few extracts, until shortly before his …
- … to the characterisation of things, and you have, in a nutshell, the two sides of a debate about the …
- … world according to an artificial system; that is, he chose a specific group of structural features …
- … other criteria. He was challenged by others who searched for a more ‘natural’ taxonomy that would …
- … organism. Darwin himself did not set out to be a taxonomist, but in trying to understand some …
- … observation just how much variability often existed within a species. The features he focused on …
- … by the idea that the relations in features reflected a real genealogical relationship over time. In …
- … to describe it scientifically, & yet all the genera have 1/2 a dozen synonyms’ ( letter to H. E …
- … by the shadowy doubt whether this or that form be in essence a species.’ He continued, regarding …
- … of evolution by natural selection over many years and gave a lot of thought to definitions of …
- … some sterility an unfailing test, with others not worth a farthing. It all comes, I believe, from …
- … a selected quality to keep incipient species distinct’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] …
- … of hybrids might be produced by natural selection ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 1 March 1868 ). …
- … to ‘say no more but leave the problem as insoluble’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 ). …
Introduction to the Satire of FitzRoy's Narrative of the Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle
Summary
'a humble toadyish follower…': Not all pictures of Darwin during the Beagle voyage are flattering. Published here for the first time is a complete transcript of a satirical account of the Beagle’s brief visit in 1836 to the Cocos Keeling islands…
Matches: 19 hits
- … I naturally wished to have a savant at my elbow – in the position of a humble toadyish follower – …
- … are flattering. Published here for the first time is a complete transcript of a satirical account …
- … observed first-hand. The satire, which purports to be a new edition of Robert FitzRoy's …
- … and Beagle (1839), was written by John Clunies Ross, a controversial figure, and one of the two …
- … John Clunies Ross’ satire, written c.1848, is a fascinating document. It is remarkable as a rare …
- … an outsider. Yet he was an unusually knowledgeable outsider. A merchant captain and skilled …
- … hydrographical and natural historical work more clearly as a result of Ross’ perspective. …
- … early Victorian Britain The satire is noteworthy as a history of imperial ambitions and …
- … his encounters with the Indian Ocean world began as a harpooner on the southern whaler Baroness …
- … Ross’ chief project from 1826 to his death was developing a settlement on Cocos-Keeling Islands. He …
- … project. These included, most notably, his rivalry with a second (or was he first?) settler at Cocos …
- … labourers; the apparent contribution of FitzRoy’s visit to a subsequent insurrection of these people …
- … in 1855). The Cocos-Keeling controversies provide a framework for details that bear on much …
- … of Good Hope and back to Cocos-Keeling with his slaves gives a glimpse of what changed, and what …
- … claimed to be the champion of Hare’s former slaves. Such a position, however, was integral to his …
- … manuscript also reviewed Biblical evidence to argue for a black Jesus and pointed out that to East …
- … unlike any others we have Ross loathed FitzRoy as a privileged Tory aristocrat and as a cog …
- … are not so marked. A final set refers to a comparison of a letter and a newspaper editorial. In all …
- … footnotes in the ms. which are marked in the original with a cross, or with a double or triple cross …
Darwin and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 16 hits
- … religion. His local activities in the village of Down paint a fascinating picture of a man who, …
- … and religious bodies. Darwin and his family had a lifetime involvement with the Church of …
- … was often combined with Unitarian belief. Unitarianism was a form of Protestant non-conformism that …
- … were comparatively small, well-educated, and allowed for a greater variance of belief (and doubt) …
- … to belong to that institution (Autobiography 75). A nominal adherence to the Anglican Church’s …
- … an Oxbridge degree was often crucial, in turn, in securing a position in the most prestigious …
- … medicine, the bar, or politics, the clerical profession was a relatively inexpensive to enter. The …
- … & I can see it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] …
- … wrote to the contrary: ‘I am sorry to see in your last letter that you still look forward to the …
- … near the British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] …
- … it is a sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). …
- … However, what remains is cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to …
- … (a local charity), which he administered from 1848 to 1869 (letter to J. B. Innes, [8 May 1848] …
- … club the use of his own lawn for its meetings (Moore 1985; letter to J. S. Henslow, 17 January …
- … the family’s dog, Quiz, when he moved away from Down (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 December [1861] ) …
- … such as a curious account of what was considered to be a cross between a cow and a red deer (letter …
Darwin and vivisection
Summary
Darwin played an important role in the controversy over vivisection that broke out in late 1874. Public debate was sparked when the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought an unsuccessful prosecution against a French physiologist who…
Matches: 19 hits
- … the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought charges against a French physiologist who had performed …
- … The prosecution was unsuccessful, but it gave rise to a series of campaigns to increase public …
- … Britain. In December 1874, Darwin was asked to sign a memorial by the writer and social …
- … me) attack on Virchow for experimenting on the Trichinae’ (letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January …
- … drew on his own family circle for assistance in preparing a bill for Parliament. Darwin …
- … laboratory (Klein et al . 1873), which became a focus of criticism in the debates because it …
- … I love with all my heart’ ( Correspondence vol. 19, letter to ?, 19 May [1871] ). As a …
- … premise that ‘an English gentleman would not himself give a moment’s unnecessary pain to any living …
- … by the prospect of animals suffering for science. In a letter to E. Ray Lankester, he wrote: ‘You …
- … but not for mere damnable and detestable curiosity. It is a subject which makes me sick with horror, …
- … I shall not sleep to-night’ ( Correspondence vol. 19, letter to E. R. Lankester, 22 March [1871 …
- … akin to conscience. Darwin even described an animal enduring a painful experiment as an example of …
- … was a sensitive subject within Darwin’s family. In his letter of 14 January 1875 to Huxley, …
- … ones (men of course) or I might get one or two’ (letter from Emma Darwin to F. P. Cobbe, 14 …
- … to serve as the basis for a petition, and gave it to Huxley (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, …
- … with Huxley, who produced a new sketch for a petition (letter from T. H. Huxley, [4 April 1875] ) …
- … who drafted a memorial, sending it to Darwin on 7 April (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 7 …
- … in order to gather signatures. More alterations were made (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 10 …
- … Debate was forestalled when the home secretary, Richard Cross, announced on 24 May that a Royal …
