To W. B. D. Mantell 10 April [1856]
Summary
Thanks WBDM for his reply [missing] to CD’s previous letter [1603].
Asks for more details on the erratic blocks.
Asks also if there is good evidence that there formerly existed [in New Zealand] some animal with hair, like an otter or beaver.
Finally, do the uncivilised natives have the same ideal of [human] beauty as Europeans?
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Walter Baldock Durrant Mantell |
Date: | 10 Apr [1856] |
Classmark: | Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand (Mantell papers, MS-Papers-0083-268) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1663 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Edited by James A. H. Murray, et al. 12 vols. and supplement. Oxford: Clarendon Press. …
To John Higgins 19 November [1856]
Summary
Is very glad to hear of the increased rent. Prefers lien agreement with tenant, Mr Hardy.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Higgins |
Date: | 19 Nov [1856] |
Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/1/99) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1993 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … received £215 6 s . 5 d . rent on his farm on 12 June 1856 and a payment of £238 18 s . 8 …
To John Lubbock [1 November 1856]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
Date: | [1 Nov 1856] |
Classmark: | DAR 263: 5 (EH 88206454) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1980 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … The Equidæ or genus Equus of authors. Vol. 12 of Jardine, William, ed. , The naturalist’s …
To E. W. V. Harcourt 1 June [1856]
Summary
Thanks for the very detailed information sent by EWVH.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Edward William Vernon Harcourt |
Date: | 1 June [1856] |
Classmark: | Bodleian Libraries, Oxford (MS. Harcourt dep. adds. 346, fols. 250–1) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1885F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Correspondence vol. 4, Appendix IV, 128: 12). CD cited Harcourt for information on …
To John Edward Gray 14 January [1856]
Summary
Requests that JEG secure the assistance of Samuel Birch in regard to information about varieties of domesticated animals and plants in China. Encloses memorandum.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Edward Gray |
Date: | 14 Jan [1856] |
Classmark: | British Museum (Department of the Middle East, correspondence 1826–67: 1490, 1488) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1820A |
Matches: 1 hit
- … to Samuel Birch , 6 February [1856] and [12 March 1856] , and to W. D. Fox, 15 March [ …
To John Lubbock 5 September [1856]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
Date: | 5 Sept [1856] |
Classmark: | DAR 263: 9 (EH 88206458) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1949 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … retrouve sous notre climat a une élévation de 12 a 1,500 metres l’Apollon qui est commun …
To Philip Henry Gosse 22 September [1856]
Summary
CD is working hard on variations.
Asks if PHG’s bald-pate pigeon [described in A naturalist’s sojourn in Jamaica (1851)] is a true rock-pigeon.
Can he obtain a specimen of the rabbits that have run wild, and a wild canary, and the body of any domestic or fancy pigeon which has been in the West Indies for some generations?
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Philip Henry Gosse |
Date: | 22 Sept [1856] |
Classmark: | Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1958 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … described in Temminck and Knip 1811, 1: 11–12 and 37, and figured on pl. 13. This pigeon …
To P. H. Gosse 28 September [1856]
Summary
Thanks PHG for information about the bald-pate pigeon.
Will write to Richard Hill.
Can PHG remember any facts relevant to transport of animals and plants to distant islands?
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Philip Henry Gosse |
Date: | 28 Sept 1856 |
Classmark: | The British Library (Charnwood Autographs Vol. IV Add MS 70951: 316) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1962 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … from Richard Hill , 10 January 1857 and 12 March 1857 . CD gave the results of his …
To C. J. F. Bunbury 21 April [1856]
Summary
CD writes on geographical distribution – "a grand game of chess with the world for a board".
Gives his hypothetical explanation why zoology of Cape [of Good Hope] is not so peculiar as its botany: it was once a group of islands – later united.
Tries hard to set forth the difficulties of his [species] theory.
Tells CJFB in confidence of his theory of the glacial epoch and its effect on plant distribution, such as identical species being found on summits of mountains in the tropics. Invites him to attack his "doctrine".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles James Fox Bunbury, 8th baronet |
Date: | 21 Apr [1856] |
Classmark: | Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds (Bunbury Family Papers E18/700/1/9/6) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1856 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Lowe 1856 . See letter from R. T. Lowe, 12 April 1856 . Richard Thomas Lowe was also at …
To E. W. V. Harcourt 24 June [1856]
Summary
Thanks EWVH for his offer but he is not likely to go to London soon to visit John Leadbeater, the bird dealer; he could take a rock pigeon for comparison, but other skins he would have compare at the British Museum.
Would be obliged if EWVH could investigate domestic species in Egypt, especially a type of dog depicted in ancient monuments; and he is particularly interested in tumbler pigeons.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Edward William Vernon Harcourt |
Date: | 24 June [1856] |
Classmark: | Bodleian Libraries, Oxford (MS. Harcourt dep. adds. 346, fols. 255–7) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1909F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Supplement, letter to E. W. V. Harcourt, 12 June [1856] ). CD cited Josiah Clark Nott and …
To John Thompson 26 November [1856]
Summary
Thanks for promise of rabbit carcase and for information about rabbit at Zoological Society’s Garden.
Requests correspondent to ask Mr Vivian for carcase of an old "Creve-coeur" cock. CD has found that the skull in this breed is modified to support its comb.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Thompson |
Date: | 26 Nov [1856] |
Classmark: | Cambridge University Library Add 4251: 337 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2001 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … dated 22 January 1857, recording a payment of 12 s . 6 d . to ‘Thompson’ for a silver grey …
To W. D. Fox 15 March [1856]
Summary
Believes WDF’s case of mongrel Scotch deerhound is very valuable for him.
Mentions his work on pigeons and chickens.
Fears sometimes he will break down: "My subject gets bigger and bigger".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
Date: | 15 Mar [1856] |
Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 97) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1843 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … and poultry. See letter to Samuel Birch, [12 March 1856] . The alula is the ‘bastard-wing’ …
To M. J. Berkeley 29 February [1856]
Summary
Preparing paper on seed-soaking for Linnean Society ["Action of sea-water on seeds", Collected papers 1: 264–73]. Wants to use MJB’s results. Lost ardour when he found seeds would not float.
Has grown MJB’s purest pea seeds and got a few variants. Gärtner’s experiments suggest direct action of pollen, but CD thinks it is "mere variation".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Miles Joseph Berkeley |
Date: | 29 Feb [1856] |
Classmark: | Shropshire Archives (SA 6001/134/45) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1834 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … pollinated by visiting insects. See also n. 12, below. Pierre Philippe André Lévêque de …
To W. D. Fox 8 [June 1856]
Summary
The responses to his queries on domestic variations are coming in from all over; believes he will make an interesting collection. At present concerned with rabbits and ducks.
Has told Lyell of his views on species and CL urges CD to publish a preliminary essay. Has begun to work on it, with fear and trembling at its inadequacies.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
Date: | 8 [June 1856] |
Classmark: | University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections (Pearce/Darwin Fox collection RBSC-ARC-1721-1-10) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1895 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … information also appears in Origin , p. 12, but without attribution. A reference to James …
To Leonard Horner [1856–7]
Summary
Thanks LH for memorandum [missing] by K. R. Lepsius.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Leonard Horner |
Date: | [1856–7] |
Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2618 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … ausgeführten wissenschaftlichen Expedition. 12 vols. Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung. …
To T. H. Huxley 9 December [1856]
Summary
Grateful for Siebold’s wonderful facts [C. T. E. von Siebold, On a true parthenogenesis in moths and bees (1856), trans. by W. S. Dallas (1857)].
Vitality of spermatozoa.
Hybridisation of bees. Bees are in one respect his greatest theoretical difficulty.
CD still convinced about the relation of cement receptacles and ovarian tubes [in Crustacea].
Birth of C. W. Darwin.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Date: | 9 Dec [1856] |
Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 42, 374) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2017 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … natural history. Medical Times & Gazette n.s. 12: 429–32, 481–4, 507–11, 563–7, 618–23; …
To W. D. Fox 3 January [1856]
Summary
Thanks WDF for his help and reports on progress in "the Cock and Hen line of business". Has written to every quarter of the world for skins of poultry and pigeons.
As for seeds, Hooker and Bentham obstinately refuse to believe they can live even a few years in the ground.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
Date: | 3 Jan [1856] |
Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 86) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1815 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … I congratulate & condole with you on your 12 th child: in my own case, I sh d . have …
To S. P. Woodward [after 4 June 1856]
Summary
Queries from CD on the distribution of molluscan genera referring to SPW’s Manual of the Mollusca [pt 3 (1856)], with SPW’s answers.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Samuel Pickworth Woodward |
Date: | [after 4 June 1856] |
Classmark: | DAR 72: 59–61 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1890 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Augustus Addison. 1852–6. Mollusca & shells. Vol. 12 and atlas of United States Exploring …
To J. D. Hooker 8 April [1856]
Summary
Mustering support at Royal Society Council for John Lindley’s Copley Medal. CD thinks Albany Hancock deserves a Royal Medal.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 8 Apr [1856] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 160 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1851 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … wife. — Our carriage & a Fly shall be ready at 12 o . 15’ at Croydon on the 22 d . : I am …
To James Dwight Dana 21 December [1856]
Summary
Thanks for sending paper on geological development (Dana 1856). Discusses infertility of species. Discusses first part of Asa Gray’s paper (A. Gray 1856–7). Thanks for note on the Cave Rat. Discusses a new species of fossil cirripede, in the genus Chthamalus. Explains his interest in pigeon breeding.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | James Dwight Dana |
Date: | 21 Dec [1856] |
Classmark: | Catherine Barnes (dealer) (2003) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2020F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … see Correspondence vol. 6, letter to Asa Gray, 12 October [1856] . CD’s annotated copy of …
letter | (40) |
Berkeley, M. J. | (1) |
Birch, Samuel | (3) |
Bunbury, C. J. F. | (1) |
Dana, J. D. | (1) |
Darwin, G. H. | (1) |
Darwin, W. E. | (2) |
Fox, W. D. | (3) |
Gosse, P. H. | (2) |
Gray, Asa | (2) |
Gray, J. E. | (1) |
Harcourt, E. W. V. | (3) |
Higgins, John | (1) |
Hooker, J. D. | (3) |
Horner, Leonard | (1) |
Huxley, T. H. | (4) |
Lubbock, John | (4) |
Lyell, Charles | (1) |
Mantell, W. B. D. | (1) |
Phillips, John | (1) |
Sabine, Edward | (1) |
Stainton, H. T. | (1) |
Thompson, John | (1) |
Woodward, S. P. | (2) |
Darwin, C. R. | (40) |
Huxley, T. H. | (4) |
Lubbock, John | (4) |
Birch, Samuel | (3) |
Fox, W. D. | (3) |
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
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
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…
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
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…