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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: 27 hits

… At the start of 1869 , Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition …
… appeared at the end of 1866 and had told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘My work will have to stop a …
… that is something’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [22 January 1869 ] ). Much of the remainder of …
… material on emotional expression. Yet the scope of Darwin’s interests remained extremely broad, and …
… plants, and earthworms, subjects that had exercised Darwin for decades, and that would continue to …
… Carl von Nägeli and perfectibility Darwin’s most substantial addition to Origin was a …
… a Swiss botanist and professor at Munich (Nägeli 1865). Darwin had considered Nägeli’s paper …
… principal engine of change in the development of species. Darwin correctly assessed Nägeli’s theory …
… in most morphological features (Nägeli 1865, p. 29). Darwin sent a manuscript of his response (now …
… to be the case’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January 1869 ). Hooker went straight to a crucial …
… are & must be morphological’. The comment highlights Darwin’s apparent confusion about Nägeli’s …
… ‘purely morphological’. The modern reader may well share Darwin’s uncertainty, but Nägeli evidently …
… now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869 ] , and …
… in distribution’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869 ] ). Darwin had argued ( Origin , pp. …
… formation’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869 ] ). Croll could not supply Darwin with an …
… have got that yet’ ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). Darwin did not directly …
… towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869 ] ). Towards Descent …
… ‘everlasting old Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 1 June [1869 ] ), he was able to return to work on …
… of information which I have sent prove of any service to M r . Darwin I can supply him with much …
… & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). More …
… and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869 ] ), and …
… an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
… species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February 1869 ). In a …
… genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March 1869 ). This …
… Sweetland Dallas’s edition of Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin (Dallas trans. 1869 ). The book, an …
… creation, if he is not completely staggered after reading y r essay’. The work received a …
… whole meeting was decidedly Huxley’s answer to D r M c Cann. He literally poured boiling oil …

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: 27 hits

… When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect …
… ease of distribution sometime in late 1867 or early 1868. Darwin went over his questions, refining …
… was the collection of observations on a global scale. Darwin was especially interested in peoples …
… cultural and conventional, or instinctive and universal. Darwin used his existing correspondence …
… and with the mouth a little drawn back at the corners?” Darwin’s questionnaire was an extension of …
… was also carefully devised so as to prevent the feelings of Darwin’s remote observers from colouring …
… and not the susceptibilities of a moral nature.” Darwin did not typically countenance such …
… the collection of information to its display in print. After Darwin received all of the replies to …
… except “yes” or “no.” “The same state of mind” Darwin would later assert in Expression of the …
… uniformity.” Table of Correspondence about Darwin’s Questionnaire (click on the letter …
… could available online ahead of schedule as part of the “Darwin and Human Nature” project, funded by …
… nodding vertically Blair, R.H. 11 July …
… Fuegians Brooke, C.A.J. 30 Nov 1870 …
… Dyaks Brooke, C.A.J. 30 April 1871 …
… Southampton, England letter to W.E. Darwin shrugging/pouting of …
… Crichton-Browne, James 19 May 1869 West Riding …
… Gray, Asa 9 May [1869 ] [Alexandria, Egypt] …
… Gray, Jane 9 May [1869 ] [Alexandria, Egypt] …
… Gray, Asa 8 & 9 May 1869 Florence, Italy (about …
… King, P.G. 25 Feb 1869 Sydney, Australia …
… Maudsley, Henry 20 May 1869 32 Queen Anne St. …
… Reade, Winwood W. 17 Jan 1869 Sierra Leone, Africa …
… Reade, Winwood W. 28 June [1869 ] Sierra Leone, …
… Reade, Winwood W. 26 Dec 1869 Sierra Leone, Africa …
… Reade, Winwood W. [c.8 or 9 Apr 1870] Accra, West …
… Scott, John 2 July 1869 Royal Botanic Gardens, …
… in Hottentots Smyth, R. Brough 13 Aug 1868 …

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: 27 hits

… the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells …
… on plants with two or three different forms of flowers, Darwin had focused on the anatomical and …
… of different forms of pollen. Although many plants that Darwin observed had flowers with adaptations …
… rates, growth, and constitutional vigour. Although Darwin was no stranger to long months and years …
… … is highly remarkable’ In September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist …
… several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, …
… ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin would confirm that this poppy shed its …
… access to flowers was only the tip of the iceberg. Darwin next focused on the California …
… conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s interest was piqued and he described …
… when self-fertilised, although fewer than crossed plants. Darwin sent some of these seeds to Müller, …
… [1868] ). Müller, in turn, sent seeds from his plants to Darwin and both men continued to …
… sometimes depends’ ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870, Darwin reported that he was …
… From a fairly early stage in his experimental programme, Darwin began to pay more attention to the …
… seeds of Ipomœa. I remember saying the contrary to you & M r Smith at Kew. But the result is …
… the sweet pea ( Lathyrus odoratus ), and in October 1867, Darwin wrote to James Moggridge to ask …
… of the year ( To J. T. Moggridge, 1 October [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the …
… simply did not exist in Britain. During a visit to Darwin in May 1866, Robert Caspary, a …
… by the former ( From Robert Caspary, 18 February 1868 ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both …
… was published on 30 January 1868. In April 1868, Darwin informed George Bentham, ‘I am …
… to elongate when the pollen touches the stigmatic surface. Darwin was able to discern that …
… plant sexual relations, Müller, who sent the publication to Darwin, reported that he was surprised …
… Müller ( To Fritz Müller, 28 November 1868 ). In March 1869 , Müller reported results of …
… pod were mutually sterile ( From Fritz Müller, 14 March 1869 ). ‘The case of the Abutilon sterile …
… of this plant sent by Müller ( To Fritz Müller, 18 July [1869 ] ). Darwin sent specimens of plants …
… I am already plagued by foreign Translators, Reviewers, &c.’ ( To John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). …
… the set of all my works, I would suggest 1,500’ ( To R. F. Cooke, 16 September 1876 ). In the …
… of hybrids, has not yet been produced’ ( From A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this …

Women’s scientific participation

Summary

Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…

Matches: 22 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
… peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
… in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] …
… Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L to Darwin, [8 & 9 May 1869 ] Jane Loring Gray, …
… Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [8 June 1867 - 72] Darwin …
… Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869 ] Darwin’s niece, Margaret, …
… Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870] …
… the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
… Letter 6815 - Scott, J. to Darwin, [2 July 1869 ] John Scott responds to Darwin’s …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
… Letter 8144 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [5 January 1872] Darwin asks his niece, …
… Lychnis diurna. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… lawn. Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. R., [24 February 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… garden ”. Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] …
… the future. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] Darwin …
… Letter 7858 - Darwin to Wa llace, A. R., [12 July 1871] Darwin tells Wallace that …
… - Darwin to Gunther, A. C. L. G., [21 September 1869 ] Darwin asks Gunther for “a great …

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: 24 hits

… Towards the end of 1862, Darwin resolved to build a small hothouse at Down House, for ‘experimental …
… hothouse early in 1863 marked something of a milestone in Darwin’s botanical work, since it greatly …
… vol. 5, letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 April [1855] ). Darwin became increasingly involved in …
… Though his greenhouse was probably heated to some extent, Darwin found himself on several occasions …
… make observations and even experiments on his behalf. Darwin’s decision to build a hothouse …
… Hooker, 12 [December 1862] and n. 13). Initially, Darwin purchased for this purpose a glass …
… of 24 December [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10) Darwin told Hooker: I have …
… Encyclopedia of gardening (Loudon 1835), a copy of which Darwin signed in 1841 (see the copy in …
… of heat’ (p. 1100). The latter was the sense in which Darwin used the word. The building of …
… accounts (Down House MS)). When it was completed, Darwin told Turnbull that without Horwood’s aid he …
… ). Even before work on the hothouse started, however, Darwin began making preparations to …
… plants’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January [1863] ). Darwin apparently refers to the catalogues …
… whom he had dealt over many years. In his letter to Hooker, Darwin mentioned that he hoped to be …
… (letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 January 1863] ). Darwin agreed to send Hooker his list of …
… (letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 January [1863] ). Darwin probably gave his list of plants to …
… [1863] ). On 20 February, the plants from Kew had arrived. Darwin was delighted, telling Hooker: ‘I …
… moss, peat, and charcoal (see the letter from Henrietta Emma Darwin to William Erasmus Darwin, [22 …
… (see letter from J. D. Hooker, [6 March 1863] ). Darwin derived enormous pleasure from his …
… continuing: ‘Do you not think you ought to be sent with M r Gower to the Police Court?’ (William …
… comprised two halves kept at different temperatures, and in 1869 Darwin told the botanist William …
… which he received in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). …
… The reference is to James Bateman, an orchid specialist (R. Desmond 1994). 17. Stylidium …
… C. hæmatostigma. …
… Cyanophyllum magnificum M r Low 29 | of Melastomaceæ …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 9 hits

… Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
… a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
… women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
… that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
… and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
… typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] …
… Letter 6551 - Becker, L. E . to Darwin, [13 January 1869] Becker tells Darwin that …
… Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. L. B., [8 November, 1869] Darwin writes to feminist …
… Letter 6551 - Becker, L. E . to Darwin, [13 January 1869] Suffragist and …

Dramatisation script

Summary

Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007

Matches: 25 hits

… Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig …
… as the creator of this dramatisation, and that of the Darwin Correspondence Project to be identified …
… correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring …
… Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin Actor 3 – In the dress of a modern day …
… Agassiz, Adam Sedgwick, A Friend of John Stuart Mill, Emma Darwin, Horace Darwin… and acts as a sort …
… the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the audience and …
… this, he sends out copies of his Review of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa …
… friends in England, copies of his ‘Review of the Life of Darwin’… pencilling the address so that it …
… Joseph D Hooker GRAY: 3 Charles Darwin… made his home on the border of the little …
… are kept in check by a constitutional weakness. DARWIN: A plain but comfortable brick …
… by every blessing except that of vigorous health… DARWIN: 4 My confounded stomach …
… pursuits and the simplicity of his character. DARWIN: 5 I am allowed to work now …
… own house, where he was the most charming of hosts. DARWIN: 6 My life goes on …
… being a part of [an unpublished] manuscript. Darwin settles down to write. His tone is …
… THE CONCURRENCE OF BOTANISTS: 1855 In which Darwin initiates a long-running correspondence …
… gossip about difficult colleagues (Agassiz). Gray realizes Darwin is not revealing all of his …
… man, more formally attired and lighter on his feet than Darwin. He has many more demands on his time …
… catches his attention. He opens the letter. DARWIN: 8 April 25 th 1855. My …
… filled up the paper you sent me as well as I could. DARWIN: 10 My dear Dr Gray. I …
… is condensed in that little sheet of note-paper! DARWIN: 11 My dear Hooker… What …
… surprising good. GRAY: 12 My dear Mr Darwin, I rejoice in furnishing facts to …
… of the sort to the advancement of science… DARWIN: 13 I hope… before [the] end of …
… paragraph, in which I quote and differ from you[r] 178 doctrine that each variation has been …
… ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROCEEDINGS XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 …
… 189 JANE LORING GRAY, LETTER TO HER SISTER, 1868 or 1869 190 C DARWIN TO A GRAY 8 MARCH …

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 23 hits

… The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the …
… in relation to Sex’. Always precise in his accounting, Darwin reckoned that he had started writing …
… gathered on each of these topics was far more extensive than Darwin had anticipated. As a result, …
… and St George Jackson Mivart, and heated debates sparked by Darwin’s proposed election to the French …
… Finishing Descent; postponing Expression Darwin began receiving proofs of some of the …
… ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ). Darwin was still working hard on parts of the …
… style, the more grateful I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). She had …
… , the latter when she was just eighteen years of age. Darwin clearly expected her to make a …
… have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). Henrietta …
… so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February 1870] ). …
… philanthropist Frances Power Cobbe. At Cobbe’s suggestion, Darwin read some of Immanuel Kant’s …
… ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870?] ). Cobbe accused Darwin of smiling in his beard with …
… as animals: ears Despite Cobbe’s plea, most of Darwin’s scientific attention in 1870 was …
… fairy in Shakespeare’s A midsummer night’s dream. Darwin obtained a sketch of a human ear from …
… of a pointed tip projecting inward from the folded margin. Darwin, who had posed for the sculptor in …
… this volume, letter to Thomas Woolner, 10 March [1870] ). Darwin included Woolner’s sketch in …
… muscles A more troubling anatomical feature for Darwin was the platysma myoides, a band of …
… of fright’, and one of his photographs, later used by Darwin in Expression , showed a man whose …
… letter from James Crichton-Browne, 15 March 1870 ). Indeed, Darwin noted the same longitudinal …
… who sent a sketch of a baby’s brows ( letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [5 May 1870] ). He also wrote to …
… vol. 17, letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). His views were presented more fully in a …
… (in retrograde direction) naturalist’ (letter to A. R.Wallace, 26 January [1870]). …
… comparative anatomist through his work on primates. In July 1869 , Mivart published the first of a …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions

Summary

Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...

Matches: 1 hits

… Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive …

Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small

Summary

In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…

Matches: 26 hits

… In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
… for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
… of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
… Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
… to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
… working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
… contents, if immersed for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root …
… London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
… letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running interest in such …
… experiments had been conducted to lend support to Darwin’s theory of pangenesis (see …
… He was eager to write up the results on Brazilian cane, with Darwin providing a detailed outline: ‘I …
… at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. Darwin carried on with botanical work in …
… which are asymmetric, thus facilitating cross-fertilisation. Darwin’s aim, he said, was just to …
… 3 April 1882 ). Earthworms and evolution Darwin’s last book, Earthworms , had been …
… Appendix V). The conservative Quarterly Review , owned by Darwin’s publisher John Murray, carried …
… our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). Kennard …
… judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January 1882 ). …
… dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 March 1882] (DAR 210.3: 45)). …
… to some Estancia,’ wrote Hughes, ‘as the scenery &c. will amply repay your trouble’ ( letter …
… where he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… will be months before I am able to work’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [ c . 10 April 1864] ). To …
… he attracted many admirers in German-speaking countries. In 1869 , his birthday was celebrated by an …
… vol. 17, letter from F. M. Malven, 12 February [1869 ] ). An extract from Darwin’s reply to Malven …
… with his’ ( letter to F. M. Malven, [after 12 February 1869 ] ). Accompanying this extract was the …
… some of whom drew substantially on his theory. In 1869 , Hermann Müller (brother to Fritz) sent …
… theory to flowers and flower-visiting insects; H. Müller 1869 )). Darwin was full of admiration and …

Science: A Man’s World?

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…

Matches: 14 hits

… Discussion Questions | Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth …
… Letters Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, …
… of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., [20 January 1839] …
… theories, & accumulating facts in silence & solitude”. Darwin also comments that he has …
… sitting by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to Darwin, [6 September 1862] …
… are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] …
… critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [2 January 1864] Haeckel …
… works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 March 1864] Lydia Becker …
… to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., [20 November 1865] …
… masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., [8 November 1869 ] …
… , (1829). Letter 7329 - Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] Written …
… them ears”. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, [7 November 1871] Sarah …
… natural thinking”. Letter 8079 - Norton, S. R. to Darwin, [20 November 1871] …
… patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 January 1882] Darwin …

Race, Civilization, and Progress

Summary

Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…

Matches: 25 hits

… Letters | Selected Readings Darwin's first reflections on human progress were …
… human progress or cause degeneration. In the "Fuegians", Darwin thought he had witnessed …
… several years earlier as part of a missionary enterprise. Darwin was struck by the progress that had …
… been returned to their native land. After the voyage, Darwin began to question the …
… After the publication of Origin of Species , many of Darwin's supporters continued to …
… or extermination of other peoples and cultures. When Darwin wrote about the human races and …
… on human and animal behavior accumulated over three decades. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity …
… and beyond. Letters Darwin’s first observations of the peoples …
… Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow. Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., 11 April 1833 …
… Charles wrote to his sister, Emily Catherine Darwin, about witnessing slavery in the Portuguese …
… effect in the following year. Letter 206 : Darwin to Darwin, E. C., 22 May [– 14 July] …
… descent. Letter 4933 : Farrar, F. W. to Darwin, 6 November 1865 "so …
… this a very strong argument for the Polygenist?" Darwin asked the English settler …
… of replies from the South African native, Christian Gaika. Darwin was impressed by Gaika's …
… of civilization of the natives. Letter 5617 , Darwin to Weale, J. P. M., 27 August …
… civilization" Letter 5722 , Weale, J. P. M. to Darwin, [10 December 1867] …
… Just prior to the publication of Origin of Species , Darwin discussed his views on progress in a …
… structure. This remained a point of dispute between many of Darwin’s scientific supporters, …
… Alpheus Hyatt. In the last edition of Origin (1872), Darwin tried to clarify his position: &quot …
… , 6 th ed, p. 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] …
… " Letter 6728 : from Charles Lyell, 5 May 1869 "I feel that …
… Letter 6866 : From Federico Delpino, 22 August 1869 "Perhaps because of intellectual …
… William Graham. Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] I …
… in rank." Letter 4510 : Darwin to Wallace, A. R., 28 [May 1864] "Now …
… . New York: The Free Press, 1968. Robert J. C. Young, Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, …

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: 25 hits

… 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
… dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
… and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
… during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874] ). The death of a …
… from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to the self-assessment, ‘as for one …
… I feel very old & helpless The year started for Darwin with a week’s visit to …
… Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
… ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
… 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
… by George Henry Lewes and Marian Evans (George Eliot), but Darwin excused himself, finding it too …
… the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
… imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin agreed that it was ‘all imposture’ …
… stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his …
… the first three months of the year and, like many of Darwin’s enterprises in the 1870s, were family …
… 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 December [1873] ). Darwin himself had some trouble in …
… and letter to Charles Lyell, [13 January 1874] ). Darwin blamed his illness for the …
… . In his preface ( Coral reefs 2d ed., pp. v–vii), Darwin reasserted the priority of his work. …
… Descent was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though …
… on subsequent print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). …
… generous Darwin by his previous anonymous attacks ([Mivart] 1869 ; 1871c). In his review, Mivart …
… in a few hours dissolve the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. …
… whether at the ‘close of the putrefaction of flesh, skin &c, any substance is produced before …
… details of an Australian variety of sundew ( letter from T. C. Copland, 23 June 1874 ). …
… Sharpe for promotion at the British Museum ( letter to R. B. Sharpe, 24 November [1874] ). He …
… head that M r Spencer’s terms of equilibration &c always bother me & make everything less …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 27 hits

… The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his …
… book out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year was devoted …
… way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from …
… offered sharp criticism or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be …
… a bare-faced manner.”‘ The most lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the …
… taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped Darwin to clarify, and in some cases …
… year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin continued to investigate the …
… also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest daughter Henrietta was …
… during several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working fairly continuously …
… work on species theory in the late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material …
… to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing kinship with animals …
… he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his son Francis on 28 February …
… for a US edition had been in place since December 1869 , while German, Russian, French, and Dutch …
… letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After …
… man.’ Promoting the book As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable …
… (see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his …
… received a special acknowledgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had …
… ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
… 1871). The geologist William Boyd Dawkins remarked on Darwin’s books’ reception amongst ‘artisans …
… 23 February 1871 ). Thomas Henry Huxley marvelled that Darwin had been able to link the periodicity …
… and the heavy use of their arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 ). Samples …
… is a thing which I sh d feel very proud of, if anyone c d . say of me.’ After the publication …
… was achieved through ‘the medium of opinion, positive law &c’, and transmitted by culture, not …
… in the world except. laughing. crying grinning pouting &c. &c’, he wrote to Hooker on 21 …
… so giddy I can hardly sit up, so no more’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 4 August [1871] ). On 23 …
… annually on an acre of land at 16 tons (letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [20 November 1871] ). He also …
… ( letter to Asa Gray, 16 July [1871] , letter to S. R. S. Norton, 23 November [1871] ). …

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: 25 hits

… On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July …
… … of having grown older’. This portrait, the first of Darwin with his now famous beard, had been …
… 52 hours without vomiting!! In the same month, Darwin began to consult William Jenner, …
… prescribed a variety of antacids and purgatives, and limited Darwin’s fluid intake; this treatment …
… the dimorphic aquatic cut-grass Leersia . In May, Darwin finished his paper on Lythrum …
… he had set aside the previous summer. In October, Darwin let his friends know that on his …
… to the surgeon and naturalist Francis Trevelyan Buckland, Darwin described his symptoms in some …
… November and December were also marked by the award to Darwin of the Royal Society’s Copley Medal; …
… been unsuccessfully nominated the two previous years. As Darwin explained to his cousin William …
… it was conferred, brought a dramatic conclusion to the year. Darwin also wrote to Fox that he was …
… progress’ in Britain. Challenging convention Darwin’s concern about the acceptance of …
… vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] , Darwin wrote to Hooker: ‘The only approach to work …
… produce tendrils However, the queries that Darwin, describing himself as ‘a broken-down …
… tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). Darwin’s excitement about his …
… ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] ). When Darwin asked Oliver whether the tendrils of …
… for his teacherly tone, explaining that he had felt that Darwin had misunderstood some accepted …
… ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864] ). Though Darwin replied with his typical humility …
… habits of climbing plants’ (‘Climbing plants’), which Darwin submitted to the Linnean Society in …
… was often the case, he was interested in transitional forms. Darwin came to think, for example, that …
… and tendril-bearers. At the end of his paper, Darwin used species from the genus Lathyrus …
… the tendrils then revert to leaves, as in L. nissolia . Darwin wrote (‘Climbing plants’, p. 115): …
… on them. Nevertheless, his work in 1864 contributed to his 1869 paper focusing on the role of …
… 5 September 1864 ). Fritz Müeller sent his book, Für Darwin , and Darwin had it translated by a …
… but Lyell says when I read his discussion in the Elements [C. Lyell 1865] I shall recant for fifth …
… on intellectual & moral qualities’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …

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: 26 hits

… On 6 March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any …
… he ought to do what I am doing pester them with letters.’ Darwin was certainly true to his word. The …
… and sexual selection. In Origin , pp. 87–90, Darwin had briefly introduced the concept of …
… process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, Darwin claimed that sexual selection was ‘the …
… to the stridulation of crickets. At the same time, Darwin continued to collect material on …
… his immediate circle of friends and relations. In July 1868 Darwin was still anticipating that his …
… which was devoted to sexual selection in the animal kingdom. Darwin described his thirst for …
… in January 1868. A final delay caused by the indexing gave Darwin much vexation. ‘My book is …
… 1867 and had expected to complete it in a fortnight. But at Darwin’s request, he modified his …
… the text. This increased the amount of work substantially. Darwin asked Murray to intervene, …
… … though it would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from …
… blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). Darwin sympathised, replying on 14 January …
… as stone, if it were not quite mollified by your note’. Darwin enclosed a cheque to Dallas for £55 …
… it was by Gray himself, but Darwin corrected him: ‘D r Gray would strike me in the face, but not …
… . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] ). The review was …
… April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d C. Darwin M.d’; Binstead evidently assumed …
… I did not see this, or rather I saw it only obs[c]urely, & have kept only a few references.’ …
… as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] ). Francis …
… south of France to Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood on 9 Novembe r, describing sphinx moths that were …
… 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 …
… of her two-month old daughter Katherine ( letter from C. M. Hawkshaw to Emma Darwin, 9 February …
… paper was read before the Linnean Society on 4 February 1869 , but remained unpublished until it …
… rest mostly on faith, and on accumulation of adaptations, &c) … Of course I understand your …
… who wished to pay ‘his devotions at the shrine of D r . Darwin’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 …

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: 28 hits

… evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost …
… (1875) and Cross and self fertilisation (1876). Darwin’s son Francis became increasingly …
… career to become his father’s scientific secretary. Darwin had always relied on assistance from …
… Francis’s decision. A large portion of the letters Darwin received in 1873 were in response …
… the previous year. As was typical, readers wrote to Darwin personally to offer suggestions, …
… some of which were incorporated in a later edition. Darwin also contributed to discussions in the …
… Francis Galton’s work on inherited talent, which prompted Darwin to reflect on the traits and …
… Station at Naples. Plants that eat and feel? Darwin had resumed experiments on the …
… 12 January [1873] ). Drosera was the main focus of Darwin’s study of insectivorous plants, a …
… and alkaloids, and even electrical stimulation. On sending Darwin a specimen of the carnivorous …
… ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ). Darwin found that the glandular hairs on the …
… to bend inward, so that the plant closed like a fist. Darwin was fascinated by this transmission of …
… plants , p. 63). The plants secreted a viscid fluid, which Darwin suspected attracted insects by …
… ., p. 17). Through a series of painstaking experiments, Darwin determined that the secretions …
… botanist Mary Treat, who performed experiments suggested by Darwin on the North American species …
… . He began to perform experiments modelled on those of Darwin, feeding the plant egg and raw meat, …
… guide to animal experimentation that Klein had co-authored. Darwin contacted two of the Handbook …
… London, and director of the Brown Institution. Darwin sent an abstract of his preliminary …
… muscle and nerve tissue of animals. Burdon Sanderson visited Darwin at Down in July and was drawn …
… To test whether the plants had a nerve-like structure, Darwin suggested electrical experiments on …
… coil. He was so impressed by the results that he sent Darwin the news by telegraph in September, and …
… the Advancement of Science later that month. Finally, Darwin enlisted the chemist Edward …
… enzyme. Cross- and self-fertilisation Darwin’s other main focus of botanical …
… without instruction or previously acquired knowledge” (A. R. Wallace 1870, p. 204). Moggridge …
… line of research he had begun with Hereditary genius (1869 ), Galton tried to establish the …
… 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 personification of Natural Filosofy” ( letter from J. C. Costerus and N. D. Doedes, 18 March 1873 …

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: 27 hits

… At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
… markedly, reflecting a decline in his already weak health. Darwin then began punctuating letters …
… am languid & bedeviled … & hate everybody’. Although Darwin did continue his botanical …
… letter-writing dwindled considerably. The correspondence and Darwin’s scientific work diminished …
… of the water-cure. The treatment was not effective and Darwin remained ill for the rest of the year. …
… the correspondence from the year. These letters illustrate Darwin’s preoccupation with the …
… to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s species theory and on the problem …
… detailed anatomical similarities between humans and apes, Darwin was full of praise. He especially …
… in expressing any judgment on Species or origin of man’. Darwin’s concern about the popular …
… Lyell’s and Huxley’s books. Three years earlier Darwin had predicted that Lyell’s forthcoming …
… first half of 1863 focused attention even more closely on Darwin’s arguments for species change. …
… ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Darwin reiterated in a later letter that it …
… of creation, and the origin of species particularly, worried Darwin; he told Hooker that he had once …
… letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] ). Darwin did not relish telling Lyell of his …
… ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Nevertheless, Darwin’s regret was profound that the …
… the ‘brutes’, but added that he would bring many towards Darwin who would have rebelled against …
… from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, Darwin’s friend in the United States, …
… off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In May, Darwin responded to Gray that Lyell’s and …
… or Modification, ’. Faction fighting Darwin was not alone in feeling disaffected …
… in the subject. ‘The worst of it is’, Hooker wrote to Darwin, ‘I suppose it is virtually Huxley’s …
… that he had contributed to the proofs of human antiquity. Darwin and Hooker repeatedly exchanged …
… appeared in the Natural History Review in January, Darwin, who was already ill-disposed towards …
… January [1863] ). Archaeopteryx Falconer, Darwin, and others found an additional …
… of Owen’s ‘slip-shod and hasty account’ of the find, Darwin asked, ‘Has God demented Owen, as a …
… sentence from the second edition of Antiquity of man (C. Lyell 1863b, p. 469), published in …
… very slowly recovering, but am very weak’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [29 September? 1863] ). …
… Thomas’s Hospital, London ( letter from George Busk, [ c. 27 August 1863] ). Brinton, who …

6430_10256

Summary

From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hookerf1 25 October 1868Lund (Suède)25 Okt. 1868.Monsieur le Professeur! J’ai écrit à deux de mes amis qui ont des connaissances personnelles à la Lapponie, pour avoir les…

Matches: 9 hits

… attendant je preds la liberté de Vous avertir ou plutôt M r . Darwin par Vous, qu’il se trouve …
… que Vous avez la bonté de me recommender chez M r . Darwin pour avoir la sienne. Je me suis …
… and n. 10. f6 See Nilsson 1866–7. In Lubbock 1869, pp. 59–73, John Lubbock disagreed with …
… knowledge of Lapland, to obtain the information that M r . Darwin wanted about Reindeer Antlers …
… I shall take the liberty of advising you or rather M r . Darwin through you, that a description of …
… one can read, it seems to me, the major part of what M r . Darwin wants to know. f4 Regarding …
… famous Men of Science, the photographs of yourself and of M r . Darwin are still missing. In your …
… I hope that you will have the goodness to recommend me to M r . Darwin to obtain his. I have …
… and n. 10. f6 See Nilsson 1866–7. In Lubbock 1869, pp. 59–73, John Lubbock disagreed with …

	CCD intro	(8)
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