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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: 5 hits
- … continued: Darwin’s own works expanded on it, Thomas Henry Huxley gave lectures about it, and Henry …
- … & Nicotiana being partially sterile together. He failed. Huxley replied ( letter from T. H. …
- … The issue arose again when, through November and December, Huxley delivered a series of lectures to …
- … he is no common man This correspondence with Huxley made Darwin keener than ever to …
- … views on transmutation in a paper on the aye-aye. However, Huxley described the event, detailing how …
Henrietta Huxley
Summary
A colourful and insightful exchange occurred in 1865 in a light-hearted conversation between Darwin and Henrietta Huxley, the wife of Darwin’s friend and colleague, Thomas Henry Huxley. Like her husband, Henrietta was a close friend and great champion of…
Matches: 3 hits
- … Here, Henrietta makes reference to an 1860 debate between T. H. Huxley and the Bishop of Oxford in …
- … Though reports of the confrontation between the Bishop and Huxley were mixed at the time, the …
- … suggests that, while it evidently still loomed large in Huxley and Darwin’s imagination, it was at …
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: 19 hits
- … by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874] ). …
- … researcher Frederick William Henry Myers, and Thomas Henry Huxley, who sent a long report to Darwin …
- … Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin …
- … that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874] ). This …
- … allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). Back …
- … sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The …
- … and disease in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii; letters from T. N. Staley, 12 February 1874 and …
- … additions to Descent was an eight-page note written by Huxley with the aim of ending a dispute …
- … ape and human brains, he asked for a clarifying note from Huxley (Desmond and Moore 2004, pp. xxxv …
- … anatomists; and never mind where it goes’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 16 April 1874 ). The …
- … conciseness & clearness of your thought’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 20 April 1874 ). …
- … the spread of various mental and physical disorders (G. H. Darwin 1873b). In July 1874, an anonymous …
- … over the ‘scurrilous libel’ on his son ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [27 July 1874] ). George, …
- … accusation of [a] lying scoundrel’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 1 August [1874] ). He drafted a brief …
- … with Murray on the outcome ( enclosure to letter from G. H. Darwin, 6 [August] 1874 ): …
- … published views. In December, he sought advice from Huxley and Hooker, sending them a draft …
- … review ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 December 1874 ). Huxley stepped in, shunning Mivart at an …
- … of Hooker’s and Huxley’s representations ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1874] ). Huxley …
- … the offender & give him the cold shoulder’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 23 December 1874 ). He …
Reading my roommate’s illustrious ancestor: To T. H. Huxley, 10 June 1868
Summary
My roommate at Harvard College was Tom Baum, now a Hollywood screenwriter. Tom’s full name is Thomas Henle Baum, his middle name a reference to a German physician ancestor for whom the ‘Loop of Henle’ in the kidney had been named. Other than this iconic…
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
- … Charles Lyell, the respected geologist, and Thomas Henry Huxley, the zoologist and anatomist. Lyell …
- … a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] . When Huxley’s book described the detailed …
- … views of human dignity and intelligence, exclaiming to Huxley: ‘I declare I never in my life read …
- … circles following the publication of Lyell’s and Huxley’s books. Three years earlier Darwin …
- … earlier in the century. Lyell’s Antiquity of man and Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in …
- … would sway many towards a new way of thinking, while Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see …
- … Antiquity of man of the ongoing debate between Owen, Huxley, and others concerning the comparative …
- … is’, Hooker wrote to Darwin, ‘I suppose it is virtually Huxley’s writing, & that L. will find …
- … on this subject seems to get rarer & rarer’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 18 April [1863] ), …
- … for the Natural History Review ( see letter to H. W. Bates, 12 January [1863] ). Darwin added …
- … [9 May 1863] ). The others listed were himself, Hooker, Huxley, Alfred Russel Wallace, and John …
- … to J. D. Hooker, [9 May 1863] , and memorandum from G. H. Darwin, [before 11 May 1863]) . …
- … Another criticism that continued to exercise Darwin was Huxley’s assertion, first made in his 1860 …
- … were either unable to cross or else formed sterile hybrids. Huxley made this point again in his six …
- … at the end of 1862, and published as a book in early 1863 (T. H. Huxley 1863a). Though Darwin was …
- … natural sterility of species, when crossed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 10 [January 1863] ). He …
- … man’s place in nature was published in February 1863, Huxley again argued that natural selection …
- … species could be produced by selective breeding. Huxley’s criticism provided additional …
- … both self-pollination and cross-pollination ( letter to P. H. Gosse, 2 June [1863] ). The …
- … and Lyell’s Antiquity of man ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 25 February 1863 , and letter …
Scientific Practice
Summary
Specialism|Experiment|Microscopes|Collecting|Theory Letter writing is often seen as a part of scientific communication, rather than as integral to knowledge making. This section shows how correspondence could help to shape the practice of science, from…
Matches: 9 hits
- … contacts. His life-long friendship with Thomas Henry Huxley, for example, began with detailed …
- … & night.” Letter 1480 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. H., 23 Apr [1853] …
- … He hopes Agassiz was sounder on embryological stages than Huxley thinks. Letter 1592 — …
- … Letter 4895 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, J. F. T., 20 Sept [1865] Darwin thanks Müller for …
- … seems probable. Letter 5173 — Müller, J. F. T. to Darwin, C. R., 2 Aug 1866 Müller …
- … be dichogamous. Letter 5429 — Müller, J. F. T. to Darwin, C. R., 4 Mar 1867 Müller …
- … other species. Letter 5480 — Müller, J. F. T. to Darwin, C. R., 1 Apr 1867 Müller …
- … Letter 5551 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, J. F. T., 26 May [1867] Darwin thanks Müller for …
- … , and asks for references to cirripede descriptions by T. A. Conrad. …
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 13 hits
- … human race. In 1861, Lubbock joined Thomas Henry Huxley, Busk, and several other supporters …
- … in correspondence with Joseph Dalton Hooker, Asa Gray, and Huxley but he never spoke out publicly …
- … is by me. Evidently, he then showed the note to Huxley and asked for his opinion on the …
- … C. Lyell 1863c that were almost identical. He did not, as Huxley had suggested, send Lyell the text …
- … involvement is the fact that, although he corresponded with Huxley in June and July and had seen …
- … resolve the dispute. Lubbock continued to seek advice from Huxley, Hooker, and other X-club friends …
- … in person with Darwin. Lyell wrote to Darwin, Hooker, and Huxley and also showed the correspondence …
- … his preface 27 Hooker also encouraged Lyell to follow Huxley’s advice, and told Huxley, …
- … one deal with Lubbock’. 28 Lyell quickly agreed to Huxley’s proposal, although he decided to …
- … agreed to delete his own note. In his last letter to Huxley dealing with the affair, he revealed …
- … that the published version of the note had been toned down. Huxley told Hooker: ‘It was as much as I …
- … Hooker, vol. 14, doc. 183–4). 15. Letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 March 1865, in BL MSS ADD …
- … D. Hooker, [15 June 1865] . 25. Lubbock wrote to Huxley, ‘I should be quite satisfied …
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: 10 hits
- … some of those whose support he most wanted: Thomas Henry Huxley, William Benjamin Carpenter, and …
- … would have been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A chronological …
- … yet understand the concept of natural selection. Even Huxley, an avowed supporter, proved a …
- … inter se ,’ Darwin’s theory would remain unproven (T. H. Huxley 1860a). Darwin had long …
- … animal groups could give rise to new species, Darwin found Huxley’s lecture irritating and …
- … the geographical distribution of species ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 6 August 1860 ). But Baer …
- … earlier sessions, including the Thursday meeting at which Huxley and Owen ‘had a furious battle over …
- … ‘for half an hour’, ridiculing Darwin ‘badly & Huxley savagely’. Huxley rose in response and …
- … tried to answer the Bishop in such an assembly,’ he told Huxley; nonetheless he believed that ‘this …
- … his theory. ‘I can pretty plainly see’, he commented to Huxley on 2 December, ‘that if my view is …
Inheritance
Summary
It was crucial to Darwin’s theories of species change that naturally occurring variations could be inherited. But at the time when he wrote Origin, he had no explanation for how inheritance worked – it was just obvious that it did. Darwin’s attempt to…
Matches: 5 hits
- … for comment. They were not enthusiastic. Thomas Henry Huxley was worried that its speculative nature …
- … anticipation of our modern Theories—and that stupid ass, Huxley, prevented his publishing them” . . …
- … papers will I fear, make widely opposite remarks.' ( to T. H. Huxley, [17 July 1865] ). He …
- … he has read it twice & is not sure that he understands it. H. Spencer says the view is quite …
- … he shall wait, before he expresses his opinion. . . Old Sir H. Holland says he has read it twice …
St George Jackson Mivart
Summary
In the second half of 1874, Darwin’s peace was disturbed by an anonymous article in the Quarterly Review suggesting that his son George was opposed to the institution of marriage and in favour of ‘unrestrained licentiousness’. Darwin suspected, correctly,…
Matches: 17 hits
- … to liberty of marriage’ in the Contemporary Review (G. H. Darwin 1873b). In this article, George …
- … in the next issue of the Quarterly ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 29 July 1874 ). Darwin hastily …
- … Murray would be likely to wish to circulate ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 1 August [1874] ). Darwin …
- … he might be thought to endorse them ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 5 August 1874 ). He sent a second …
- … the form of an apology without actually apologising. Huxley intervenes In December, …
- … on George ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 December 1874 ). Huxley met Mivart at an evening meeting, …
- … Dec 20th 1874. Private & Confidential Dear Huxley. I thank you for your …
- … Science, Technology and Medicine Archives) Huxley did not share this letter with …
- … devoid of all the instincts of a gentleman’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 23 December 1874 ). …
- … was necessary to break off friendly relations between them. Huxley was consciously taking on the …
- … Deities do battle with the infernal powers.’ What Hooker, Huxley, and Darwin were proposing was that …
- … was not willing to reply. However, for men in Hooker’s, Huxley’s, and Darwin’s social position, it …
- … and the abuse of power. (Hooker was president and Huxley secretary of the Royal Society of London.) …
- … Dec. 24th 1874. Private & Confidential Dear Huxley, I thank you for your …
- … remaining | Your’s very faithfully | St Geo Mivart T. H. Huxley Esq Sec R.S. &c &c …
- … 1875, Mivart had still not made any further move, and Huxley had persuaded Hooker that it would be …
- … Royal Society, to act against Mivart, an ordinary fellow. Huxley himself was a secretary of the …
Forms of flowers
Summary
Darwin’s book The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, published in 1877, investigated the structural differences in the sexual organs of flowers of the same species. It drew on and expanded five articles Darwin had published on the…
Matches: 3 hits
- … of the same species would give rise to fertile progeny (T. H. Huxley 1860, pp.562-5). He later …
- … inter se) have ever been produced from a common stock’ (T. H. Huxley 1860, p. 198). In Origin , p …
- … on hybridity in the new edition of Origin . He encouraged Huxley to read it, noting, ‘ Asa Gray …
Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?
Summary
'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…
Matches: 9 hits
- … enclosed a copy of an article replying to Thomas Henry Huxley’s scathing review of Genesis of …
- … the theories of natural and sexual selection to bees (H. Müller 1872), and with his reply Darwin …
- … for myself it is dreadful doing nothing’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 October [1872] ). He was far …
- … by her husband, Richard Buckley Litchfield ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 13 May 1872 ). Delivery …
- … 'I know that I am half-killed myself’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 25 July 1872 ). A …
- … Charlton Bastian’s recent book on the origin of life (H. C. Bastian 1872; Wallace 1872d) left him …
- … muscles when attending women in labour ( letter from J. T. Rothrock, 25 November 1872 ); others …
- … ). Plants that move and eat `Now, pray don’t run off on some other track till you have …
- … 23 December 1872, CD note ), and he exclaimed to Thomas Huxley that he would like a society formed, …
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: 12 hits
- … her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). …
- … letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). Thomas Henry Huxley marvelled that Darwin had been …
- … th . ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). Asa Gray …
- … Mivart. An expert on primates and a former protegé of Huxley’s, Mivart had written several articles …
- … Agassiz, Abraham Dee Bartlett, Albert Günther, George Busk, T. H. Huxley, Osbert Salvin, and William …
- … , published the following year. Darwin was also pleased that Huxley took up the defence in an …
- … and misquoting of both Darwin and Catholic theology (T. H. Huxley 1871). Huxley judged Mivart to be …
- … ‘accursed Popery and fear for his soul’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley and H. A. Huxley, 20 September …
- … who was ‘as good as twice refined gold’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 September [1871] ). …
- … up to the last with quinine & sherry’ ( letter from H. E. Litchfield to Charles and Emma Darwin …
- … from Napoleon de la Fleurière, 8 April [1871] ); while Huxley looked forward two thousand years, …
- … themselves with the reflection that ‘Truth doesn’t die’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 28 September …
Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 5 hits
- … 1 February 1880 ). Even the great controversialist Thomas Huxley recommended silence: ‘take no …
- … to Emma Darwin, 2 September 1880 ). In April, Thomas Huxley had delivered an address at the Royal …
- … claim is not that he is in need, so much as that he can’t find employment’ ( Correspondence vol. …
- … In October, Darwin had discussions with John Lubbock and Huxley and was encouraged about Wallace’s …
- … be a very great relief to me and if such men as Darwin & Huxley think I may accept it I …
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: 11 hits
- … would no doubt do if we had proper data to go by, but don’t think we have got that yet’ ( letter …
- … to see Thomson’s work challenged by both Thomas Henry Huxley and Wallace. He confided to Huxley, ‘I …
- … been less deferential towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869] ). …
- … and fossil discoveries in Patagonia and Wales ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 May 1869 , letter …
- … part at Darwin’s most outspoken British supporter, Thomas Huxley, whose address ‘The physical basis …
- … “punctum saliens” of the whole meeting was decidedly Huxley’s answer to D r M c Cann. He …
- … man’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 7 September 1869 ). Huxley playfully groused that as usual …
- … greater fools of themselves than they did’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 28 September 1869 ). …
- … into which … I do not care to follow him’ ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 9 October 1869 ). Farrer …
- … Freedom and Will and High Design—’ (letter from T. H. Farrer, 13 October 1869). …
- … to set foot on summit of a mountain.—’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 9 July [1869] ). Earlier …
The "wicked book": Origin at 157
Summary
Origin is 157 years old. (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 November 1859. To celebrate we have uploaded hundreds of new images of letters, bringing the total number you can look at here to over 9000 representing more than…
Matches: 1 hits
- … to Darwin’s. Others, like Hugh Falconer , couldn't wait to buy 'the wicked book' …
Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments
Summary
The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…
Matches: 16 hits
- … intended for publication in Variation , to Thomas Henry Huxley for evaluation, and persuaded his …
- … the improvement to Jones’s diet ( see letter to T. H. Huxley, 4 October [1865] ). It was not until …
- … of species; for if he is correct, we certainly have what Huxley calls new physiological species …
- … health had been particularly bad, Darwin sent Thomas Henry Huxley a fair copy of a manuscript in …
- … hypothesis of pangenesis’, as it later became, to Huxley’s judgment with some trepidation. ‘It is a …
- … can hang on it a good many groups of facts.’ ( Letter to T. H. Huxley, 27 May [1865] .) The …
- … to Darwin of this hypothesis is obvious from his letter to Huxley, despite his apparent modesty, and …
- … was to all appearances his usual method of working. He asked Huxley not for detailed criticism, but …
- … from Darwin’s letter to him of 12 July [1865] . Huxley had evidently pointed out some similarity …
- … just & I will try to persuade myself not to publish.’ Huxley swiftly qualified what Darwin had …
- … anticipation of our modern Theories—and that stupid ass, Huxley, prevented his publishing them”… I …
- … of the only clue at present accessible—and don’t give the Philistines more chances of blaspheming …
- … humans (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from J. H. Balfour, 14 January 1862 ). According …
- … work of reconciliation seems in the end to have been done by Huxley. In fact, Darwin’s immediate …
- … a trying year. In January he had influenza ( letter from F. H. Hooker, [27 January 1865] ); before …
- … on the affair, to her mother, ends, ‘I wish people weren’t so foolish’;. In November, Darwin and …
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: 6 hits
- … codes of conduct and communication in scientific society. Huxley chose journalism, depicting the …
- … Instead of supporting her, he worked closely with Huxley and John Burdon Sanderson to draft an …
- … appoint a Royal Commission to advise on future legislation. Huxley served on the commission, which …
- … , p. 183). Darwin learned of Klein’s testimony from Huxley on 30 October 1875 : ‘I declare to you …
- … at what you say about Klein,’ Darwin replied to Huxley on 1 November . ‘I am very glad he is a …
- … career, having studied under George Rolleston at Oxford and Huxley at South Kensington, with …
The full edition is now online!
Summary
For nearly fifty years successive teams of researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have been working to track down all surviving letters written by or to Charles Darwin, research their content, and publish the complete texts. The thirtieth and final…
What did Darwin believe?
Summary
What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of his theory of evolution for religious faith? These questions were asked again and again in the years following the publication of Origin of species (1859). They are…
Matches: 13 hits
- … ongoing discussion and mutual concern for many years. Huxley, Wallace, and Haeckel The …
- … be asserted by one of Darwin’s leading proponents, Thomas Huxley. We can see Huxley pleading his …
- … … the first fashionable view. Letter from T. H. Huxley to H. A. Heathorn, October 1847. …
- … Kingsley, who had written to him following the death of Huxley’s first son, Noel, aged 5. Kingsley …
- … many years. ‘The most sacred act of a man’s life,’ Huxley wrote, ‘is to say and to feel, “I believe …
- … and follow the facts without rest or regard for risk.’ Huxley compared this to ‘the Christian …
- … so honest and fair the candid expression of his doubts.” Huxley urged that Darwin’s readers adopt …
- … by unjustified belief.” In support of his claim, Huxley referred to the many passages in …
- … calling attention to the difficulties of his theory. Indeed, Huxley’s own style of debate, often …
- … scientific and social controversy, allowing others like Huxley, Wallace, and Haeckel to battle on …
- … no good, only causes pain. I feel sure that our good friend Huxley, though he has much influence, w …
- … of Charles Darwin (London: Collins). Barrett, Paul H. et al ed. 1987. Charles Darwin’s …
- … German zoologist. Heathorn, Henrietta. Married Thomas Huxley in 1855. Huxley, Thomas …
