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Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…
Matches: 25 hits
- … , Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and …
- … from a family that the Darwins had befriended. The year 1877 was more than usually full of honours. …
- … of a very heavy shower’, William wrote on 24 August 1877 . ‘The leaves were not at all depressed; …
- … suspicion of ambitious gardeners ( letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 25 August 1877 ). At …
- … a delicate twig’ ( letter to R. I. Lynch, 14 September 1877 ). Research on movement would continue …
- … of some Infusoria’ ( letter from F. J. Cohn, 5 August 1877 ). Francis’s paper eventually appeared …
- … wrote to the editor, George Croom Robertson, on 27 April 1877 , ‘I hope that you will be so good …
- … had written to the editor Ernst Ludwig Krause on 30 June 1877 , ‘I have been much interested by …
- … the German debate (letters to W. E. Gladstone, 2 October 1877 and 25 October [1877] ). …
- … and lively’ ( letter from W. E. Gladstone, 23 October 1877 ). Gifts of German and Dutch …
- … Darwin and Ernst Haeckel). Writing to Darwin on 11 March 1877 , Krause declared the journal ‘an …
- … the director, Adriaan Anthoni van Bemmelen, on 12 February 1877 : ‘I suppose that every worker at …
- … of his 70th year. Darwin was in fact 68 on 12 February 1877. Distinguished guests and …
- … & smooth as butter’ ( letter to C. E. Norton, 16 March 1877 ). Hooker was asked repeatedly by …
- … & me to dejeuner!!!’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 14 June 1877 ). Darwin was staying in …
- … centuries to come’ ( letter from C. C. Graham, 30 January 1877 ). Graham then gave a lengthy …
- … man and of societies’ ( letter from Marcellin de Bonnal, [1877] ). A similar complaint came from …
- … by a duke!’ ( letter to J. M. Rodwell, 3 June 1877 ). Back home, he learned from his brother that …
- … order of the day’ ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 27 January [1877] ). Carlyle’s remarks were …
- … . In a letter from an unknown correspondent on 13 June 1877 , he was criticised for having quoted …
- … Siebold’s study of medical monstrosity ( letter from C. T. E. Siebold, 10 October 1877 ). An …
- … back our civilization’ ( letter from W. B. Bowles, 17 May 1877 ). Bowles proposed that such …
- … to the mark hereafter is another question’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 30 May [1877] ). In the end, …
- … between sagging of pavemts & castings’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 21 November [1877] ). It is …
- … the evening festivities held in his honour (Thomas Henry Huxley delivered a rousing speech at the …
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 …
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: 11 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 …
- … different forms of flowers on plants of the same species (1877). Plants that behave like …
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: 7 hits
- … of flowers on plants of the same species , published in 1877, investigated the structural …
- … 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 …
- … his papers on forms of flowers into a book. By January 1877, Darwin informed Hooker, ‘ …I am only …
- … illegitimate offspring of heterostyled plants. By late March 1877 Darwin told Carus that he was …
- … . He contacted his publisher John Murray in early April 1877, telling him, ‘ I wish the …
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: 6 hits
- … 1 February 1880 ). Even the great controversialist Thomas Huxley recommended silence: ‘take no …
- … the genus given by Gray in an article and textbook (A. Gray 1877 and A. Gray 1879, pp. 20–1). ‘I …
- … 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, 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: 7 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 …
- … were involved in the launch of Kosmos in April 1877. From Haeckel, Darwin received a copy of a …
- … career, having studied under George Rolleston at Oxford and Huxley at South Kensington, with …
All Darwin's letters from 1873 go online for the anniversary of Origin
Summary
To celebrate the 158th anniversary of the publication of Origin of species on 24 November, the full transcripts and footnotes of over 500 letters from and to Charles Darwin in 1873 are now available online. Read about Darwin's life in 1873 through his…
Matches: 2 hits
- … and self fertilisation (1876), and Forms of flowers (1877). When he jokingly mentioned his …
- … to an honoured & much loved brother. ( Letter to T. H. Huxley, 23 April 1873 ) …
Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest
Summary
The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…
Matches: 15 hits
- … easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had …
- … daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
- … vigour into scientific work, remarking to Fox, ‘I don’t believe in your theory of moderate mental …
- … submitted a preliminary sketch of pangenesis to Thomas Henry Huxley in 1865 (see Correspondence vol. …
- … hybridisers had been a subject of debate between Darwin and Huxley, who had asserted the importance …
- … Shortly after the new edition was published, Darwin wrote to Huxley, ‘do read the Chapt. on …
- … I think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
- … interview with Mogg’, she wrote in May, ‘He didn’t scold me at all about fusca & lutea & we …
- … come & pay a morning call but that most likely you wdn’t see him & he said he shd be …
- … It is rather horrible to have another self fertiliser, isn’t it?’), as well as the role that she and …
- … clearly admired parts of the book, but he expressed to Huxley and others certain reservations and …
- … weak in his Greek, is something dreadful’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
- … who was sympathetic to Darwin and had previously translated Huxley’s Man’s place in nature , was …
- … as a ‘thinking pump’: ‘I read aloud your simile of H. Spencer to a thinking pump, & it was …
- … prosecution on 2 November 1866. Spencer enclosed a letter by Huxley to the Pall Mall Gazette , …
Referencing women’s work
Summary
Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, but whether and how they were acknowledged in print involved complex considerations of social standing, professional standing, and personal preference.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Letter 11221 - Darwin to Darwin, H., [1 November 1877] Darwin asks his sons, …
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: 7 hits
- … of dimorphic and trimorphic plants’), and later in his 1877 book, The different forms of flowers on …
- … in the second edition of Orchids , published in 1877. These publications were partly inspired by …
- … about the matter was eased when his cause was taken up by Huxley, whose critical notice of Flourens …
- … its death blow’ with the publication of Origin (T. H. Huxley 1864a, p. 567). In 1864, …
- … had continued to grow following the 1863 publication of Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in …
- … volume on prehistoric humans to Darwin, and Hooker discussed Huxley’s heated dispute with officers …
- … had there been any failure of justice’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 4 November 1864 ). …
Species and varieties
Summary
On the origin of species by means of natural selection …so begins the title of Darwin’s most famous book, and the reader would rightly assume that such a thing as ‘species’ must therefore exist and be subject to description. But the title continues, …or…
Matches: 6 hits
- … varieties were so fluid that clearly defined species didn’t exist. The answer to the question is … …
- … yet all the genera have 1/2 a dozen synonyms’ ( letter to H. E. Strickland, [4 February 1849] ). …
- … sterility was a test of species was firmly held by Thomas Huxley, who argued that until Darwin could …
- … would not be ‘beyond the reach of all possible assault’ (T. H. Huxley 1863a, p. 147). In …
- … being able either to breed, or to produce fertile offspring. Huxley’s challenge to create two forms …
- … different forms of flowers on plants of the same species (1877) What Darwin discovered was that …
Suggested reading
Summary
Contemporary writing Anon., The English matron: A practical manual for young wives, (London, 1846). Anon., The English gentlewoman: A practical manual for young ladies on their entrance to society, (Third edition, London, 1846). Becker, L. E.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … ’, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine 55:327 (August, 1877), pp. 365 - 368. Waddy, F., …
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: 7 hits
- … He had begun a systematic study of plant movement in 1877, concentrating on the motion of leaves in …
- … from Francis Darwin, [22 June 1878] ). ‘Sachs doesn’t consider that there is any puzzle as to how …
- … he was unwell. ‘I was rather seedy last night & didn’t appear at the laboratory & this …
- … as fundamental to expertise. ‘It is funny’, he wrote to Huxley on 11 August , ‘the Academy having …
- … the German Association of Naturalists in September 1877, Darwin’s outspoken supporter Ernst Haeckel …
- … ill favour because however civilly I may word it a man can’t like to have his work torn to shreds …
- … months before the offer, Rich had consulted Thomas Henry Huxley about the prospect of making Darwin …
