To Asa Gray 20 April [1863]
Summary
Fears England and U. S. will drift into war; he and AG must "keep to Science".
Thanks for facts on Incas; regrets he has always avoided the case of man.
Has sent his Linum paper [Collected papers 2: 93–105].
Is it true that Ohio has legislated against marriage of cousins?
Can AG explain the invariable angles in phyllotaxy; are they the consequence of packing in the early bud?
Owen’s comments on heterogeny in the Athenæum [28 Mar 1863] have vexed W. B. Carpenter; CD has replied [Collected papers 2: 78–80].
Hopes AG will observe Gymnadenia; John Scott has been experimenting on its fertilisation.
Gives his observation on pollination of Cypripedium.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 20 Apr [1863] |
| Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (51) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4110 |
To Asa Gray 19 January [1863]
Summary
Comments on his own review of Bates’s butterfly paper [Collected papers 2: 87–92].
Thanks AG for information on Platanthera.
Has been wasting more time with Melastomataceae; can find no nectar in Monochaetum; is there any in Rhexia?
Hopes Lincoln’s "fiat against Slavery" will have some effect.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 19 Jan [1863] |
| Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (57) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3927 |
To Asa Gray 3 July [1860]
Summary
Origin has "stirred up the mud with a vengeance"; AG and three or four others have saved CD from annihilation and are responsible for the attention now given to the subject. Reports events at Oxford BAAS meeting.
New evidence supports AG’s view of a warm post-glacial period.
Discusses his recent orchid observations.
Poses AG a question on design in nature.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 3 July [1860] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (41) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2855 |
Matches: 2 hits
- … in caves near Palermo. See letter from Hugh Falconer, 9 July 1860 , and K. M. Lyell …
- … letter has not been found. He left England on 6 July 1860 for a tour in France, Belgium, and Germany. His purpose was to investigate the flint implements and fossils first discovered by Jacques Boucher de Crèvecoeur de Perthes. Before his departure, Lyell had discussed the possibility of a second post-glacial warm period with Hugh Falconer …
To Asa Gray 5 September [1857]
Summary
Encloses an abstract of his ideas on natural selection and the principle of divergence; the "means by which nature makes her species".
Discusses varieties and close species in large and small genera, finding some data from AG in conflict with his expectations.
Has been observing the action of bees in fertilising kidney beans and Lobelia.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 5 Sept [1857] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (48) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2136 |
To Asa Gray 11 November [1859]
Summary
Sends copy of Origin for comments.
Does not feel AG’s views of migration after the last glaciation explain distribution in U. S. as well as CD’s view of migration prior to glaciation.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 11 Nov [1859] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (17) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2520 |
To Asa Gray 31 May [1863]
Summary
AG’s review of Alphonse de Candolle’s paper [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 35 (1863): 430–44] is excellent.
Does not AG consider that orchids oppose Oswald Heer’s view that species arise suddenly by monstrosities?
Infers that AG cannot explain the angles of phyllotaxy; has been looking at Carl Nägeli on the subject.
Reports Gaston de Saporta’s belief that natural selection will ultimately triumph in France.
Is working slowly at Variation.
Reports his observations on the imperfect flowers of Viola and Oxalis.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 31 May [1863] |
| Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (84) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4196 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … letters to Asa Gray , 9 August [1862] and 6 November [1862] ). The reference is to Scudder 1862c , which discussed the structure and manner of pollination of the orchid Pogonia ophioglossoides . CD cited Scudder 1862c in Orchids 2d ed. , p. 86. Samuel Hubbard Scudder was Gray’s colleague at Harvard University. In reviewing Hugh Falconer’ …
To Asa Gray 2 January [1863]
Summary
Thanks AG for Cypripedium and Mitchella.
Plans to investigate pollination of Cypripedium.
Has finished Linum paper [Collected papers 2: 93–105].
Would welcome facts on "bud-variations".
Hears that Cinchona is dimorphic.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 2 Jan [1863] |
| Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (56) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3897 |
