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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: 14 hits

… to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880 . Darwin became fully devoted to …
… my grandfather’s character is of much value to me’ ( letter to C. H. Tindal, 5 January 1880 ). …
… have influenced the whole Kingdom, & even the world’ ( letter from J. L. Chester, 3 March 1880 …
… of [William Alvey Darwin],’ George wrote on 28 May 1880 , ‘I … said you were anxious not to …
… delighted to find an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and …
… much powder & shot’ ( Correspondence vol. 27, letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 , and …
… new was published). Butler wrote to Darwin on 2 January 1880 for an explanation: ‘Among the …
… modified; but now I much regret that I did not do so’ ( letter to Samuel Butler, 3 January 1880 ). …
… and ‘decided on laying the matter before the public’ ( letter from Samuel Butler, 21 January 1880 …
… and uncertain about what to do. He drafted two versions of a letter to the Athen æum , sending …
… him & given him Darwinophobia? It is a horrid disease’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 February …
… to an elephant’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 9 December 1880 ). Again, Darwin felt compelled to …
… behave so differently.’ ( Letter to Asa Gray, 17 February 1880 .) But Gray had based his …
… agreed with Darwin’s ( letter from Asa Gray, 4 April 1880 ). Having finished the manuscript …

Movement in Plants

Summary

The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…

Matches: 26 hits

… The power of movement in plants , published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work …
… had considered combining the works in a single volume ( letter to J. V. Carus, 7 February 1875 ). …
… , a plant that exhibited all three types of movement ( letter from R. I. Lynch, [before 28 July …
… and illustrated Horace’s machine in a paper (F. Darwin 1880, pp. 449–55). Diagram …
… the woodblock using photography for scientific accuracy ( letter from J. D. Cooper, 13 December …
… lost colour, withered, and died within a couple of days ( letter from A. F. Batalin, 28 February …
… how their observations could have been so much at odds ( letter to Hugo de Vries 13 February 1879 …
… the botanist Gaetano Durando, to find plants and seeds ( letter to Francis Darwin, [4 February – 8 …
… only the regulator & not cause of movement ’. In the same letter, Darwin discussed terminology, …
… suggested by Darwin’s son William in February 1880, probably to replace Frank’s ‘Transversal …
… experiments and devised a new test, which he described in a letter to his mother, ‘ I did some …
… to translate the paper into German, and it appeared in 1880 (F. Darwin 1880b). In the same letter, …
… on holiday in the Lake District, Darwin received a long letter from De Vries detailing his latest …
… ’. Luckily, De Vries published two papers in 1879 and 1880 that Darwin was later able to refer to in …
… described as ‘little discs’ and ‘greenish bodies’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 29 October 1879 …
… of cotton that he had not been able to observe earlier ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 20 …
… weight of the seed ( letter from Asa Gray, 3 February 1880 ). The matter was finally settled by an …
… would be killed by frost ( letter from Asa Gray, 4 April 1880 ). Darwin agreed, ‘ It seems almost …
… of Plants’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 23 April [1880] ). Cooke replied, ‘ We are as much puzzled as …
… ’. The manuscript was sent off towards the end of May 1880 and Darwin then spent a fortnight at his …
… Alphonse de Candolle’s Phytographie (A. de Candolle 1880). In his letter of thanks for the book, …
… all plants from their earliest youth ’. By July 1880, Darwin was correcting the first sets …
… copies they should print ( letter to John Murray, 10 July 1880 ). Moreover, since he worried about …
… on the usual terms ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 15 July 1880 ). This was also preferable to Darwin, …
… or raising the price ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 20 July 1880 ). Darwin demurred, however, stating, …
… page numbers ( letter to Francis Darwin, 5 August [1880] ). Darwin was also very taken by Balfour …

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: 30 hits

… Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
… silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
… observations of cats’ instinctive behaviour. Letter 4258 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, …
… to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
… be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to …
… Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
… Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., …
… expression of emotion in her pet dog and birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. …
… is making similar observations for him. Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. …
… of a crying baby to Darwin's daughter, Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, …
… briefly on her ongoing observations of wormholes. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. …
… expression of emotion in dogs with Emma Darwin. Letter 8676 - Treat, M. to Darwin, …
… birds, insects or plants on Darwin’s behalf. Letter 8683 - Roberts, D. to …
… of an angry pig and her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, …
… that she make observations of her pet cats. Letter 8989 - Treat, M. to Darwin, [28 …
… on her experiments with fly-catching Drosera . Letter 9426 - Story …
… without the birds attacking the buds and flowers. Letter 9616 - Marshall, T. to …
… and her father of plants and insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin …
… specimens and bird observations from Calcutta. Letter 3634 - Darwin to Gray, A., [1 …
… “enthusiasm and indomitable patience”. Letter 4242 - Hildebrand, F. H. G. to Darwin …
… contained in “a little treatise”. Letter 4436 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [26-27 …
… he has moved one or two of them into his bedroom. Letter 5602 - Sutton, S. to …
… expression of emotion in chimpanzees and orangs. Letter 5705 - Haast, J. F. J. von …
… to show in his museum in Canterbury, New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to …
… to be attracted to dark spots on the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. …
… Letter 12389 - Johnson, M. to Darwin, [January 1880] Mary Johnson tells Darwin about her …
… 12745 - Darwin to Wedg wood, K. E. S., [8 October 1880] Darwin asks his niece, …
… 12760 - Wedgw ood, K. E. S. to Darwin, [15 October 1880] Darwin’s niece, Katherine …
… publication of The Movement of Plants in 1880 and his “assistance” is proudly …
… publication of The Movement of Plants in 1880 and his “assistance” is proudly …

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: 24 hits

… ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
… fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
… about new varieties of sugar cane produced by grafting. In 1880, Darwin had been sent details of …
… François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
… quite untirable & I am glad to shirk any extra labour’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 6 January …
… probably intending to test its effects on chlorophyll ( letter to Joseph Fayrer, 30 March 1882 ). …
… we know about the life of any one plant or animal!’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). He …
… of seeing the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). …
… find stooping over the microscope affects my heart’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). …
… sooner or later write differently about evolution’ ( letter to John Murray, 21 January 1882 ). The …
… leaves into their burrows ( Correspondence vol. 29, letter from J. F. Simpson, 8 November 1881 …
… on the summit, whence it rolls down the sides’ ( letter from J. F. Simpson, 7 January 1882 ). The …
… light on it, which would have pleased me greatly’ ( letter from J. H. Gilbert, 9 January 1882, …
… annelid seemed to have rather the best of the fight’ ( letter from G. F. Crawte, 11 March 1882 ). …
… by the American educator Emily Talbot (Talbot ed. 1882). His letter to Talbot written the previous …
… by the flippant witlings of the newspaper press’ ( letter from A. T. Rice, 4 February 1882 ). Rice …
… men, and their role as providers for the family. In his letter, he conceded that there was ‘some …
… of our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). …
… she be fairly judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January …
… he has allied himself to so dreadful a man, as Huxley’ ( letter to John Collier, 16 February 1882 …
… Would my actions be the same without my consciousness?’ ( letter from John Collier, 22 February …
… a solid scientific foundation cannot be overestimated’ ( letter to William Jenner, 20 March [1882] …
… to delight in his children’s accomplishments. In a letter to Anthony Rich, he shared several of his …
… to take a long trip to Jamaica ‘for complete rest’ ( letter to Anthony Rich, 4 February 1882 ). …

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: 23 hits

… earthworms . Selected letters Letter 1113 - Darwin to Whitby, M. …
… work are referenced throughout Variation . Letter 2395 - Darwin to Holland, …
… her identity is both anonymised and masculinised. Letter 3316 - Darwin to Nevill, D …
… Darwin’s Fertilisation of Orchids . Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., …
… being acknowledged publicly as a science critic. Letter 4370 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
… are identified only as “friends in Surrey”. Letter 4794 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [25 …
… Sir C. Lyell” or received from “Miss. B”. Letter 7060 - Wedgwood, F. J. to …
… was referenced in the final publication. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C …
… are not cited in Expression . Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., …
… description of a crying baby in Mary Barton. Letter 8321 - Darwin to …
… he would “feel the public humming” at him. Letter 7345 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, …
… lady, on whose accuracy I can implicitly rely”. Letter 8427 - Darwin to Litchfield H …
… of Henrietta’s considerable editorial input. Letter 8719 - Darwin to Treat, M., [1 …
… Letters relating to Earthworms Letter 7428 - Wedgwood, F. to Darwin, [4 …
… depth of furrows in an old field near his house. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R. to …
… activity in the fields of North Wales. Letter 8193 - Ruck, A. R. to Darwin, H …
… published discussion of earthworm activity . Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. …
… discussion of turf-based worm castings . Letter 7345 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, …
… lady, on whose accuracy I can implicitly rely”. Letter 11221 - Darwin to Darwin …
… are referenced in Vegetable Mould . Letter 12742 - Darwin, H. to Darwin, …
… "My son Horace" in Vegetable Mould . Letter 12745 - Darwin to …
… anonymously in Vegetable Mould . Letter 12760 - Wedgwood, K. E. S. to …
… but does not identify the workers in question. Letter 13037 - Darwin to Darwin, …

Religion

Summary

Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…

Matches: 24 hits

… of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
… everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
… nature, as he is in a “muddle” on this issue. Letter 3256 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
… shares a witty thought experiment about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
… He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
… of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
… of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
… of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
… about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
… there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
… need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
… with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
… that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
… and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
… “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
… man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
… most correct description of my state of mind”. Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, …
… as examples to illustrate his ideas on beauty. Letter 4752 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… discusses humming birds and orchids as examples. Letter 4939 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
… a long discussion on beauty in the natural world. Letter 4943 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
… beauty of flowers is solely to attract insects. Letter 5003f — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
… Beauty against the Duke of Argyll’s criticisms. Letter 5004 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
… of beauty being displayed in conspicuous parts. Letter 5060 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C. …
… Letter 12879 — Darwin, C. R. to Fegan, J. W. C., [Dec 1880 – Feb 1881] Darwin writes to J. W. …

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: 29 hits

… his publishers, he warned that it was ‘dry as dust’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 9 September 1879 ). …
… turned out, alas, very dull & has disappointed me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June …
… home again’, he fretted, just days before his departure ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26 …
… many blessings, was finding old age ‘a dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, 24 September 1879 ) …
… wrinkles one all over like a baked pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 …
… itself, or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and …
… office to complete Horace’s marriage settlement ( letter from W. M. Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). …
… but they were ‘as nice and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ) …
… on your life’s work, which is crowned with glory’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 9 February 1879 ). …
… to wish Darwin a ‘long and serene evening of life’. This letter crossed with one from Darwin, …
… the statement ‘In the beginning was carbon’ ( letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 ). …
… as the ‘organ of “uncultivated materialism”’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879 ]). …
… up the glory & would please Francis’, he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879 …
… wholly & shamefully ignorant of my grandfathers life’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 March 1879 …
… known philosopher and poet’ ( Correspondence vol. 1, letter from Francis Beaufort to Robert …
… these things with the when & the where, & the who—’ ( letter from V. H. Darwin, 28 May …
… paternal grandparents thought ‘perfect in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). …
… heard of him ‘constantly, & always with pride’ ( letter from Reginald Darwin, 29 March 1879 ). …
… essay might end up ‘interfering with each other’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879 ). Darwin …
… made such an introduction ‘almost indispensable’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 ). Darwin …
… everything into ridicule. He hates scientific men’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 May 1879 ). …
… must be ‘in some degree interesting to the public’ ( letter to Reginald Darwin, 10 April [1879] ). …
… ‘very tastefully and well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and …
… ‘more perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). …
… telling, and he regretted going beyond his ‘tether’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 …
… never again to be tempted out of his ‘proper work’ ( letter to James Paget, 14 July 1879 ). At …
… of the tips of radicles, the embryonic roots of seedlings ( letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879 …
… experienced obstacles from the start, as he reported in a letter of 29 May . Sachs had changed …
… survived the ordeal as his paper was published by Sachs in 1880. Family matters Before …

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: 23 hits

… that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
… persevered with his work on Variation until 20 July, his letter-writing dwindled considerably. The …
… from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] …
… ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863] …
… than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
… from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
… leap from that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
… out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
… book he wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
… I respect you, as my old honoured guide & master’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
… against stronger statements regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). …
… thinking, while Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In …
… change of species by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the …
… disaffected towards Lyell and his book. In a February letter to the Athenæum , a weekly review of …
… find great difficulty in answering Owen unaided ’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
… of so much of Lyell’s book being written by others’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
… is wretched to see men fighting so for a little fame’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1863] ). …
… overt act, and I shall watch for a fitting opportunity’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 5 [and 6] …
… God demented Owen, as a punishment for his crimes… ?’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] …
… Darwin’, a transitional form between reptiles and birds ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January …
… a significant gap had been filled in the fossil record ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 5 [and 6] January …
… continued to capture his and others’ attention ( see letter to J. D. Dana, 20 February [1863] , …
… or origin of species’, Darwin considered writing a letter to the Athenæum in response ( letter …

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: 17 hits

… feminine world of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., …
… an hour “with poor Mrs. Lyell sitting by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to …
… whose attractions are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 …
… her own steam and is a “first rate critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, …
… ornaments in the making of feminine works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 …
… the young, especially ladies, to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., …
… Anderson is “neither masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., …
… to him as a published science author, is a man. Letter 7314 - Kovalevsky, S. to Darwin, …
… Theoriae Functionum Ellipticarum , (1829). Letter 7329 - Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 …
… to prick up what little is left of them ears”. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, …
… almost out of a woman’s natural thinking”. Letter 8079 - Norton, S. R. to Darwin, [20 …
… but has not read the pamphlet herself. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, [16 May …
… narrative so not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
… which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 10746 – Darwin to Dicey, E. M., …
… inability to cope well with the sight of blood. Letter 12389 - Johnson, M. to Darwin, …
… to have entered the cave “since the flood”. Letter 13414 - Darwin to Harrison, L., [18 …
… and possess strong powers of patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 …

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: 27 hits

… his accusations in Unconscious memory in November 1880 and in an abusive letter about Darwin in …
… memory in Kosmos and sent Darwin a separate letter for publication in the Journal of Popular …
… publishers decided to print ‘500 more, making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ) …
… the animal learnt from its own individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). …
… whether observations of their behaviour were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] …
… about the sale of books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 …
… for more suggestions of such plants, especially annuals ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 21 March …
… supposed he would feel ‘less sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The …
… dead a work falls at this late period of the season’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 30 July 1881 ). …
… conversation with you’, a Swedish teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), …
… add, however little, to the general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). …
… regular ‘bread-winners’ ( Correspondence vol. 30, letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). …
… any future publication & to acknowledge any criticism’ ( letter to C. G. Semper, 19 July 1881 …
… view of the nature & capabilities of the Fuegians’ ( letter to W. P. Snow, 22 November 1881 ). …
… the kindly protection of the high priests of science’ ( letter from Francisco de Arruda Furtado, 29 …
… Nature , which he thought ‘an excellent Journal’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 4 July [1881] ). In …
… minds, without being in the least conscious of it’ ( letter to Alexander Agassiz, 5 May 1881 ). …
… this produced about the year 1840(?) on all our minds’ ( letter to John Lubbock, [18 September 1881 …
… big one’ and had ‘gone much out’ of his mind ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 June [1881] ). Feeling …
… than for originality’, and telling Hooker, ‘Your long letter has stirred many pleasant memories of …
… poured in so atrocious a manner on all physiologists’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 April 1881 ). …
… George Jesse and Frances Power Cobbe. Jesse, in a private letter, stated that Darwin must not have …
… Royal Commission for the regulation of vivisection, and a letter from Cobbe in The Times made …
… Cobbe’s claims. To Darwin’s relief, a second letter from Cobbe, published on 23 April, was answered …
… April , Darwin asked, ‘did you notice how in her second letter she altered what she quoted from her …
… Darwin, however, prevented Jesse from publishing a private letter he had written to him, explaining …
… his own and everyone else’s judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). …

Moral Nature

Summary

In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…

Matches: 11 hits

… save another. Letters Letter 7048 : Darwin, W. E., to Darwin, …
… but rather in a muddle on the whole subject" Letter 7645 : Morley, John to Darwin, …
… but 'in the air' from generation to generation." Letter 7685 : Darwin to …
… that man ever existed as a non-social animal." Letter 7691 , Morley, John, to …
… the moral sense, at a time when Paris is aflame". Letter 7145 : Darwin to Cobbe, F. …
… apes & savages at the moral sense of mankind." Letter 7149 : Cobbe, F. P. to …
… metaphysics & physics form one great philosophy?" Letter 7470 : Wedgwood, …
… which look with reverence or respect is shame." Letter 7537 : Darwin, C. R. to …
… dissatisfied with himself & regret his conduct." Letter 9377 : Darwin, C. R. to …
… the same so-called instinctive nature as before?" Letter 12610 : Preston, S. T. to …
… or random) is Self or Self-Interest." Letter 12615 : Darwin, C. R. to Preston, …

Controversy

Summary

The best-known controversies over Darwinian theory took place in public or in printed reviews. Many of these were highly polemical, presenting an over-simplified picture of the disputes. Letters, however, show that the responses to Darwin were extremely…

Matches: 23 hits

… him as a bitter enemy. Darwin and Sedgwick Letter 2525 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… of a spirit of bravado, but a want of respect. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
… of brotherly love and as his true-hearted friend. Letter 2555 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… classes of facts”. Darwin and Owen Letter 2526 — Owen, Richard to Darwin, C. …
… the nature of such influences as “heterodox”. Letter 2575 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… his book “the law of higgledy-piggledy”. Letter 2580 — Darwin, C. R. to Owen, Richard, …
… his views now depends on men eminent in science. Letter 2767 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
… prevail without such aggressive tactics. Letter 5500 — Darwin, C. R. to Haeckel, E. P. …
… reader to take the side of the attacked person. Letter 5533 — Haeckel, E. P. A. to …
… of the matter, a vigorous attack is essential. Letter 5544 — Darwin, C. R. to Haeckel, …
… political, and religious differences. Letter 2285 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 18 …
… MS, but Darwin will offer to send it to journal. Letter 2294 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… his views from anything Darwin wrote to him. Letter 2295 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… he does not feel this alters the justice of case. Letter 2299 — Hooker, J. D. & …
… reasons for arranging the joint presentation. Letter 2306 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
… is now planning a 30-page abstract for a journal. Letter 2337 — Wallace, A. R. to …
… paper public unaccompanied by his own views. Letter 6024 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, C. …
… of minute variations and sexual selection. Letter 6033 — Darwin, C. R. to Wallace, …
… George Darwin’s notes on Wallace’s argument. Letter 6045 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, C. …
… and form new species without being isolated. Letter 6058 — Darwin, C. R. to Wallace, A. …
… relating to sterility that they will never agree. Letter 6095 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… cannot be increased through natural selection. Letter 6104 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
… distribution [but see Wallace’s Island life (1880), p. 323]. …

What is an experiment?

Summary

Darwin is not usually regarded as an experimenter, but rather as an astute observer and a grand theorist. His early career seems to confirm this. He began with detailed note-taking, collecting and cataloguing on the Beagle, and edited a descriptive zoology…

Matches: 7 hits

… ‘all kinds of facts’ across a wide range of fields ( letter to W. D. Fox [25 January 1841] ). He …
… men, with a curb on make far the best observers’ ( letter to C. H. L. Woodd , 4 March 1850 ). He …
… speculation there is no good & original observation’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 December …
… of an engineer on his early experiments with Drosera ( letter to Edward Cresy, 12 December …
… ‘I have become very fond of little experiments’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [21 March 1857] ; …
… ‘all nature is perverse & will not do as I wish it’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 7 May [1855] ). But …
… at Science … & am never happy except when at work’ ( letter to J. M. Herbert, 25 December [1880 …

Darwin and the Church

Summary

The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…

Matches: 22 hits

… & I can see it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] …
… wrote to the contrary: ‘I am sorry to see in your last letter that you still look forward to the …
… near the British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] …
… it is a sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). …
… However, what remains is cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to …
… (a local charity), which he administered from 1848 to 1869 (letter to J. B. Innes, [8 May 1848] …
… he would make an excellent Guardian [of the Poor Fund]’ (letter to J. W. Lubbock, 28 March [1854] …
… club the use of his own lawn for its meetings (Moore 1985; letter to J. S. Henslow, 17 January …
… the family’s dog, Quiz, when he moved away from Down (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 December [1861] ) …
… was considered to be a cross between a cow and a red deer (letter from J. B. Innes, 7 December …
… ancestor. Please think of my request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed …
… and leaves Moses to take care of himself. Letter from J. B. Innes, 1 December 1878 …
… take care of the financial complications he left behind (letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June …
… seemed to have made off with the church’s organ fund (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 June [1868] ). So …
… by Horsman relating to the Down school and organ funds (letter to J. B. Innes, 13 January 1871 ). …
… Dissenters’ chapel, rather than the Down parish church (letter to J. B. Innes, 1 December 1868 ). …
… in the Parish, but preaches, I hear, very dull sermons’ (letter to J. B. Innes, 18 January [1871] …
… capital testimonials to his wife’s qualifications’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 5 June 1871 ). …
… support, and presented their answer to the School Committee (letter to Down School Board, [after …
… of letters to both men, vainly seeking to reconcile them (letter from John Lubbock, 5 April [1875] …
… During the reign of Ffinden, there is an interesting letter from Darwin to the evangelist J. W. C. …
… do not know that there is a drunkard left in the village’ (letter to J. W. C. Fegan, [December …

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	Life sciences	(1)
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	hothouse	(1)
	Human nature	(1)
	Darwin's controversies	(1)
	Natural selections: a longer read	(1)
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Darwin Correspondence Project

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