From W. E. Darwin [1 August 1862]
Summary
Suggests sending plant specimens. Asks about visit of Emma and the boys.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [1 Aug 1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 13) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3585G |
Matches: 5 hits
- … collecting plants (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from W. E. Darwin, 1 August 1862 ). …
- … until 2 August (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from G. H. Darwin, [after 5 August …
- … middle-pistilled’ (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from W. E. Darwin, 1 August 1862 ). …
- … 1 August 1862 and 2 August [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10). This letter is probably a …
- … incomplete letter from W. E. Darwin, 1 August 1862 ( Correspondence vol. 10). William’s …
From W. E. Darwin 8 July [1862]
Summary
WED reports on studying the pollen of grass and Valerian through his microscope.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 July [1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 3) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3644F |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 [July 1862] , which mentioned that CD …
- … scarlet fever ( Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 [July 1862] ). Emma …
- … microscope (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 [July 1862] ). William’s …
- … this letter and the letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 [July 1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10). See …
From W. E. Darwin 23 October [1862]
Summary
Sends observations on Lythrum. Reports bad health of Maud Atherley.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 23 Oct [1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 9) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3777F |
Matches: 4 hits
- … seriously ill (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from W. E. Darwin, 21 October [1862] ). …
- … next morning’ (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to John Lubbock, 23 October [1862] ). …
- … See Correspondence vol. 10, letter from W. E. Darwin, 21 October [1862] , in which he …
- … and the letter from W. E. Darwin, 21 October [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10). On 21 …
From W. E. Darwin 14 June [1862]
Summary
WED’s travel plans; an insect he has observed on Orchis maculata.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 June [1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3604F |
Matches: 4 hits
- … hinder sales (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to John Murray, 18 [June 1862] and n. 5). …
- … by registered post ( Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 13 [June 1862] ). …
- … for some time; see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from J. D. Hooker, [5 May 1862] , letter …
- … and the letter to W. E. Darwin, 13 [June 1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10). Emma Darwin and …
From W. E. Darwin [5 October 1862]
Summary
Has found Lythrum, and sends some. Wants to know what CD thinks of frog discussion between Sandars and James. Asks CD to send objects for microscope demonstration. Means to go see the London Exhibition again. Has finished reading Orley Farm and returns it.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [5 Oct 1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 6) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3789F |
From W. E. Darwin 12 February [1862]
Summary
Discusses his new microscope.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Feb [1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 1) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3443F |
Matches: 5 hits
- … in the year (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ). For …
- … Horace Darwin was experiencing fits (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. …
- … and the letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10). The London …
- … in his letter to William of 14 February [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10), CD suggested …
- … 10). On 11 February 1876, he was taken to see the London physician Edward Headland ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Possibly the letter …
From W. E. Darwin [2 November 1862]
Summary
Counted seeds by tens. Sends some.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [2 Nov 1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 10) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3362F |
From W. E. Darwin 9 October 1862
Summary
Discusses length of pistils, and measuring seeds and pods for botanical work.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 9 Oct 1862 |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 7) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3754F |
From W. E. Darwin 12 March [1863]
Summary
Discusses partnership in bank and whether Atherley would like to retire.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Mar [1863] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 14) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4035F |
From W. E. Darwin 11 October [1862]
Summary
Sends comments on Lythrum.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 11 Oct [1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 8) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3756F |
From W. E. Darwin 8 May [1866]
Summary
Describes the floral structure of broom, particularly the form of the varying anthers. Encloses drawings of anthers and pollen.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 May [1866] |
| Classmark: | DAR 76: B52, 66–72 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3144 |
Matches: 3 hits
- … see, for example, Correspondence vol. 10, letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ). …
- … William may refer to the letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c. 10 May 1866]. William had taken …
- … 10–12). See enclosures 2, 3, and 4. See enclosure 2. CD was interested in the sizes of pollen-grains from stamens of different lengths in plants that, unlike Cytisus scoparius , were heterostyled; William had previously sketched and measured pollen-grains from several of those species (see, for example, Correspondence vol. 12, letter …
From William Erasmus Darwin [15 March 1864]
Summary
Has drawn all three forms of primroses CD sent "with same result". Has found no pink variety with middle style.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [15 Mar 1864] |
| Classmark: | DAR 108: 85, 173–4 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4416 |
Matches: 2 hits
- … every year since 1861 (see, for example, Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. …
- … 10), and discussed it in ‘Dimorphic condition in Primula ’ , pp. 87–9 ( Collected papers 2: 54–6). The earlier sketches William made are probably those in DAR 108: 88, dated 12 March 1864. These are of pollen from short-styled and long-styled forms only, but tear-marks indicate that a sketch of a third form may have been removed. William labelled them ‘O. sinensis’, probably confusing the genus with the trimorphic Oxalis. No letter …
From W. E. Darwin [28 January 1880]
Summary
Thanks CD for giving money to the children. Is going to give money to Bessy, but not invest it until she is really rich. Returns Butler’s letter. Thinks Butler is looking for a grievance to write an article about.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [28 Jan 1880] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 80) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12440G |
From W. E. Darwin 13 [December 1878]
Summary
Surprised and delighted by Mr Rich’s bequest as it will greatly increase his income. Intends to leave money to the Royal Society to contribute to science. Houses in London are a good investment even in times that are nervous for bankers.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 13 [Dec 1878] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 69) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11790F |
From W. E. Darwin [30 April 1864]
Summary
[Outline sketches of pollen from long- and short-styled yellow cowslips and from red cowslip, magnified 350x.]
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [30 Apr 1864] |
| Classmark: | DAR 108: 84 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4478 |
From W. E. Darwin 17 and 20 May [1863]
Summary
Alarmed that CD did not see what WED saw in Corydalis lutea. Has found buckbean in the New Forest. Will get seeds of Corydalis claviculata.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 17 and 20 May 1863 |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 16) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4168F |
From W. E. Darwin [1 December 1866]
Summary
William asks what to do about a complication in settling Aunt Catherine’s estate.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [1 Dec 1866] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 25) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5021F |
Matches: 3 hits
- … Darwin, 10 November [1866] (this volume, Supplement). According to that letter, he planned …
- … 10 being entirely furnished from the trust money, which it was not, as you will see by his letter): …
- … 10 Cambridge Terrace, Regent’s Park, London, to William and George Howard Darwin on the understanding that they would sell them or convert them into money in order to pay for her funeral and a series of bequests to family, friends, and servants. The enclosed letter …
From W. E. Darwin [15 April 1868]
Summary
Gives details of the subjects on whom Langstaff made his observations on crying. Langstaff has not seen the platysma contract under chloroform.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [15 Apr 1868] |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 84 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6122 |
From W. E. Darwin [9? September 1862]
Summary
Asks for advice on where a local chemist can send his brother’s meteorological observations from Missouri.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [9? Sept 1862] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 5) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3674G |
From W. E. Darwin [16 January 1881]
Summary
Thanks CD for writing for papers to enter Geological Society. Will return Leslie Stephen’s letter. Has had a severe frost. Emma’s puppy died.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [16 Jan 1881] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 100) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13023F |
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…
Matches: 1 hits
- … My roommate at Harvard College was Tom Baum, now a Hollywood screenwriter. Tom’s full name is …
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: 1 hits
- … In 1865, the chief work on Charles Darwin’s mind was the writing of The variation of animals and …
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: 1 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
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: 1 hits
- … In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book …
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: 1 hits
- … The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom , published on 10 November …
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: 1 hits
- … Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants …
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: 1 hits
- … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began …
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: 1 hits
- … When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations …
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 1 hits
- … I cannot bear to think of the future The year 1876 started out sedately enough with …
Schools Gallery: Using Darwin’s letters in the classroom
Summary
English| History| Science English Pupils in Cumbria lead the way Year 9 English pupils at Ulverston Victoria High School spent several weeks studying Darwin’s letters, including comparing sections from Darwin’s ‘Voyage of the Beagle’ to letters…
Matches: 1 hits
- … English | History | Science English Pupils in Cumbria lead …
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: 1 hits
- … The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was …
Darwin's notes for his physician, 1865
Summary
On 20 May 1865, Emma Darwin recorded in her diary that John Chapman, a prominent London publisher who had studied medicine in London and Paris in the early 1840s, visited Down to consult with Darwin about his ill health. In 1863 Chapman started to treat…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On 20 May 1865, Emma Darwin recorded in her diary that John Chapman, a prominent London publisher …
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: 1 hits
- … There are summaries of all Darwin's letters from the year 1879 on this website. The full texts of …
Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Charles Darwin’s daughter Henrietta wrote the following journal entries in March and July 1871 in …
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: 1 hits
- … On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species , …
Was Darwin an ecologist?
Summary
One of the most fascinating aspects of Charles Darwin’s correspondence is the extent to which the experiments he performed at his home in Down, in the English county of Kent, seem to prefigure modern scientific work in ecology.
Matches: 1 hits
- … I gave two seeds to a confounded old cock, but his gizzard ground them up; at least I cd. not …
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
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: 1 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and …
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: 1 hits
- … ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little more I …
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: 1 hits
- … The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
