Bad Request
Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand.
Apache Server at dcp-public.lib.cam.ac.uk Port 443
Search:
in keywords
79 Items
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
Matches: 17 hits
- … – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as …
- … quotes from the correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton …
- … read the words of the following: Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin …
- … day archivist, this actor uses the words of Jane Loring Gray, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Hugh Falconer, …
- … in which the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the …
- … are described by his widow Jane the final days of Professor Asa Gray, Harvard Botanist. A series of …
- … of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa Gray is in his late 70s. JANE …
- … secret and potentially incendiary ideas. A younger Asa Gray (now in his mid 40s) arrives in …
- … his University) and is much less his own man. A letter from England catches his attention …
- … 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably nice and kind letter Dr A. Gray has sent me in answer to my …
- … be of any the least use to you? If so I would copy it… His letter does strike me as most uncommonly …
- … on the geographical distribution of the US plants; and if my letter caused you to do this some year …
- … you might reasonably expect… Yours most sincerely Asa Gray. DARWIN: 16 My dear …
- … a brace of letters 25 I send enclosed [a letter for you from Asa Gray], received …
- … Atlantic. HOOKER: 28 Thanks for your letter and its enclosure from A. Gray which …
- … instructive to me. 42 Ever most cordially yours, Asa Gray Darwin, after a short …
- … run prevail. CERTAIN BENEFICIAL LINES: 1860 Asa Gray presents his argument of Creation …
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: 19 hits
- … but really I do think you have a good right to be so’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 and] 20 …
- … species. Darwin attempted to dissuade him from this view ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 14 [January 1862 …
- … partially sterile together. He failed. Huxley replied ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 January 1862 …
- … and pronounced them ‘simply perfect’, but continued ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 18 December [1862] ) …
- … resigned to their difference of opinion, but complained ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1862 …
- … letters, Darwin, impressed, gave him the commission ( see letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] …
- … protégé, telling Hooker: ‘he is no common man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ). …
- … Towards the end of the year, he wrote to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ): …
- … and assistance with experiments. In January, he wrote to Asa Gray thanking him for some ‘new cases …
- … had ‘different functions’. He continued to write to Gray throughout the year about his quest for …
- … hopeful, became increasingly frustrated, telling Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 March [1862] ) …
- … time on the problem: ‘the labour is great’, he told Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] ) …
- … may be said to be generically distinct’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 14 July [1862] ). The case was so …
- … seed. The case clearly excited Darwin, who exclaimed to Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, 9 August [1862] …
- … that had given him ‘great pleasure to ride’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 January [1862] ). But he …
- … of natural selection through the back door ( letter to Asa Gray, 23[–4] July [1862] ). Moreover, …
- … his opposition to the Origin ’ ( letter from Asa Gray, 2–3 July 1862 ). Henry Walter …
- … ). War abroad. Anxiety at home As usual, Asa Gray took care that Americans should know …
- … & genius you have for these researches’ ( letter from Asa Gray, 18 May 1862 ). In thanking …
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: 16 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] ). …
- … ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, Darwin’s friend in the United …
- … Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In May, Darwin …
- … and letter to Athenæum , 18 April [1863] ). He told Gray: ‘Under the cloak of a fling at …
- … Lyells amended verdict on the Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 20 April [1863] ). Darwin quoted a …
- … 1862 (see Correspondence vol. 10). He sent a copy to Asa Gray to review in an American journal, …
- … January [1863] and 31 January [1863] , and letter to Asa Gray, 31 May [1863] ). Asa Gray …
- … letter from Daniel Oliver, 17 February 1863 , letter to Asa Gray, 20 April [1863] , letter to …
- … was ‘enough to drive the quietest man mad’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). Hooker and Gray …
- … forms that he had started the previous year ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). The results …
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: 16 hits
- … September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist Asa Gray, ‘I have just begun a large …
- … the growth of the young plants is highly remarkable’ ( To Asa Gray, 10 September [1866] ). By …
- … 17 March [1867] ). He noted another factor in a letter to Gray, remarking, ‘I am going on with my …
- … visited by insects & so have been rarely crossed’ ( To Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). One of …
- … on cross and self-fertilised plants, as he explained to Gray, ‘I worked last summer hard at Drosera, …
- … the dogs till I finish with this & get it published’ ( To Asa Gray, 11 March [1873] ). …
- … [1873] ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly …
- … a new set of experiments for the summer, as he informed Gray when asking for seeds of Nesaea …
- … of Lythrum; for the fact seems to me all important.’ ( To Asa Gray, 30 May [1875] ). In earlier …
- … By August 1876, the book had gone to press and Darwin told Gray, ‘This will complete all that I …
- … Comes ( From Hermann Müller, 4 October 1876 ). Gray was impatient for a copy and asked for …
- … your judgment than for that of almost anyone else’ ( To Asa Gray, 28 October 1876 ). Gray …
- … written of, as being as faultless as your temper’ ( From Asa Gray, 12 November 1876 ). The …
- … A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this letter has been found, but Darwin had long …
- … 27 January 1877 ). Darwin was especially pleased with Gray’s review, and told him, ‘Your abstract …
- … given everything,—you have quite eviscerated it’ ( To Asa Gray, 18 February [1877] ). By mid-March …
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: 18 hits
- … learn that the book was on sale even in railway stations ( letter to Charles Lyell, 14 January …
- … out in the United States and in Germany, he expressed to Asa Gray his astonishment at the widespread …
- … the book, thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
- … he told Hooker, did not at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] …
- … his theory would have been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A …
- … from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
- … were inexplicable by the theory of creation. Asa Gray’s statement in his March review that natural …
- … a theory solely by explaining an ample lot of facts.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 18 February [1860] ). …
- … phenomena it comes in time to be admitted as real.’ ( letter to C. J. F. Bunbury, 9 February [1860] …
- … natural selection did not necessarily lead to progression ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [and 19 …
- … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
- … naturalists because more accustomed to reasoning.’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 18 May 1860 ). …
- … two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
- … perfected structure as the eye. As Darwin admitted to Lyell, Gray, and others, imagining how …
- … caused him greater discomfort. As he readily admitted to Gray: ‘The sight of a feather in a peacock …
- … change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). Only his …
- … in letters to his closest confidants Hooker, Lyell, and Gray. Initially he found it curious ‘how …
- … not thoroughly . . . I must be a very bad explainer.' Asa Gray and design in nature …
Six things Darwin never said – and one he did
Summary
Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly attributed to Darwin that never flowed from his pen.
Matches: 1 hits
- … Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly …
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: 10 hits
- … of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, taking as their point of …
- … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
- … for the attention now given to the subject. He poses Gray a question on design in nature, as he is …
- … 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. …
- … theist and evolutionist, giving the examples of Kingsley and Asa Gray. As regards his own views, his …
Jane Gray
Summary
Jane Loring Gray, the daughter of a Boston lawyer, married the Harvard botanist Asa Gray in 1848 and evidence suggests that she took an active interest in the scientific pursuits of her husband and his friends. Although she is only known to have…
Matches: 11 hits
- … Jane Loring Gray, the daughter of a Boston lawyer, married the Harvard botanist Asa Gray in 1848 and …
- … as Emma Darwin helped Charles with his correspondence, Jane Gray often acted as a secretary for her …
- … botanists such as George Bentham and Francis Boott. In one letter Bentham reported to her on the …
- … of ‘about 40 ladies and a few gentlemen’ (letter to Jane Gray from George Bentham, 10 March …
- … sending him observations about the behaviour of her dog (letter from J. L. Gray, 14 February 1870 …
- … and Animals (1872) Darwin thanked ‘Professor and Mrs. Asa Gray’ for attending to ‘some points in …
- … of Darwin’s current research preoccupations. In their letter to Darwin from Egypt, Jane Gray wrote: …
- … The other women only the up & down wrinkles— (letter from Asa Gray and J. L. Gray, 8 …
- … men: Pray give our very kind remembrances to Mrs. Gray. I know that she likes to hear men …
- … whilst I have won, hurrah, hurrah, 2795 games. (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ) …
- … boys and for the gift of pincushions sent back with them (letter from Emma Darwin to Jane Gray, 28 …
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: 22 hits
- … ‘my wife … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). …
- … quantity of work’ left in him for ‘new matter’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). The …
- … to a reprint of the second edition of Climbing plants ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 23 February …
- … & I for blundering’, he cheerfully observed to Carus. ( Letter to J. V. Carus, 24 April 1876. …
- … provided evidence for the ‘advantages of crossing’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). Revising …
- … year to write about his life ( Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, 20 …
- … nowadays is evolution and it is the correct one’ ( letter from Nemo, [1876?] ). …
- … him ‘basely’ and who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). …
- … disgrace’ of blackballing so distinguished a zoologist ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 29 January 1876 ) …
- … must have been cast by the ‘poorest curs in London’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [4 February …
- … her questions were ‘too silly to deserve an answer’ ( letter from S. B. Herrick, 12 February 1876 …
- … on Dionaea ‘to test the insect eating theory’ ( letter from Peter Henderson, 15 November 1876 …
- … sending Darwin small amendments to his results ( letter from Moritz Schiff, 8 May 1876 ). …
- … to get positive results in this year’s experiments’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [ c . 19 March …
- … in the Encyclopaedia Britannica the previous year ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [after 4 September …
- … and sympathised with his close friends Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray, whose situations often …
- … you suffer largely in the same way’, Darwin wrote to Gray on 28 January . On 14 November, Hooker …
- … my horrid bad style into intelligible English’, he told Asa Gray on 28 October . …
- … are not readable, & the 6 last very dull’, he warned Asa Gray on 28 October , when sending …
- … lively reading for one so poor at figures as I am’, Gray conceded on 12 November , although he …
- … compare size of pollen grains & state of stigma’, he told Gray on 4 December. Darwin also …
- … than the more widely used ‘heterostyle’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 20 December 1876 ). Darwin …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 11 hits
- … and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
- … the networks of others, such as Joseph Dalton Hooker and Asa Gray, who were at leading scientific …
- … in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
- … contact. His correspondence with Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray illustrates how close personal ties …
- … D. Hooker. The second is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray. Darwin and Hooker …
- … and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
- … to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … species to wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. …
- … and relationships of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … and their approach to information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D …
- … . Letter 4611 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 13 Sept [1864] Darwin sends abstract …
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: 21 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 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 …
- … of White. Letter 4433 - Wright, Charles to Gray, A., [20, 25, 26 March & 1 …
Darwin in letters, 1861: Gaining allies
Summary
The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. He had weathered the storm that followed the publication of Origin, and felt cautiously optimistic about the ultimate acceptance of his ideas. The letters from this year provide an…
Matches: 23 hits
- … with natural theology. He made arrangements with his friend Asa Gray to reprint and distribute in …
- … will do me & Natural Selection, right good service’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] …
- … III). However, Darwin himself remained unconvinced by Gray’s suggestion that providence may have …
- … ‘barometer’ of scientific opinion, Charles Lyell ( see letter to Charles Lyell, 20 July [1861] ). …
- … selection could not be ‘directly proved’ ( see second letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 [April 1861] ). …
- … was ‘the only one proper to such a subject’ ( letter from Henry Fawcett, 16 July [1861] ). Mill in …
- … or against some view if it is to be of any service!’ ( letter to Henry Fawcett, 18 September [1861] …
- … chapter on the imperfection of the geological record ( see letter to George Maw, 19 July [1861] ). …
- … he planned to report ‘at a favourable opportunity’ ( letter from Joseph Leidy, 4 March [1861] ). …
- … laboratory where Nature manufactures her new species’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 28 March [1861] ) …
- … study of natural history was evident. He told Darwin in his letter of [1 December] 1861: …
- … by insect enemies from which the other set is free’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 30 September 1861 ) …
- … be a ‘very valuable contribution to Nat. History.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 4 April [1861] ). He …
- … causes &c’, and ‘Monkeys,—our poor cousins.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 3 December [1861] ). …
- … a view to obtaining ‘large distribution’ for the work ( letter to H. W. Bates, 25 September [1861] …
- … him on producing ‘a complete and awful smasher’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). Ever …
- … but he and Owen would ‘never be friends again’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). …
- … fully believe a better man never walked this earth’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 [May 1861] ). …
- … intercrossing between distinct individuals. He told Gray that such cases could perhaps ‘throw some …
- … profoundly interesting’, Darwin told the Harvard botanist Asa Gray on 5 June, and added, despite the …
- … or heard a soul who is not with the North’. Darwin and Gray both unreservedly supported the northern …
- … views and sentiments are perfectly satisfactory to me’, Gray wrote to Darwin on 31 December. …
- … greatest curse on Earth Slavery abolished’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 5 June [1861] ): Some …
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: 24 hits
- … The death of Hugh Falconer Darwin’s first letter to Hooker of 1865 suggests that the family …
- … having all the Boys at home: they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
- … had failed to include among the grounds of the award ( see letter from Hugh Falconer to Erasmus …
- … his letters to Darwin, and Darwin responded warmly: ‘Your letter is by far the grandest eulogium …
- … may well rest content that I have not laboured in vain’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 6 January [1865] …
- … always a most kind friend to me. So the world goes.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 February [1865] …
- … for our griefs & pains: these alone are unalloyed’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 3 February 1865 …
- … gas.— Sic transit gloria mundi, with a vengeance’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 February [1865] ). …
- … added, ‘I know it is folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
- … ineffective, and Darwin had given it up by early July ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 July 1865] …
- … of anything, & that almost exclusively bread & meat’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 August [1865] …
- … better, attributing the improvement to Jones’s diet ( see letter to T. H. Huxley, 4 October [1865] …
- … he was ‘able to write about an hour on most days’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 22 December [1865] ). …
- … others very forward, except the last & concluding one’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 March [1865] …
- … my book will be ready for the press in the autumn’ ( letter to John Murray, 4 April [1865] ). In …
- … however, ‘I am never idle when I can do anything’ ( letter to John Murray, 2 June [1865] ). It was …
- … might be more willing to bear the expense of the woodcuts ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865 …
- … & I loathe the whole subject like tartar emetic’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 January [1865] ) …
- … on 2 February, and in April Darwin wrote to his friend Asa Gray, a botanist in the United States, …
- … you will be an unnatural parent, for it is your child’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 19 April 1865 ; …
- … needed for references, probably from the Linnean Society ( letter to [Richard Kippist], 4 June …
- … in or before November 1864 ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to Ernst Haeckel, 21 November [1864 …
- … 1865 that he had just finished hearing it read aloud ( letter to Fritz Müller, 10 August [1865] ). …
- … Benjamin Dann Walsh in the Midwestern United States, and Asa Gray wrote a long review of ‘Climbing …
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: 20 hits
- … be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
- … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
- … And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’ ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
- … inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
- … in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
- … that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
- … his, ‘& that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 …
- … Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). …
- … edition, published in 1842 ( Correspondence vol. 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 …
- … Hooker, and finally borrowed one from Charles Lyell ( letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 8 January …
- … to take so sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March …
- … sent an apology for misinterpreting Darwin on this point ( letter from J. D. Dana, 21 July 1874 ); …
- … numbers and sex ratios among the Pitcairn islanders ( letter from William Dealtry, 16 January 1874 …
- … ). the man-eating tree of Madagascar Asa Gray publicised Darwin’s work on …
- … it was a hoax till I came to the woman’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 June [1874] ). Response to …
- … F. S. B. François de Chaumont, 29 April 1874 ). Asa Gray forwarded a letter from the …
- … seen in bank with enormous tips to his ears ( letter from Asa Gray, 12 May 1874 ). The …
- … letter to J. N. Lockyer, 13 May [1874] ), and he wrote to Asa Gray, who provided the essay on him: …
- … bit insane, as we all are occasionally’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 5 June [1874] ). 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: 11 hits
- … produced seed capsules. He told the American botanist Asa Gray , ‘ If it should prove that the …
- … make 126 additional crosses!! ’ Nevertheless, on telling Gray about the need for this further work, …
- … often adapted for insect visitation. In his reply to Darwin, Gray unsurprisingly revealed, ‘ I know …
- … believe in my results. ’ Undeterred, Darwin reported to Gray at the beginning of August, ‘I have …
- … triple marriage between three hermaphrodite. ’ Gray replied, ‘ If your Lythrum -paper shall be …
- … , a species of lungwort also known as blue cowslip. He told Gray in October 1865 that with respect …
- … of Origin . He encouraged Huxley to read it, noting, ‘ Asa Gray & Fritz Müller (the latter …
- … in as many natural families as possible’, explaining to Gray that he had ‘ become convinced that …
- … (p. 82) and clarified the meaning to Fritz Müller in a letter in September 1866, ‘ What I meant in …
- … than in the short-styled form ’, Darwin annotated this letter, wondering, ‘Would it be worth while …
- … term heterostyly in preference to di- or trimorphism. Gray objected and suggested his own …
Variation under domestication
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment A fascination with domestication Throughout his working life, Darwin retained an interest in the history, techniques, practices, and processes of domestication. Artificial selection, as practiced by plant and…
Matches: 6 hits
- … Journal and Fancier’s Gazette , and his close friend Asa Gray , head of the botany program at …
- … under domestication") Letters Letter Packet: Variation under …
- … “for & versus” the immutability of species. Letter 1686 — Darwin to Fox, W.D., 23 …
- … show as much variation as their parents do. Letter 1788 — Darwin to Tegetmeier, W.B., …
- … any rare breeds that Tegetmeier could send him. Letter 1794 — Darwin to Layard, E.L., …
- … on the variation present in domestic species. Letter 1837 — Darwin to Thwaites, G.H.K …
Climbing Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment A monograph by which to work After the publication of On the Origin of Species, Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals in…
Matches: 9 hits
- … was led to take up this subject by reading a short paper by Asa Gray, published in 1858, on the …
- … of Climbing Plants , Chapter 1. Papers Gray, Asa. "Note on the Coiling of …
- … , Vol. 4 (May 1857-May 1860). Letters Letter Packet: Climbing movement in …
- … Darwin believed this was a wise course of action. Letter 8545 - Asa Gray to Charles …
- … for how the stimulus travels in the plant. The rest of the letter is filled with news of Gray’s trip …
- … publish with his old papers on climbing plants. Letter 8656 - Asa Gray to Charles …
- … of experimental information is exchanged between Darwin and Asa Gray? Do you think Darwin was …
- … seconds. Through this experiment the students, just like Asa Gray and Charles Darwin, were able to …
- … as described in the following excerpt from an 1863 letter he wrote to the English botanist J.D. …
Darwin in letters, 1867: A civilised dispute
Summary
Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Variation). The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly apparent in his work on expression in…
Matches: 23 hits
- … suppose abuse is as good as praise for selling a Book’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 January [1867] …
- … to the printer, but without the additional chapter. In a letter written on 8 February [1867] to …
- … books, Descent and Expression . In the same letter, Darwin revealed the conclusion to his …
- … variation of animals and plants under domestication . In a letter to his son William dated 27 …
- … of his brother’s embryological papers with his first letter to Darwin of 15 March 1867 , although …
- … . Indeed, he told his publisher, John Murray, in a letter of 4 April [1867] , not to send …
- … tell me, at what rate your work will be published’ ( letter from J. V. Carus, 5 April 1867 ). This …
- … & sent to him, he may wish to give up the task’ ( letter to Carl Vogt, 12 April [1867] ). …
- … fit person’ to introduce the work to the German public ( letter from J. V. Carus, 15 April 1867 ). …
- … Vogt should translate my book in preference to you’ ( letter to J. V. Carus, 18 April [1867] ). …
- … varieties at the eye, which resulted in a mottled hybrid ( letter from Robert Trail, 5 April 1867 …
- … it will be a somewhat important step in Biology’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 22 August [1867] ). …
- … if you attack it & me with unparalleled ferocity’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 November [1867] …
- … own discretion; anyhow most ought to be introduced’ ( letter to W. S. Dallas, 8 November [1867] ). …
- … however, & I cannot get on so quickly as I could wish’ (letter from W. S. Dallas, 20 November …
- … with me about 27 years old In a letter of 22 February [1867] to Fritz Müller in …
- … chapter on the cause or meaning of Expression.’ With this letter Darwin enclosed a list of questions …
- … ‘Queries about Expression’. In a postscript to the letter he added, ‘But you must not plague …
- … that Darwin send his queries to foreign newspapers. The letter also reveals that he did not share …
- … work in some “supplemental remarks on expression”’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [12–17] March [1867] …
- … the queries to acquaintances in remote areas. On 26 March, Asa Gray wrote, ‘You see I have …
- … one to send them to, so do not want any more’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). …
- … , 31 August 1867. Another version, possibly derived from Asa Gray’s printed queries, was published …
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: 24 hits
- … & I am sick of correcting’ ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to W. D. Fox, 12 December [1868 …
- … Well it is a beginning, & that is something’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [22 January 1869] ). …
- … made any blunders, as is very likely to be the case’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January 1869 ). …
- … than I now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869] , …
- … is strengthened by the facts in distribution’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] ). Darwin …
- … tropical species using Croll’s theory. In the same letter to Croll, Darwin had expressed …
- … a very long period before the Cambrian formation’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] …
- … data to go by, but don’t think we have got that yet’ ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). …
- … I d have been less deferential towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869] ). …
- … completed revisions of the ‘everlasting old Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 1 June [1869] ), he was …
- … him however in his researches I would willingly do so’ ( letter from Robert Elliot to George …
- … with his noisy courting of the female in the garden ( letter from Frederick Smith, 8 October 1869 …
- … doubted her ability to recognise the different varieties ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 25 February …
- … weary of everlasting males & females, cocks & hens.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 November …
- … peoples in India and Africa. The American botanist Asa Gray and his wife, Jane Loring Gray , who …
- … read it, of dislike & contempt—almost hatred—’ ( from Asa Gray and J. L. Gray, 8 and 9 May …
- … with much more of the same description’ ( enclosure to letter from Henry Maudsley, 20 May 1869 ). …
- … in an additional & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 …
- … orang-utan, and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869] ) …
- … does himself an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
- … geological structures of the South American cordillera ( letter to Charles Lyell, 20 May 1869 ), …
- … of the same species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February …
- … role of earthworms in the formation of the soil ( letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle , 9 May [1869] …
- … sundew), a genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March …
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…
