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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: 16 hits

  • The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early
  • dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwins son George dominated the second
  • and traveller Alexander von Humboldts 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt
  • 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
  • Andone looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
  • Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that
  • 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 wasa 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
  • Airy ed. 1881). Darwins third son Francis married Amy Ruck, the sister of a friend of
  • …  (butterwort) for Darwins work on insectivorous plants. Amy drew a plant and Francis was
  • nearly so much in Switzerland ( letter from Francis and Amy Darwin, 8 August [1874] ). …
  • D. F. Nevill, 18 September [1874] ).Franciss new wife, Amy, drew the plant ( letter to Francis

Darwin's 1874 letters go online

Summary

The full transcripts and footnotes of over 600 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1874 are published online for the first time. You can read about Darwin's life in 1874 through his letters and see a full list of the letters. The 1874 letters…

Matches: 10 hits

  • and footnotes of over 600 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1874 are published online for
  • licentiousness’. After re-reading what George had written, Darwin wrote:   I cannot
  • … , scurrilous accusation of [a] lying scoundrel.—  ( Letter to GHDarwin, 1 August [1874] …
  • behaviour in scientific society. Find out more about how Darwin and his family and friends dealt
  • everything more quietly, as not signifying so much.  ( Letter to WDFox, 11 May [1874] ) …
  • have started the subject & that must be enough for me  ( Letter to WDFox, 11 May [1874] …
  • work takes five times more time than the positive  ( Letter to JDHooker, 30 August [1874] ) …
  • enjoyed a day more in my life than this days work  ( Letter to DFNevill, 18 September [1874] …
  • … ‘I am sure he will never voluntarily be idle’, wrote Darwin to the directors, fearing that Horace
  • son Francis, having given up his medical career, married Amy Ruck and came to live in Down village

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: 18 hits

  • The year 1876 started out sedately enough with Darwin working on the first draft of his book on the
  • games. ‘I have won, hurrah, hurrah, 2795 games’, Darwin boasted; ‘my wifepoor creature, has won
  • regarding the ailments that were so much a feature of Darwin family life. But the calm was not to
  • of the next generation of the family, with Francis and Amys child expected in September. Their joy
  • quantity of workleft in him fornew 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 theadvantages 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?] ). …
  • himbaselyand who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). …
  • Mivart made a slanderous attack on George Darwin in late 1874 in an anonymous article, which
  • disgraceof blackballing so distinguished a zoologist ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 29 January 1876 ) …
  • must have been cast by thepoorest curs in London’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [4 February
  • models of typewriter. Francis Darwin and his wife, Amy, carefully prepared for its arrival. Amy made
  • for the first time to a large and healthy boy, the son of Amy and Francis. Just four days later, …
  • Frankhis life will be a mere wreck’, Darwin lamented. Amy had been loved by the whole family and
  • Leonard of how much his friendship had been valued by Amy. In contrast, Darwins letter to his

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: 17 hits

  • … |  Editors and critics  |  Assistants Darwins correspondence helps bring to light a
  • community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women
  • Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August
  • silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to
  • to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to
  • 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, …
  • 9426 - Story-Maskelyne , T. M. to Darwin, [23 April 1874] Thereza Story-Maskelyne
  • Letter 9616 - Marshall, T. to Darwin, [September 1874] Theodosia Marshall sends
  • … - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] Amy Ruck reports the results of her
  • 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874] Darwins niece, Lucy, sends a
  • Letter 9616  - Marshall, Tto Darwin, [September 1874] Theodosia Marshall details
  • Letter 9485 - Treat, M. to Darwin, [8 June 1874] Mary Treat details her experiments

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: 24 hits

  • … ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . .  What little more I can
  • of   On the origin of   species , intended to be Darwins last, and of  Expression of the
  • books brought a strong if deceptive sense of a job now done: Darwin intended, he declared to Alfred
  • anything more on 'so difficult a subject, as evolution’ ( letter to ARWallace,  27 July
  • of books and papers, and the latter formed the subject of Darwins last bookThe formation of   …
  • worms , published in the year before his deathDespite Darwins declared intention to take up new
  • begun many years before. In his private life also, Darwin was in a nostalgic frame of mind, …
  • The last word on Origin The year opened with Darwin, helped by his eldest son William, …
  • on 30 January , shortly after correcting the proofs, and Darwins concern for the consolidation of
  • and sixth editions were costly to incorporate, and despite Darwins best efforts, set the final
  • condition as I can make it’, he wrote to the translator ( letter to JJMoulinié, 23 September
  • translation remained unpublished at the end of the year ( letter from C.-FReinwald, 23 November
  • to bring out the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it
  • had to be resetThe investment in stereotype reinforced Darwins intention to make no further
  • to the comparative anatomist St George Jackson Mivart ( letter to St GJMivart,  11 January
  • comparison of Whale  & duck  most beautiful’ ( letter from ARWallace, 3 March 1872 ) …
  • a person as I am made to appear’, complained Darwin ( letter to St GJMivart, 5 January 1872 ). …
  • Darwin would renounce `fundamental intellectual errors’ ( letter from St GJMivart, 6 January
  • was silly enough to think he felt friendly towards me’ ( letter to St GJMivart, 8 January [1872
  • hoping for reconciliation, if only `in another world’ ( letter from St GJMivart,  10 January
  • have been ungracious in him not to thank Mivart for his letterHe promised to send a copy of the
  • Darwin, the Darwinsthird son, had become engaged to Amy Ruck, the sister of an old schoolfriend; …
  • one went almost unremarked in Darwins correspondence. Amys induction into the family firm was
  • his `geologist in chief for NWales’ ( letter to Amy Ruck, 24 February [1872] ). Plants

Francis Darwin

Summary

Known to his family as ‘Frank’, Charles Darwin’s seventh child himself became a distinguished scientist. He was an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge, initially studying mathematics, but then transferring to natural sciences.  Francis completed…

Matches: 7 hits

  • Known to his family asFrank’, Charles Darwins seventh child himself became a distinguished
  • into debt and had kept the matter secret for some months. Darwin was very stern in his advice: ‘I
  • so bothersome an old fellow as I daresay I appear to you’ (letter to Francis Darwin18 October
  • Institution, but never practised. He became engaged to Amy Ruck in 1872; the couple married in 1874. …
  • run by Julius von Sachs in WurzburgFrancis Darwin was elected to the Royal Society in 1882
  • his father had not been knighted, although in 1877 Charles Darwin was awarded an honorary degree
  • The Power of Movement in Plants, 1880). Perhaps Francis Darwin, whom the family regarded as a

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: 29 hits

  • the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwins belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells
  • on plants with two or three different forms of flowers, Darwin had focused on the anatomical and
  • of different forms of pollen. Although many plants that Darwin observed had flowers with adaptations
  • rates, growth, and constitutional vigour. Although Darwin was no stranger to long months and years
  • … … is highly remarkableIn September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist
  • several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, …
  • … ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin would confirm that this poppy shed its
  • access to flowers was only the tip of the iceberg. Darwin next focused on the California
  • conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwins interest was piqued and he described
  • when self-fertilised, although fewer than crossed plants. Darwin sent some of these seeds to Müller, …
  • … [1868] ). Müller, in turn, sent seeds from his plants to Darwin and both men continued to
  • Müller remarked, on receiving a new batch of seeds from Darwin, ‘that it wascurious to see, on
  • … ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870, Darwin reported that he wasrearing crossed
  • From a fairly early stage in his experimental programme, Darwin began to pay more attention to the
  • 17 March [1867] ). He noted another factor in a letter to Gray, remarking, ‘I am going on with my
  • the sweet pea ( Lathyrus odoratus ), and in October 1867, Darwin wrote to James Moggridge to ask
  • of the year ( To JTMoggridge, 1 October [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the
  • simply did not exist in Britain. During a visit to Darwin in May 1866, Robert Caspary, a
  • by the former ( From Robert Caspary, 18 February 1868 ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both
  • was published on 30 January 1868. In April 1868, Darwin informed George Bentham, ‘I am
  • to elongate when the pollen touches the stigmatic surface. Darwin was able to discern that
  • plant sexual relations, Müller, who sent the publication to Darwin, reported that he was surprised
  • the fertility of the offspring (F. Müller 1868b, p. 629). Darwin urged further experimentation. ‘I
  • the Abutilon sterile with some individuals is remarkable’, Darwin replied, adding that he had sown
  • … [1873] ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly
  • … ( To Fritz Müller, 25 September 1873 ). But by March 1874, some doubts seemed to have arisen when
  • with new & related matter. ( To JVCarus, 19 March [1874] ). A year later, Darwin still
  • the birth of Darwins first grandchild, a son born to Amy and Francis Darwin on 7 September, …
  • ARWallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this letter has been found, but Darwin had long