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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: 15 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
- … , anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied …
- … am languid & bedeviled … & hate everybody’. Although Darwin did continue his botanical …
- … of the water-cure. The treatment was not effective and Darwin remained ill for the rest of the year. …
- … by the publication in February of books by his friends Charles Lyell, the respected geologist, and …
- … 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] …
- … Britain’s scientific circles following the publication of Lyell’s and Huxley’s books. Three …
- … Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). In the …
- … that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Darwin …
- … out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
- … you, as my old honoured guide & master’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
- … seen how indignant all Owen’s lies and mean conduct about E. Columbi made me… . The case is come to …
- … Copley Medal had been unsuccessful ( see letter from E. A. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 11 November [1863 …
- … the bookcase and around the head of the sofa ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [25 July 1863], and …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
Matches: 19 hits
- … 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence …
- … he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. This …
- … the composition and publication, in November 1859, of Darwin’s major treatise On the origin of …
- … exceeded my wildest hopes By the end of 1859, Darwin’s work was being discussed in …
- … and ‘bitter opponents’; compiling corrections for a second and then a third edition of his book; and …
- … as he jokingly called it) to his views of close friends like Charles Lyell, Joseph Dalton Hooker, …
- … concepts of creation. ‘When I was in spirits’, he told Lyell at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes …
- … has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
- … book’ on species. Begun in May 1856 at the urging of Lyell, the manuscript was already more than …
- … shows that at any one time Darwin was engaged in a number of projects, fitting together the final …
- … to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
- … for on this view wherever many closely related species, (i.e. species of the same genus) have been …
- … his reason or his own opinion. Hewett Cottrell Watson and Charles Cardale Babington thought that in …
- … as evidence for what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
- … throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
- … and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell, as Wallace had requested …
- … his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
- … Following Francis Darwin ( LL 2: 116–17) and relying on Charles Lyell’s endorsement, the editors …
- … much more larky since we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). Visitors to …
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: 15 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
- … by the preparation of this manuscript. Although advised by Lyell to publish only a brief outline …
- … quantities of information, pursuing his own experiments in a variety of different areas, analysing …
- … Natural selection . Determined as he was to publish, Darwin nevertheless still felt cautious …
- … specialist in Madeiran entomology, Thomas Vernon Wollaston. Darwin also came to rely on the caustic …
- … in London. Natural Selection Not all of Darwin’s manuscript on species has been …
- … of pigeons, poultry, and other domesticated animals. As Darwin explained to Lyell, his studies, …
- … the real structure of varieties’, he remarked to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 September [1856 …
- … ‘& I mean to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] …
- … plants, he asked Asa Gray, vary in the United States ( letter to Asa Gray, 2 May 1856 )? What …
- … plants pretty effectually’ complained Darwin in 1857 ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857] ). …
- … John Lubbock that his method of calculation was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). …
- … to William Erasmus Darwin, [26 February 1856] and to Charles Lyell, 3 May [1856] ). …
- … bad & not a stop from beginning to end!’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, [17 February 1857] and …
- … writing in part to establish his priority in this area, for Charles Lyell thought that Wallace’s …
Natural Selection: the trouble with terminology Part I
Summary
Darwin encountered problems with the term ‘natural selection’ even before Origin appeared. Everyone from the Harvard botanist Asa Gray to his own publisher came up with objections. Broadly these divided into concerns either that its meaning simply wasn’t…
Matches: 15 hits
- … I think, would make confusion worse confounded ( Charles Darwin to Charles Lyell 6 …
- … was making the selection – precisely the implication Darwin was trying to avoid. By the time he was …
- … over many years. Much of the data that Darwin gathered to support the idea of species change …
- … by analogy with this practice of artificial selection that Darwin chose to name the adaptive process …
- … of twenty years, Natural Selection . With that letter to Gray, Darwin enclosed a …
- … now missing response to that exposition that first alerted Darwin to one of the pitfalls he faced: ‘ …
- … of the problem, protesting that he was using it ‘much as a geologist does the word Denudation’. But …
- … of this enclosure to Gray , along with extracts from Darwin’s 1844 species essay , that was read …
- … he had expected. ‘I am, also, sorry’ Darwin wrote to Charles Lyell, who had approached the …
- … own long study of such works meant he had ‘ ceased to be a competent judge .’ The full title as …
- … layer of anxiety. To Heinrich Georg Bronn, working on a German translation of Origin , Darwin …
- … the struggle for existence that similar slight variations in a Wild Horse if advantageous to it …
- … I must be a very bad explainer. ( Charles Darwin to Charles Lyell, 6 June [1860]) …
- … Nevertheless, regret lingered, and he wrote in a later letter to Lyell: ' Talking of “Natural …
- … used natural preservation '. (There is now a hole in the letter where Darwin wrote ' …
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
- … 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
- … mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A vicious dispute over an anonymous …
- … and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
- … one of the greatest men the world has ever produced. He gave a wonderful impetus to science by …
- … 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 …
- … at Erasmus’s house. The event was led by the medium Charles E. Williams, and was attended by George …
- … friend Joseph Dalton Hooker, and finally borrowed one from Charles Lyell ( letter to Smith, Elder …
- … all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The book …
- … at a much reduced price of nine shillings, in line with Charles Lyell’s Student’s elements of …
- … artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
- … try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
- … raising £860 ( Circular to John Lubbock, P. L. Sclater, Charles Lyell, W. B. Carpenter, and Michael …
- … 24 November [1874] ). He wrote in admiration of Charles Lyell’s plan to leave a bequest to the …
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: 15 hits
- … | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
- … 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 …
- … 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 …
- … to Darwin’s queries about Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 …
- … January 1868] Darwin asks Thomas Huxley to pass on a questionnaire to his wife, Henrietta. …
- … 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] Darwin’s …
- … Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] Anne Jane Cupples, …
- … her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, [1873] Ellen …
- … insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [22 February 1858] …
- … 9 November 1868] Darwin’s nephews, Edmund and Charles, write to Emma Darwin’s sister, …
- … the Isle of White. Letter 4433 - Wright, Charles to Gray, A., [20, 25, 26 March …
- … in the future. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] …
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: 19 hits
- … the disputes. Letters, however, show that the responses to Darwin were extremely variable. Many of …
- … sharp theoretical differences with him; on the other hand, a number of his public critics assisted …
- … and support sustained in spite of enduring differences. Darwin's correspondence can thus help …
- … Disagreement and Respect Darwin rarely engaged with critics publically. Letters exchanged …
- … Richard Owen, the eminent comparative anatomist, show how Darwin tried to manage strong disagreement …
- … quickly deteriorated and Darwin came to regard him as a bitter enemy. Darwin and Sedgwick …
- … that he has contacted his publisher John Murray to send him a copy of Origin . Darwin’s …
- … but he assures Sedgwick he does not send his book out of a spirit of bravado, but a want of respect. …
- … 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, …
- … Letter 5500 — Darwin, C. R. to Haeckel, E. P. A., 12 Apr [1867] Darwin is sympathetic to …
- … the attacked person. Letter 5533 — Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, C. R., 12 May 1867 …
- … Darwin and his close friends, Joseph Dalton Hooker and Charles Lyell, show that Darwin, who had …
- … at the Linnean Society of London, and presided over by Lyell and Hooker, reveals much about the …
- … differences. Letter 2285 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 18 [June 1858] Darwin …
- … Letter 2294 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, [25 June 1858] Darwin writes to Lyell saying …
- … to him. Letter 2295 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 26 [June 1858] Darwin …
Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution
Summary
The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…
Matches: 15 hits
- … The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the …
- … in relation to Sex’. Always precise in his accounting, Darwin reckoned that he had started writing …
- … gathered on each of these topics was far more extensive than Darwin had anticipated. As a result, …
- … and St George Jackson Mivart, and heated debates sparked by Darwin’s proposed election to the French …
- … proofs of Descent in December, he wrote to his friend Charles Lyell, ‘thank all the powers above …
- … anything which has happened to me for some weeks’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ) …
- … corrections of style, the more grateful I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ) …
- … eighteen years of age. Darwin clearly expected her to make a considerable contribution, instructing …
- … He worried that parts of the book were ‘too like a Sermon: who wd ever have thought that I shd. turn …
- … abt any thing so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February …
- … looking exclusively into his own mind’, and himself, ‘a degraded wretch looking from the outside …
- … how metaphysics & physics form one great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870 …
- … in thanks for the drawing ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26 November [1868] …
- … in Paris. Quatrefages had just completed a book, Charles Darwin et ses précurseurs français …
- … attending college lectures for the time being ( letter to [E.W. Blore], [October 1870 or later] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 21 hits
- … The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one …
- … By the end of 1843 he had also completed the writing of a book on the volcanic islands visited …
- … close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin became engaged to his cousin, …
- … daughter, Anne Elizabeth, moved to Down House in Kent, where Darwin was to spend the rest of his …
- … his greatest theoretical achievement, the most important of Darwin’s activities during the years …
- … identifications of his bird and fossil mammal specimens, Darwin arrived at the daring and momentous …
- … by all the leading geologists of England—among them Charles Lyell, Sedgwick, and Buckland (see the …
- … of South America”, Darwin continued to defend his and Lyell’s theory that floating ice—rather than …
- … lists of Darwin’s plants (see D. M. Porter 1981). Charles Lyell In the extensive …
- … correspondent, both scientifically and personally, was Charles Lyell. The letters Darwin and Lyell …
- … had declared himself to be a ‘zealous disciple’ of Lyell, but his theory of coral reef formation, …
- … Their correspondence began in 1836 and from the start Lyell accepted Darwin on equal terms as a …
- … letters have suffered an even more severe loss. In a letter to Lyell’s sister-in-law, Katharine …
- … material for her Life, letters and journals of Sir Charles Lyell, Bart., Darwin informs her that …
- … of fact . . . on the origin & variation of species” ( Letter to J. S. Henslow, [November 1839] …
- … that he had a sound solution to what J. F. W. Herschel in a letter to Lyell had called the ‘mystery …
- … about searching for evidence to support his hypothesis. In a letter to Lyell, [14] September [1838 …
- … just the same, though I know what I am looking for' ( Letter to G. R. Waterhouse, [26 July …
- … there were no doubts as to how one ought to act’ ( Letter from Emma Darwin, [ c. February 1839] …
- … In 1840 the illness was different. As he wrote to Charles Lyell, [19 February 1840] , “it is now …
- … to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , and letter from R. E. Alison, 25 June 1835 ). Henry …
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: 20 hits
- … the sheer volume of his correspondence indicates, 1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin …
- … promotion of his theory of natural selection also continued: Darwin’s own works expanded on it, …
- … not think you are conceited, but really I do think you have a good right to be so’ ( letter from J. …
- … such view will ultimately prevail Still taking a keen interest in the progress of his …
- … the family over the summer. But towards the end of the year, Darwin was able once more to turn his …
- … of the Scottish press hissed). Huxley, while advocating Darwin’s theory, had again espoused the view …
- … 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 …
- … son, William, his language was more blunt ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ): ‘whether …
- … in the preparation of translations of his books. When Charles Edouard Brown-Séquard informed him …
- … French Translation will appear very soon’ ( letter to C. E. Brown-Séquard, 2 January [1862] ). …
- … Bronn died suddenly from a heart attack ( see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung …
- … also sent presentation copies of his botanical studies to Charles Naudin, a botanist at the Muséum d …
- … and Emma ‘perplexed to death what to do’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [2–3 August 1862] ). They …
- … work would make his life ‘much happier’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ). Darwin …
- … Darwin was glad that Glen Roy was ‘settled’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 22 August [1862] ), he …
- … Soc y .: that it hesitated to publish the paper.’ Lyell, however, rejected Ramsay’s notions, …
- … palaeontologist who believes in immutability’, he told Lyell ( letter to Charles Lyell, 1 October …
Darwin in letters, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles
Summary
Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…
Matches: 21 hits
- … Species theory In November 1845, Charles Darwin wrote to his friend and confidant Joseph …
- … summer to finish my S. American geology; then to get out a little zoology & hurrah for my …
- … and Fossil Cirripedia (1851, 1854). What led Darwin to engage in this work when he was …
- … The correspondence reveals how his initial interest in a singular species found during the Beagle …
- … group. Light is shed on the close relationship between Darwin’s systematic descriptive work and the …
- … to this work and that guided his observations through a difficult, often frustrating taxonomical …
- … explained in detail in letters to friends and relatives, Darwin felt sufficiently restored in health …
- … Nevertheless, it is evident from his correspondence that Darwin’s two hours at the microscope did …
- … activity. There are, for example, twenty lengthy letters to Charles Lyell from these years and a …
- … William Herschel, to write the chapter on geology ( letter to J. F. W. Herschel, 4 February [1848] …
- … by Darwin on the use of microscopes on board ship ( see letter to Richard Owen, [26 March 1848] ). …
- … carefully re-examined his own thesis in letters to Milne, Lyell, and Robert Chambers, and, in …
- … asked for it to be destroyed. Only the draft of Darwin’s letter remains ( letter to the Scotsman …
- … original fieldwork was ‘time thrown away’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 8 [September 1847] ). …
- … formations. Darwin’s explanation, originally suggested by Lyell, was that the boulders were …
- … failed to convince other prominent geologists, among them Lyell, so Darwin was keenly interested in …
- … in the subject. The letters also reveal that Lyell sought Darwin’s advice in the preparation …
- … would be a ‘thorn in the side of É de B.’ (letter to Charles Lyell, 3 January 1850 ). …
- … both had served ( Correspondence vol. 2, letters to H. E. Strickland). Darwin’s task was …
- … rule of priority for the sake of expedience ( letter to H. E. Strickland, [4 February 1849] ), but …
- … remained unmarried. Each daughter was bequeathed £10,000, Charles was bequeathed £15,500, and his …
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: 14 hits
- … The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now …
- … Pound foolish, Penurious, Pragmatical Prigs’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [29 December 1866] ). But …
- … able to write easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). …
- … once daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
- … see you out with our beagles before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 …
- … in correspondence throughout the year, as in his remark to Lyell, ‘I quite follow you in thinking …
- … in this volume), drawing Darwin, Hooker, and the botanist Charles James Fox Bunbury into the …
- … after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights running. …
- … on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). …
- … Georg Bronn, had been published in 1860 and 1863 by the firm E. Schweizerbart’sche …
- … was ‘merely ordinaryly diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May – 11 June 1866] ). On …
- … a case of dimorphic becoming diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 20 June [1866] ). Darwin …
- … good, & we have been at it many a long year’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 15 February [1866] ). …
- … loneliness’ ( letter from E. C. Langton to Emma and Charles Darwin, [6 and 7? January 1866] ), and …
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: 14 hits
- … Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, …
- … Animal intelligence referred to the contributions of 'a young lady, who objects to her name …
- … 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., …
- … have felt uncomfortable about being acknowledged publicly as a science critic. Letter …
- … 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., …
- … by numerous women of their infants are not referenced in a section of Expression on ‘the …
- … was novelist Elizabeth Gaskell for her description of a crying baby in Mary Barton. …
- … Letter 8427 - Darwin to Litchfield H. E., [25 July 1872] Darwin thanks Henrietta for …
- … . Letter 12745 - Darwin to Wedgwood, K. E. S., [8 October 1880] Darwin …
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: 18 hits
- … The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. By then, he had …
- … propagation, hybridism, and other phenomena that, as Darwin said in his Autobiography , he had …
- … provide an unusually detailed and intimate understanding of Darwin’s problem-solving method of work …
- … learned from his publisher John Murray in November 1860 that a new edition of Origin was called …
- … made by reviewers. He also inserted for his British audience a preface, previously published in the …
- … of natural selection. With this work behind him, Darwin took steps to convince those who …
- … will do me & Natural Selection, right good service’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] …
- … notably his faithful ‘barometer’ of scientific opinion, Charles Lyell ( see letter to Charles Lyell …
- … 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] ). …
- … like Cuthbert Collingwood and laymen such as the physician Charles Robert Bree and the Scottish …
- … and poultry. As he frequently admitted to friends such as Charles Lyell and interested supporters …
- … prominently in the correspondence of 1861. Here, it was Charles Lyell who continued to act as Darwin …
- … had been ‘one long gigantic blunder’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 September [1861] ). The …
- … would so ‘be at once an almost rich man’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1861] ). The …
- … respectable persons on your own account’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 17 [October 1861] ). He also …
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: 20 hits
- … Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, …
- … to correct proofs, and just when completion seemed imminent, a further couple of months were needed …
- … selection in forming human races, and there was also to be a chapter on the meaning and cause of the …
- … ), published in 1871, and the chapter on expression into a book, The expression of the emotions in …
- … who might best answer the questions, with the result that Darwin began to receive replies from …
- … of Argyll, and an anonymous review by an engineer, Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin, challenged …
- … 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 …
- … hypothesis of pangenesis’. Such was the case, reported by Charles Victor Naudin, of a fan palm, …
- … anxious about the reception of pangenesis. He was happy that Charles Lyell had a positive response, …
- … will be a somewhat important step in Biology’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 22 August [1867] ). …
- … on the anatomy of expression by medical experts such as Charles Bell and Guillaume Benjamin Amand …
- … her, & as it seems very unjustly’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 27 [March 1867] ). Unfortunately, …
- … and ‘clever’, but with certain weak parts ( letter to Charles Lyell, 1 June [1867] ). Charles …
- … are excellent, excellent, excellent’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 26 July [1867] ). The year ended as …
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: 22 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
- … chlorophyll by examining thin slices of plant tissue under a microscope. When not experimenting, he …
- … for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
- … more weak than usual. To Lawson Tait, he remarked, ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly …
- … early April, he was being carried upstairs with the aid of a special chair. The end came on 19 April …
- … 1881. But some of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater …
- … Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
- … fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
- … François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
- … the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). While …
- … to take his daily strolls (Henrietta Emma Litchfield, ‘Charles Darwin’s death’, DAR 262.23: 2, p. 2) …
- … he is a good deal depressed about himself’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March …
- … is very calm but she has cried a little’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, [19 April …
- … overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 (DAR 219.1: 150)). …
- … snakes, centipedes, and spiders. The instructions were from Charles Lawrence Hughes, a fellow pupil …
- … he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
- … Holland, she mentions his warm reception on arrival: ‘Charles is as well as possible & in gayer …
- … recommendations for annual medals. He strongly supported Charles Lyell for the Copley, the Royal …
- … that the future Historian of the Natural Sciences, will rank Lyell’s labours as more influential in …
- … point of view I think no man ranks in the same class with Lyell’ ( letter to William Sharpey, 22 …
- … November [1864] ). Writing to the clergyman and naturalist Charles Kingsley, he was more gloomy: …
- … of Darwin’s friends, Huxley, John Lubbock, and Charles Lyell, each addressed the question of human …
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: 18 hits
- … the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same …
- … nineteenth century were different in important ways. Many of Darwin's leading supporters were …
- … their religious beliefs with evolutionary theory. Darwin's own writing, both in print and …
- … although he tended to avoid the subject as much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to …
- … political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
- … point of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. …
- … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
- … Gray and tells him Origin has “stirred up the mud with a vengeance”; Gray and three or four …
- … 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, …
- … up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, C. R., 18 Nov 1859 …
- … He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C. R., 13 Dec 1866 In this …
- … Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. E., 14 Dec 1866 Darwin believes he is unable to …
- … Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E., 16 Nov [1871] Darwin explains why he must …
- … Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, E. B., 13 Oct 1880 In this letter marked “private”, …
- … on beauty. Letter 4752 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 22 Jan [1865] Darwin …
- … of beauty by animals. Letter 5565 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, C. R., 6 June 1867 …
- … Future Plans Letter 182 — Darwin, E. A. to Darwin, C. R., 18 Aug [1832] Darwin’s …
Origin
Summary
Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for the species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, and had resisted suggestions in 1856…
Matches: 16 hits
- … Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew …
- … species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, …
- … supporting evidence, and to this end was steadily writing a work he called his ‘big book’ . His …
- … . In reply, Hooker provided reassurance by suggesting that Darwin might be able to have 100 to 150 …
- … Essay containing my exact theory; & asking me to show it to Lyell. The latter & Hooker have …
- … make a large-sized pamphlet. ’ On the 4 October, in a letter to T. C. Eyton explaining his change …
- … actively sought criticism from trusted readers like Hooker, Lyell, and Thomas Henry Huxley. He …
- … buoyed up in January 1859, when he received a (now lost) letter from Wallace, expressing …
- … his and Darwin’s species theory had had any effect on Lyell. ‘I think he is somewhat staggered,’ …
- … concern now was to find a suitable publisher, and once again Lyell came to his aid. In late March, …
- … of Darwin’s work. In light of this, Darwin asked Lyell whether he should ‘tell Murray that my Book …
- … or the preservation of favoured races” ’, he told Lyell. On 31 March 1859, Darwin wrote to Murray …
- … you on the same terms as those on which I publish for Sir Charles Lyell ’. Darwin was uneasy. …
- … his friend George Frederick Pollock. The former, in a long letter to Murray, believed that Darwin …
- … the reception of his book, he shared the proofs with Lyell. ‘I cannot too strongly express my …
- … &c &c. ’ Reference: Haynes, E. S. P. 1916. Master George Pollak. …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 21 hits
- … On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 …
- … … of having grown older’. This portrait, the first of Darwin with his now famous beard, had been …
- … of dimorphic plants with William’s help; he also ordered a selection of new climbing plants for his …
- … 52 hours without vomiting!! In the same month, Darwin began to consult William Jenner, …
- … physician-in-ordinary to Queen Victoria. Jenner prescribed a variety of antacids and purgatives, and …
- … continued throughout the summer. When he finished a preliminary draft of his paper on climbing …
- … and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
- … As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
- … observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] , Darwin …
- … gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
- … fearfully for it is a leaf climber & therefore sacred’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] …
- … of Dimorphism’ in Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [20 May …
- … and animal-breeders. As in earlier years, Darwin consulted Charles William Crocker about his …
- … curators at a great distance. Gray forwarded a letter from Charles Wright, a plant collector in Cuba …
- … Hugh Falconer, 3 November 186[4] ). The French botanist, Charles Victor Naudin, wrote a gracious …
- … using such a periodical to defend himself, Hooker and Lyell discouraged him, and he decided to avoid …
- … circulating with the 1864 subscription fund ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 1 February [1864] ). …
- … when Colenso was in England in 1864, socialising with Charles Lyell and other members of the London …
- … again, to Ramsay’s view for third or fourth time; but Lyell says when I read his discussion in the …
- … Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in nature and Lyell’s Antiquity of man , and that the …
- … … & too light to turn into candlesticks’ ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 1 December 1864 ). …
