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Syms Covington
Summary
When Charles Darwin embarked on the Beagle voyage in 1831, Syms Covington was ‘fiddler & boy to Poop-cabin’. Covington kept an illustrated journal of his observations and experiences on the voyage, noting wildlife, landscapes, buildings and people and,…
Matches: 6 hits
- … When Charles Darwin embarked on the Beagle voyage in 1831, Syms Covington was ‘ …
- … After teaching Covington to shoot and skin birds, Darwin employed him as his servant in 1833. …
- … back to England. On the Beagle ’s return to England in 1836, Darwin kept Covington in his employ, …
- … Agricultural Company run by Phillip Parker King (whom Darwin had met in Australia in 1836 ). …
- … 280 miles south of Sydney, where he then lived. In 1852 Darwin had asked about the gold rush and …
- … accommodation, a post office, and possibly a general store. Darwin’s last letter to Covington …
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: 16 hits
- … | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
- … community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
- … Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
- … peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
- … garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] Darwin’s …
- … . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to Darwin, [after February 1867] Mary Barber …
- … Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] …
- … her observations on the expression of emotion in dogs with Emma Darwin. Letter 8676 …
- … 1868] Darwin’s nephew, Edmund, writes to Emma Darwin’s sister, Sarah, with observations of …
- … Darwin’s nephews, Edmund and Charles, write to Emma Darwin’s sister, Sarah, with observations of …
- … Wedgwood, S. E. & J. to Darwin, [10 November 1837] Emma’s sister, Sarah, passes on …
- … E. to Darwin, W. E., [January 23rd 1887]: Emma Darwin tells her eldest son, William, …
- … admitted to Linnean Society. Men: Letter 1836 - Berkeley, M. J. to Darwin, …
- … E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March, 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) Emma Darwin updates her son, William, …
- … is a great critic”, thought the article worth reprinting, Emma was less convinced. Letter …
- … the “best authority” on the subject. Letter 1836 - Berkeley, M. J. to Darwin, [7 …
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 26 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
- … used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
- … *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
- … book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
- … a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
- … of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
- … own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
- … the second reading notebook. Readers primarily interested in Darwin’s scientific reading, therefore, …
- … editors’ identification of the book or article to which Darwin refers. A full list of these works is …
- … page number (or numbers, as the case may be) on which Darwin’s entry is to be found. The …
- … Hist. [Jenyns 1838] Prichard; a 3 d . vol [Prichard 1836–47] Lawrence [W. Lawrence 1819] …
- … 1829] Prostitution of Paris [Parent-Duchâtelet 1836]. about licentiousness destroying their …
- … has pub. in 1 st vol of Annals of Vienna [Endlicher 1836]. sketch of S. sea Botany R. …
- … Col. le Couteur has written on wheat [Le Couteur 1836] Bechstein on Caged Birds. 10 s 6 d …
- … [?Heisch 1842] Coleridge. Literary Remains [Coleridge 1836–9] Inconsistency of Human …
- … and Duméril 1821] Encyclop of Anat & Phys [Todd ed. 1836–59] [DAR *119: 14] …
- … 36s.— Wiegmann. Archif fur Naturgeschicte. 33 1836. Meyen on distrib of plants in …
- … race-horse during past & present century. Hookham” [Anon. 1836]: worth looking at. Low has …
- … 1833] (Boot) Leslie life of Constable [Leslie 1843]. (Emma) (read) M rs Fry’s Life …
- … Public Library. 3 ‘Books … Read’ is in Emma Darwin’s hand. 4 “”Traité …
- … 6 The text from page [1v.] to page [6] is in Emma Darwin’s hand and was copied from Notebook C, …
- … to old Aristotle.’ ( LL 3: 252). 10 Emma Darwin wrote ‘7 th ’ instead of “3 d “ …
- … 12 A mistranscription for ‘Entozoa’ by Emma Darwin. See Notebook C, p. 266 ( Notebooks ). …
- … wrote ‘Transact’ to replace ‘Journal’ written in Emma Darwin’s hand. 16 Emma Darwin …
- … The text from page [1a] to half way down page [5a] is in Emma Darwin’s hand and is a copy of CD’s …
- … in ink by CD. 73 This entry was written by Emma Darwin. 74 “8 … …
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: 25 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
- … for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
- … of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
- … Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
- … to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
- … working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
- … for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root response and the …
- … London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
- … letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running interest in such …
- … experiments had been conducted to lend support to Darwin’s theory of pangenesis (see …
- … He was eager to write up the results on Brazilian cane, with Darwin providing a detailed outline: ‘I …
- … at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. Darwin carried on with botanical work in …
- … which are asymmetric, thus facilitating cross-fertilisation. Darwin’s aim, he said, was just to …
- … 3 April 1882 ). Earthworms and evolution Darwin’s last book, Earthworms , had been …
- … and was no longer able to take his daily strolls (Henrietta Emma Litchfield, ‘Charles Darwin’s death …
- … E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March 1882 (DAR 245: 319)) Emma wrote ten days later: ‘You will …
- … been a good deal plagued with dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 …
- … benefit & he escaped pain entirely yesterday’ (letter from Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, 6 April …
- … wrote to George, who had visited Down on 11 April (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). ‘Father was taken …
- … H. Darwin, [19 April 1882] (DAR 245: 320)). It was left to Emma to convey the sorrowful news to his …
- … which I hope were never very violent’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker, [20 April 1882 …
- … have possessed & have been able to be to him’ (letter from Emma Darwin to Leonard Darwin, [21? …
- … they were the most overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 …
- … was eagerly awaited by his family, including his cousin Emma Wedgwood. In long letters to her sister …
- … plied him with questions without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 …
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: 27 hits
- … The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one …
- … a family Busy as he was with scientific activities, Darwin found time to re-establish family …
- … 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 …
- … in species. With this new theoretical point of departure Darwin continued to make notes and explore …
- … present in the version of 1859. Young author Darwin’s investigation of the species …
- … the Beagle had returned to England, news of some of Darwin’s findings had been spread by the …
- … great excitement. The fuller account of the voyage and Darwin’s discoveries was therefore eagerly …
- … suitable categories for individual experts to work upon, Darwin applied himself to the revision of …
- … of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Adventure and Beagle. Darwin’s volume bore the title Journal …
- … visited by H.M.S. Beagle . Also in November 1837, Darwin read the fourth of a series of papers to …
- … to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a suggestion made by his uncle, …
- … Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). The new research Darwin undertook after 1837 was an …
- … time, the parallel terraces, or ‘roads’, of Glen Roy. Darwin had seen similar formations on the …
- … roads of Glen Roy’, Collected papers 1: 88–137). Darwin later abandoned this view, calling it a …
- … contemporaneous unstratified deposits of South America”, Darwin continued to defend his and Lyell’s …
- … 1842, having heard of evidence of glaciation in North Wales, Darwin made a tour there in order to …
- … more satisfactorily than any alternative explanation. Darwin eventually relinquished this theory and …
- … Henslow 1837a and 1838; W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott 1836, 1841; J. D. Hooker 1844–7, 1845, 1846 …
- … to the views of his master. Their correspondence began in 1836 and from the start Lyell accepted …
- … (Simpson 1961, p. 53). Marriage Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in January 1839. His …
- … ( Correspondence vol. 2, Appendix III). The letters that Emma and Darwin subsequently exchanged …
- … correspondence is that Darwin had evidently communicated to Emma that he had doubts about religion, …
- … as she was, from marrying him. Just after their marriage, Emma states that she has the impression …
- … were no doubts as to how one ought to act’ ( Letter from Emma Darwin, [ c. February 1839] ). …
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: 12 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 …
- … much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to draw Darwin out on his own religious views, …
- … political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
- … on the controversial topic of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, …
- … second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to Darwin on design and natural selection. …
- … of each fragment at the base of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 …
- … fittest” instead of “Natural Selection”. Wallace urges Darwin to stress frequency of variations. …
- … of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [21–22 Nov 1838] …
- … conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [c. Feb 1839] …
- … Letter 297 — Darwin, S. E. to Darwin, C. R., 12 Feb 1836 Darwin’s sister Sarah E. Darwin …
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: 25 hits
- … 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
- … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
- … and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
- … ). The death of a Cambridge friend, Albert Way, caused Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, to …
- … from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to the self-assessment, ‘as for one …
- … I feel very old & helpless The year started for Darwin with a week’s visit to …
- … Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
- … ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
- … 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
- … by George Henry Lewes and Marian Evans (George Eliot), but Darwin excused himself, finding it too …
- … the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
- … imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin agreed that it was ‘all imposture’ …
- … stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his …
- … the first three months of the year and, like many of Darwin’s enterprises in the 1870s, were family …
- … 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 December [1873] ). Darwin himself had some trouble in …
- … and letter to Charles Lyell, [13 January 1874] ). Darwin blamed his illness for the …
- … . In his preface ( Coral reefs 2d ed., pp. v–vii), Darwin reasserted the priority of his work. …
- … for the absence of coral-reefs in certain locations. Darwin countered with the facts that low …
- … whole coastline of a large island. Dana also thought that Darwin had seen fringing reefs as proof of …
- … satisfaction. Assisted in the wording by his wife, Emma, and daughter Henrietta, he finally wrote a …
- … a comfortable cabin ( see letter from Leonard Darwin to Emma Darwin, [after 26 June -- 28 September …
- … to become Darwin’s secretary. They rented Down Lodge and Emma Darwin wrote, ‘They have . . . made …
- … the average in prettiness & snugness’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October …
- … letter to Down School Board, [after 29 November 1873] ). Emma saw a ‘great blessing’ in the rumour …
- … dead uncle’s position of vicar of Deptford ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October …
Darwin in letters, 1844–1846: Building a scientific network
Summary
The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but he broadened his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species. Far from being a recluse, Darwin was at the heart of British scientific society,…
Matches: 25 hits
- … results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but throughout these …
- … species and varieties. In contrast to the received image of Darwin as a recluse in Down, the letters …
- … Down House was altered and extended to accommodate Darwin’s growing family and the many relatives …
- … The geological publications In these years, Darwin published two books on geology, Volcanic …
- … papers for all these organisations. Between 1844 and 1846 Darwin himself wrote ten papers, six of …
- … 2, letter to A. Y. Spearman, 9 October 1843, n. 1). Darwin's inner circle: first …
- … not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable Darwin’s earlier scientific friendships …
- … friends, with the addition of Hooker, were important to Darwin for—among other things—they were the …
- … scientific issues that arose out of his work on species. Darwin discussed his ideas on species …
- … Only two months after their first exchange, early in 1844, Darwin told Hooker that he was engaged in …
- … correspondence that his close friends were not outraged by Darwin’s heterodox opinions and later in …
- … But although eager for the views of informed colleagues, Darwin was naturally protective of his …
- … vol. 4, letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 [February 1847]). Darwin can be seen as a cautious strategist, …
- … candidate, known to be working on species and varieties, was Darwin himself: as he told his cousin …
- … the book to him. But, as his letters to Hooker show, Darwin carefully considered and then rejected …
- … Perhaps the most interesting letter relating to Darwin’s species theory, which also bears on his …
- … who would undertake to see the work through the press. Darwin also listed possible editors: at first …
- … on the work. But the list was subsequently altered after Darwin’s second, and possibly third, …
- … Hooker’s was added. Much later, by the autumn of 1854 when Darwin began sorting out his notes in …
- … the cover to that effect. The full consideration that Darwin gave to the future editing and …
- … his intention to publish his theory. His instructions to Emma may, perhaps, as some scholars have …
- … he was for much of the time too ill even to write letters, Darwin felt that his life was only too …
- … in his health. Volcanoes, rocks, and fossils Darwin’s published work during this …
- … elevation of extensive tracts of land relative to the sea. Darwin put forward a new explanation of …
- … whose subsequent work led to the general acceptance of Darwin’s views. South America drew …
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: 15 hits
- … In 1865, the chief work on Charles Darwin’s mind was the writing of The variation of animals and …
- … letters on climbing plants to make another paper. Darwin also submitted a manuscript of his …
- … protégé, John Scott, who was now working in India. Darwin’s transmutation theory continued to …
- … Argyll, appeared in the religious weekly, Good Words . Darwin received news of an exchange of …
- … Butler, and, according to Butler, the bishop of Wellington. Darwin’s theory was discussed at an …
- … in the Gardeners’ Chronicle . At the end of the year, Darwin was elected an honorary member of …
- … year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend of …
- … in August. There was also a serious dispute between two of Darwin’s friends, John Lubbock and …
- … jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). Darwin was ready to submit his paper on …
- … a sudden illness. Falconer was 56, almost the same age as Darwin himself. Falconer had seconded …
- … supported his candidacy, and had tried hard to persuade Darwin to accept the award in person (see …
- … the award ( see letter from Hugh Falconer to Erasmus Alvey Darwin, 3 January 1865 ). Erasmus …
- … attending school, and spent some time travelling in Europe (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), Emma …
- … people weren’t so foolish’;. In November, Darwin and Emma visited Erasmus in London ( …
- … frequently, and Hooker also came for a short stay in March (Emma Darwin’s diary, DAR 242). A …
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: 15 hits
- … activities for building and maintaining such connections. Darwin's networks extended from his …
- … when strong institutional structures were largely absent. Darwin had a small circle of scientific …
- … section contains two sets of letters. The first is between Darwin and his friend Kew botanist J. D. …
- … about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., [11 Jan 1844] …
- … is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 23 Feb [1844 …
- … of wide-ranging species to wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 …
- … of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. R., 22 May 1855 Gray …
- … of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 20 July [1857] …
- … have in simple truth been of the utmost value to me.” Darwin believes species have arisen, like …
- … or continuous area; they are actual lineal descendants. Darwin discusses fertilisation in the bud …
- … exchange This collection of letters between Darwin and Hooker, while Darwin was writing his …
- … to information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 6 Oct [1848] …
- … the termination of the voyage has been decided – September 1836. He writes of the earthquake of …
- … J. D. Hooker to take Scott on at Kew. Darwin notes that Emma begs him not to employ him at Down. He …
- … Letter 1176 — Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, Emma, [20–1 May 1848] Darwin writes to his wife Emma. …
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: 22 hits
- … of whom took immediate action to mediate a solution. Charles Darwin had close ties with both men and …
- … In the concluding paragraphs of Origin , Darwin had predicted that a ‘revolution in natural …
- … found acceptance at the time Origin was published. In 1836, Jacques Boucher de Perthes had found …
- … Thomas Henry Huxley, Busk, and several other supporters of Darwin in editing the Natural History …
- … aspects of the book. Throughout the first half of 1863, Darwin discussed the book in correspondence …
- … spoke out publicly about any controversial aspect. Darwin’s chief complaint about the book …
- … he thought about ‘the derivation of Species’. 8 Darwin continued to feel aggrieved about …
- … to the Athenæum . 9 In the same letter, Darwin touched on an area of public …
- … accusation, which had just appeared in the Athenæum . Darwin had not advised Falconer personally, …
- … 11 In the same review Lubbock expressed publicly what Darwin had said privately; that is, that …
- … given that ‘the whole tenor of his argument’ supported Darwin’s theory ([Lubbock] 1863b, p. 213). …
- … of all three letters to a number of friends, including Darwin. 22 Just before he …
- … who had also been sent copies of the letters, wrote to Darwin to ask what he thought of the affair ( …
- … as ‘rude & insulting’ and, in part, hardly intelligible. Darwin responded that, while he thought …
- … on the topic of the dispute has been found, but Lyell sent Darwin the corrected proofs of the …
- … ‘Textual changes made to C. Lyell 1863c’). By this time, Darwin clearly wished to avoid direct …
- … for an opinion ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 July 1865 ), Darwin wrote back ( letter to J. D. …
- … everything in world— Another indication of Darwin’s wish to avoid involvement is the …
- … and, as mentioned above, discussed the matter in person with Darwin. Lyell wrote to Darwin, Hooker, …
- … severe an attack on Sir Charles Lyell’. 32 Darwin’s analysis of the situation was …
- … relating to the appearance of C. Lyell 1863a, see Darwin's Life in Letters, 1863 , …
- … Hooker, [31 May 1865] and n. 1. 23. Letter from Emma Darwin to Henrietta Emma Darwin, …
About Darwin
Summary
To many of us, Darwin’s name is synonymous with his theory of evolution by natural selection. But even before the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, he was publicly known through his popular book about the voyage of the Beagle, and he was…
Matches: 17 hits
- … To many of us, Darwin’s name is synonymous with his theory of evolution by natural …
- … of his career, Origin was the point of departure for Darwin’s important works on variation, …
- … of religion. Born on 12 February 1809, Charles Darwin was the son of two noteworthy families. …
- … renowned physician, poet, and natural philosopher Erasmus Darwin. Charles grew up in Shrewsbury …
- … an older brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin, and a younger sister, Catherine. Their mother died in 1817, …
- … up to be a devoted family man. He married his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and they had ten …
- … by serving as research subjects themselves). The depth of Darwin’s affection for his children is …
- … the Cambridge professor of botany, John Stevens Henslow, Darwin was offered the chance to travel …
- … to this five-year journey, which began when he was just 22, Darwin wrote, 039;The voyage of the …
- … my whole career.039; While circumnavigating the globe, Darwin remained in constant contact with …
- … of life at sea. By the time he returned to England in 1836, Darwin had unearthed enormous mammalian …
- … and plants that fuelled much of his later work. Darwin’s achievements during the voyage …
- … heroes, the geologist Charles Lyell. The six years Darwin lived in London were among the most …
- … developed a theory of evolution. In 1842, Charles and Emma moved just south of London to the …
- … urged him to publish his views on evolution in 1858, when Darwin learned by letter that Alfred …
- … specimens in the Malay Archipelago. At home in Downe, Darwin spent the last two decades of his life …
- … of the most renowned names in Victorian Britain. Darwin died in April 1882; he was buried in …
About Darwin
Summary
To many of us, Darwin’s name is synonymous with his theory of evolution by natural selection. But even before the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, he was publicly known through his popular book about the voyage of the Beagle, and he was…
Matches: 17 hits
- … To many of us, Darwin’s name is synonymous with his theory of evolution by natural …
- … of his career, the Origin was the point of departure for Darwin’s important works on variation, …
- … of religion. Born on 12 February 1809, Charles Darwin was the son of two noteworthy families. …
- … renowned physician, poet, and natural philosopher Erasmus Darwin. Charles grew up in Shrewsbury …
- … an older brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin, and a younger sister, Catherine. Their mother died in 1817, …
- … up to be a devoted family man. He married his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and they had ten …
- … by serving as research subjects themselves). The depth of Darwin’s affection for his children is …
- … the Cambridge professor of botany, John Stevens Henslow, Darwin was offered the chance to travel …
- … to this five-year journey, which began when he was just 22, Darwin wrote, “The voyage of the Beagle …
- … my whole career.” While circumnavigating the globe, Darwin remained in constant contact with …
- … of life at sea. By the time he returned to England in 1836, Darwin had unearthed enormous mammalian …
- … and plants that fuelled much of his later work. Darwin’s achievements during the voyage …
- … heroes, the geologist Charles Lyell. The six years Darwin lived in London were among the most …
- … developed a theory of evolution. In 1842, Charles and Emma moved just south of London to the …
- … urged him to publish his views on evolution in 1858, when Darwin learned by letter that Alfred …
- … specimens in the Malay Archipelago. At home in Downe, Darwin spent the last two decades of his life …
- … him one of the most renowned names in Victorian Britain. Darwin died in April 1882; he was buried …
Charles Darwin’s letters: a selection 1825-1859
Summary
The letters in this volume span the years from 1825, when Darwin was a student at the University of Edinburgh, to the end of 1859, when the Origin of Species was published. The early letters portray Darwin as a lively sixteen-year-old medical student. Two…
Matches: 18 hits
- … The letters in this volume span the years from 1825, when Darwin was a student at the University of …
- … Origin of Species was published. The early letters portray Darwin as a lively sixteen-year-old …
- … history, for which no degree was then offered. Soon after Darwin took his BA degree, Henslow …
- … to South America and the Pacific. The letters that Darwin sent to his family and to Henslow …
- … by the time the Beagle arrived back in England in 1836, Darwin was already a well-known …
- … fish, birds, and reptiles collected during the voyage. Darwin supplied geological and geographical …
- … despite several periods of an illness that was to plague Darwin for most of his life. None of his …
- … To this day it remains a subject of great interest to Darwin scholars and medical historians. …
- … study of the entire order. By this time, 1854, Darwin had become a family man. In January …
- … age of ten in 1851. The letters are an intimate chronicle of Darwin and of an affectionate family. A …
- … the children, as they grew up, became active participants in Darwin’s scientific work. Even at an …
- … of male humble-bees. As noted above, almost all of Darwin’s published work up to this time …
- … On the last leg of the homeward journey, as Darwin organised his notes on the Galápagos birds, it …
- … named ‘natural selection’. The letters show that Darwin was not as secretive about his …
- … Gardens at Kew. In his letter of 11 January 1844 , Darwin revealed to Hooker that he thought he …
- … friendship developed, and Hooker became deeply involved in Darwin’s work as counsellor, critic, and, …
- … that Wallace might be on the track of something close to Darwin’s theory, and he urged his friend to …
- … selection. Lyell and Hooker, to salvage the twenty years of Darwin’s work, proposed that Wallace’s …
Darwin’s first love
Summary
Darwin’s long marriage to Emma Wedgwood is well documented, but was there an earlier romance in his life? How was his departure on the Beagle entangled with his first love? The answers are revealed in a series of flirtatious letters that Darwin was…
Matches: 27 hits
- … Darwin’s long marriage to Emma Wedgwood is well documented, but was there an earlier romance in his …
- … answers are revealed in a series of flirtatious letters that Darwin was supposed to destroy. …
- … at my fury and revenge— Had nineteen-year-old Darwin followed this instruction in a …
- … Fanny Mostyn Owen, wrote a series of revealing letters to Darwin, giving glimpses into their …
- … not know whether Fanny burnt the letters she received from Darwin, but he carefully kept the letters …
- … father, William Mostyn Owen, ‘ the Governor ’. Darwin first heard about Fanny when he was an …
- … The high-spirited, fun-loving Fanny, two years older than Darwin, clearly established the terms of …
- … her love of the dramatic, and most of all her inclusion of Darwin in a make-believe private world, …
- … Forest that shaped the relationship she developed with Darwin. The characters include Peter, a …
- … In Fanny’s first letter, and in many others she wrote to Darwin, he was postilion to her housemaid, …
- … words, convey a warmth of character that was first noted by Darwin’s sister Catherine. After staying …
- … Sarah, both recently back from France, Catherine wrote to Darwin in Edinburgh. ‘I never saw such …
- … on the social life of Brighton, she also demanded that Darwin send her ‘Shrewsbury scandal’. ‘You …
- … black mysteries after so long an absence ’. Darwin, however, did leave Shrewsbury before …
- … a clergyman. Fanny’s slow response to the news of Darwin’s departure came with the excuse that she …
- … like any thing but what I am , a Housemaid ’. Darwin’s feelings were probably more …
- … he had not heard from her. Writing before the end of Darwin’s first Cambridge term, Fanny …
- … they think, of a Housemaid writing to M r Charles Darwin— 039; That summer, while away …
- … A gift with wings At Cambridge, Darwin’s new-found passion for entomology …
- … ’, she declared herself ‘ very much oblig’d’ for Darwin’s gift. The swallow tail ‘has absolutely …
- … she had not played billiards or gone riding. When Darwin did not return to Shrewsbury for …
- … Hunters —and Paint brush Drivers !!! ’ Darwin was still as enraptured as ever by the Owens of …
- … Fanny Owen, 27 January [1830] (DAR 204: 47), referring to Darwin as a Beetle Hunter and herself as …
- … A long voyage and a secret ride In the end, it was Darwin’s ‘mania’ for natural history …
- … cons of marriage, Darwin decided to propose to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Their engagement letters …
- … do not know what Darwin thought when he met her in late 1836, but Fanny was touched by his visit …
- … it appears that Darwin did live happily ever after with Emma. …
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: 26 hits
- … Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, …
- … couple of months were needed to index the work, a task that Darwin handed over to someone else for …
- … and animals ( Expression ), published in 1872. Although Darwin had been collecting material and …
- … A global reputation The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly …
- … who might best answer the questions, with the result that Darwin began to receive replies from …
- … Variation would be based on proof-sheets received as Darwin corrected them. Closer to home, two …
- … Charles Fleeming Jenkin, challenged different aspects of Darwin’s theory of transmutation as …
- … orchids are fertilised by insects ( Orchids ). While Darwin privately gave detailed opinions of …
- … capable hands of Alfred Russel Wallace. At the same time, Darwin was persuaded by some German …
- … were becoming counterproductive. Throughout the year, Darwin continued to discuss now …
- … in Germany, and Federico Delpino in Italy, who provided Darwin with the collegial support and …
- … tedious dull work’ Thomas Henry Huxley sent Darwin the New Year’s greeting, ‘may you be …
- … number of copies to be printed, and by the end of the month Darwin promised to send the revised …
- … to John Murray, 31 January [1867] ). A week later, Darwin had sent the manuscript to the …
- … Descent and Expression . In the same letter, Darwin revealed the conclusion to his newly …
- … As the year progressed, the book continued to consume Darwin’s time. The first proof-sheets arrived …
- … Russian, German, and French translations had been arranged. Darwin had now found sympathetic …
- … was made by a young naturalist equally devoted to Darwin’s work, Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky. …
- … brother’s embryological papers with his first letter to Darwin of 15 March 1867 , although he …
- … concerned with finding a good translator for his book, Darwin was always on the lookout for evidence …
- … link between invertebrates and vertebrates. Finally, Darwin had made sure that Julius Victor …
- … he was certain that Carus would undertake the translation. Darwin had received other offers, notably …
- … already agreed in principle to translate the work but told Darwin, ‘I am so very much occupied just …
- … 1867] ). Unfortunately, he did not elaborate further on Emma Darwin’s view, so we are left to …
- … accompanied by some temporary memory loss, which caused Emma to consult his physician, Henry Bence …
- … daughters reading to him and acting as amanuenses. Henrietta Emma Darwin read and corrected proof …
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: 25 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 …
- … 1860 that a new edition of Origin was called for, Darwin took the opportunity to include in the …
- … of natural selection. With this work behind him, Darwin took steps to convince those who …
- … ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] ). Darwin drew up a carefully thought-out list of …
- … pamphlet (see Correspondence vol. 9, Appendix III). However, Darwin himself remained unconvinced by …
- … began to decline later in the year, scientific interest in Darwin’s views continued unabated and …
- … the third edition and the comments of naturalists with whom Darwin corresponded, showed that a …
- … the theory of natural selection for their particular fields. Darwin relished these explorations, …
- … the Zoologist by George Maw, for example, singled out Darwin’s explanation of the numerous …
- … remained notable instances of design in nature. Although Darwin, in his subsequent correspondence …
- … letter to Charles Lyell, 20 July [1861] ). One reason for Darwin’s interest in this piece may have …
- … and embryological relationships between organisms. Darwin also found the review by the young …
- … ( see second letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 [April 1861] ). Darwin continued to stress to his …
- … Gaining allies It is not surprising, then, that Darwin was pleased that the methodology …
- … maintaining that nature offered more evidence of design than Darwin was willing to admit. With the …
- … Botany, simple geology & palæontology.039; Moreover, Darwin found an important …
- … Cambridge political economist and convert to his theory, Darwin learned of Mill’s view that the …
- … accordance with the strict principles of Logic’ and that Darwin’s methodology was ‘the only one …
- … 1862, p. 18 n.). Later in the summer Fawcett himself made Darwin’s methodology the subject of a …
- … for the Advancement of Science. He subsequently sent Darwin a copy of the manuscript and some …
- … death in September 1860 of their first-born, Noel, he and Emma invited her and the children to Down …
- … the hope that sea air would improve the health of Henrietta Emma Darwin, who had been suffering for …
- … and cousin on a week-long tour of Dartmoor. Both Darwin and Emma, however, in part credited Joseph …
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: 26 hits
- … 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence …
- … Russel Wallace. This letter led to the first announcement of Darwin’s and Wallace’s respective …
- … 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 …
- … Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). This transformation in Darwin’s personal world and the …
- … The 039;big book039; The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at work preparing his ‘big …
- … his ninth chapter, on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to prepare the …
- … appropriate. The correspondence shows that at any one time Darwin was engaged in a number of …
- … The chapter on instinct posed a number of problems for Darwin. ‘I find my chapter on Instinct very …
- … ). In addition to behaviour such as nest-building in birds, Darwin intended to discuss many other …
- … celebrated as a classic example of divine design in nature. Darwin hypothesised that the instinct of …
- … of construction as it took place in the hive. As with Darwin’s study of poultry and pigeons, …
- … founder and president of the Apiarian Society, provided Darwin with information and specimens. His …
- … For assistance with mathematical measurements and geometry, Darwin called upon William Hallowes …
- … from the Beagle voyage; on his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin; and his son William. Even his …
- … bees and bee-hives. Variation and reversion Darwin also continued the botanical work …
- … of smaller genera? The inquiry was of great importance to Darwin, for such evidence would support …
- … of the statistics was still problematic. Hooker thought that Darwin was wrong to assume that …
- … were not certain. This was a question new to the experts. Darwin was delighted to hear from Asa Gray …
- … completed and his results written up. With some trepidation, Darwin sent his manuscript off to …
- … in the letters of 1858 also relate to questions that Darwin had begun to explore earlier. Letters to …
- … rush to publish With much of his research completed, Darwin began in mid-June 1858 to write …
- … Wallace enunciated his own theory of natural selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the …
- … Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). As was his custom, Darwin did not supply a full date on his …
- … as having been received ‘today’. Following Francis Darwin ( LL 2: 116–17) and relying on Charles …
- … to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest daughter, Henrietta Emma, who had been ill since the beginning …
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: 25 hits
- … Species theory In November 1845, Charles Darwin wrote to his friend and confidant Joseph …
- … and Fossil Cirripedia (1851, 1854). What led Darwin to engage in this work when he was …
- … group. Light is shed on the close relationship between Darwin’s systematic descriptive work and the …
- … often frustrating taxonomical maze. Throughout these years, Darwin was also struggling with a …
- … 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 …
- … Phillips, and Daniel Sharpe, demonstrating the extent of Darwin’s continued involvement in …
- … and naturalists, most notably James Dwight Dana, Henry Darwin Rogers, and Bernhard Studer, and the …
- … In the midst of all this activity, Hooker responds to Darwin’s particular queries and sends …
- … British government in scientific research during the period. Darwin also contributed to these …
- … scientific work of naval officers and travellers in general. Darwin was asked by the editor, Sir …
- … to J. F. W. Herschel, 4 February [1848] ). Letters between Darwin and Richard Owen, author of the …
- … zoology between them. Owen included in his chapter notes by Darwin on the use of microscopes on …
- … the leading questions and wide views spelt out by Darwin in the Admiralty Manual are also those …
- … Inverness, in which he maintained that the terraces, which Darwin believed to be of marine origin, …
- … of Glen Roy had produced a lake and the consequent beaches. Darwin carefully re-examined his own …
- … editor of the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal , Darwin asked for it to be destroyed. Only the …
- … ). Other letters to colleagues at this time indicate that Darwin was beginning to feel that the Glen …
- … 8 [September 1847] ). The second geological theory Darwin felt the need to defend had to do …
- … that only a great rush of water could carry them up hills. Darwin’s response was to explain such …
- … rocks and foliation in metamorphic rocks, on the other. Darwin maintained that cleavage was the …
- … to convince other prominent geologists, among them Lyell, so Darwin was keenly interested in what …
- … subject. The letters also reveal that Lyell sought Darwin’s advice in the preparation of new …
- … Manual of elementary geology . In addition, Lyell asked for Darwin’s view of his major new theory …
- … by the substantial sum that had been placed in trust for Emma Darwin when she married. The accounts …