To John Gould [13 April 1838]
Summary
Gives best wishes for Gould’s trip to Australia.
Notes on Synallaxis behaviour.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Gould |
| Date: | [13 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | Dr Daniel C. Devor (private collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-408F |
Notes on marriage [after 7 Apr 1838]
Summary
Published as an appendix to vol. 2 of the Correspondence; see https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/tags/about-darwin/family-life/darwin-marriage. Considers his options for the future. Debates marriage and the best place to live. Feels the need for experiment and direct observation which would be difficult living in London; he "could not go on as Lyell does correcting & adding up new information to old train".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [after 7 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.8 :1, DAR 210.8: 2 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-409 |
From John Gould [13 April] 1838
Summary
Thanks CD for his present of a dram bottle [actually a silver-cased compass]. JG will be reminded daily of their friendship when he is in the wilds [of Australia].
| Author: | John Gould |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [13 Apr] 1838 |
| Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (Tring Museum Correspondence) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-409A |
To Susan Darwin [26 April 1838]
Summary
Thanks for ham and corrections in spelling. Gives account of his social activities in past week.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [26 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 92: A5–6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-410 |
To Caroline Wedgwood [May 1838]
Summary
His books grow in size. Hopes to bring out work on volcanic islands and coral formations in the autumn or winter. The Journal of researches will not be published until autumn [actually not until 1839]. Whewell and Lyell flatter him about it. Has given up all society.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Darwin; Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Wedgwood |
| Date: | [May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 154: 53 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-411 |
To C. T. Whitley [8 May 1838]
Summary
Treasures recollections of old friends but seldom sees any. Has turned "a complete scribbler".
His scientific activities.
No wife in sight so far.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Thomas Whitley |
| Date: | [8 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-411A |
To William Lonsdale [15 May 1838]
Summary
Returns his paper for publication ["Volcanic phenomena in South America" (1840), Collected papers 1: 53–86].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Lonsdale |
| Date: | [15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-412 |
To Susan Darwin [15 May 1838]
Summary
Recounts dinner at Erasmus’ house with Harriet Martineau and others, and a visit to Cambridge to stay with Henslow and meet old friends again.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 223: 38 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-413 |
From Adam Sedgwick to the Geological Society of London [after 15 May 1838]
Summary
Referee report on CD’s "Volcanic phenomena in South America" [Collected papers 1: 53–86]. Deductions incontrovertible, but theoretical remarks not clearly stated.
| Author: | Adam Sedgwick |
| Addressee: | Geological Society of London |
| Date: | [after 15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/COM/P/4/2/48) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-414 |
To John Forbes Royle [24 May 1838]
Summary
Would like to attend a lecture by JFR on "geography of plants with relation to the Himalayas".
"A grand battle" at the Geological Society between Sedgwick and G. B. Greenough.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Forbes Royle |
| Date: | [24 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 147: 397 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415 |
To Charles Wood 24 May 1838
Summary
Asks for permission to have a copy of the published Admiralty chart of the Island of Ascension. The engraved chart will add value to the geological observations to be published in the natural history of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Wood, Lord Halifax, 1st Viscount Halifax |
| Date: | 24 May 1838 |
| Classmark: | The National Archives (TNA) (ADM 1/4548 PRO D 170) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415A |
From Francis Beaufort 26 May [1838]
Summary
Has been commanded to supply CD with a copy of the plan of Ascension Island to be engraved for the natural history of the Beagle’s voyage. Suggests that a lithographer be sent to the [Hydrographic] office to take a transfer proof.
| Author: | Francis Beaufort |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 26 May [1838] |
| Classmark: | United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Archive (Letter Book no. 8, p. 190) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415B |
To George Robert Waterhouse [August 1838–40]
Summary
Determined to make GRW a geologist. Sends copy of C. Lyell [?Elements of geology (1838)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Robert Waterhouse |
| Date: | [Aug 1838–40] |
| Classmark: | Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-416 |
To William Lonsdale [c. June 1838]
Summary
Responds to report of the referee [on his paper "The formation of mould"]. Strikes out a paragraph and wants to add a note. Asks WL’s advice about a sentence.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Lonsdale |
| Date: | [c. June 1838] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-417 |
From W. D. Fox [c. November 1838]
Summary
Reports on the effects of inbreeding in dogs and the results of crossing Canada and common geese.
| Author: | William Darwin Fox |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [c. Nov 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 164: 173 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-418 |
To W. D. Fox [15 June 1838]
Summary
Has not been well.
Plans a geological trip to Glen Roy in Scotland.
Thanks WDF for remembering the crossing of animals, CD’s "prime hobby". "I really think some day I shall be able to do something on that most intricate subject species and varieties."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | [15 June 1838] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 54) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-419 |
Notes on marriage [July 1838]
Summary
Published as an appendix to vol. 2 of the Correspondence; see https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/tags/about-darwin/family-life/darwin-marriage. Debates with himself the pros and cons of marriage. Considers plans for future.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [July 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.8: 2 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-420 |
From Francis Walker 6 July [1838]
Summary
Thanks CD for suggestions for improving his descriptions of species by indicating localities. With few exceptions the Chalcidites of South America and Australia are remarkably like European species.
| Author: | Francis Walker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 6 July [1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 205.3: 293 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421 |
From J. P. S. de Grateloup 18 July 1838
Summary
Sends to CD, as Secretary of the Geological Society, his work on fossil shells ["Mémoire sur les coquilles fossiles", Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux 10 (1838): 92–152].
| Author: | Jean Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 18 July 1838 |
| Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/L/R/4/5) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421A |
To Thomas Spring Rice [before 7 July 1838]
Summary
Express their concern that the offer for sale to the British Museum, by G. A. Mantell and Thomas Hawkins, of two valuable collections, has been declined.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin; William Buckland; Adam Sedgwick; John Phillips; William Whewell; Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st baronet; Charles Lyell, 1st baronet; Charles Stokes; William John Hamilton; Edward Stanley; Richard Owen; William Clift; Charles Babbage; John Bostock; Peter Mark Roget; John Taylor; Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2d Marquess of Northampton; William John Broderip |
| Addressee: | Thomas Spring Rice |
| Date: | [before 7 July 1838] |
| Classmark: | House of Commons papers; accounts and papers, 1837/38, XXXVI, 307 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421F |
| Darwin, C. R. | (51) |
| Darwin, Emma | (9) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (9) |
| Buckland, William | (2) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (35) |
| Darwin, Emma | (7) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (7) |
| Lyell, Charles | (5) |
| Darwin, S. E. | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (84) |
| Darwin, Emma | (16) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (16) |
| Lyell, Charles | (7) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (5) |
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: 18 hits
- … whom his work brought him into close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin …
- … be as they are (Kohn 1980). Between April 1837 and September 1838 he filled several notebooks with …
- … it (in his referee’s report to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a …
- … and Buckland (see the reports by Buckland, 9 March 1838 , and Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). …
- … of his Beagle work, and it too was in geology. In 1838 he set out on a geological tour in …
- … Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle from February 1838 to October 1843. The correspondence …
- … plant distribution and classification (see Henslow 1837a and 1838; W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott …
- … letters have suffered an even more severe loss. In a letter to Lyell’s sister-in-law, Katharine …
- … 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 …
- … generation, fecundity, and inheritance. After mid-September 1838, when he had his ‘theory to work by …
- … of Comte’s Philosophie positive ([Brewster] 1838; see also Manier 1978, pp. 40–5) which …
- … 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] …
- … for several months (See Correspondence vol. 1, letter to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , …
- … notebook). See also Allan 1977, pp. 128–30). The letter, on ‘Double flowers’ to the …
- … the task Darwin had set for himself when, in the spring of 1838, he wrote in his notebook: ' …
Darwin’s species notebooks: ‘I think . . .’
Summary
I have lately been sadly tempted to be idle, that is as far as pure geology is concerned, by the delightful number of new views, which have been coming in, thickly & steadily, on the classification & affinities & instincts of animals—bearing…
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: 27 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he …
- … arranged alphabetically, of the scientific books read from 1838 through 1846, but it was not kept up …
- … Inside Front Cover] C. Darwin June 1 st . 1838 Stoke’s Library 1 …
- … read L. Jenyns paper on Annals of Nat. Hist. [Jenyns 1838] Prichard; a 3 d . vol …
- … Cavernes d’Ossements 7 th Ed. 10 8 vo . [Serres 1838] good to trace Europ. forms compared …
- … 1827] Paxton on the culture of Dahlias [Paxton 1838] read Paper on consciousness in …
- … [DAR *119: 4v.] Bevan’s work on Bees new Ed. 1838 [Bevan 1838] Harlaam Phys. & …
- … [Anon. 1839b] Rev. on Walker on Intermarriage [A. Walker 1838] M me Necker on Education [A …
- … Torrey have published Botany of N. America [Torrey and Gray 1838–43]. both indigenous & imported …
- … r Yarrell has it?? Walker on Interriage [A. Walker 1838] refers to writings of …
- … has published work on fossil shells of N. America [Conrad 1838] Atlas de la Geographie des …
- … well worth reading. Read Loudon’s Arboretum [Loudon 1838] in Edinburgh Review July 1839 [Anon …
- … worth reading [Beale 1839] Loudons Arboretum [Loudon 1838]. read D r . Moreton’s …
- … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … M rs Fry’s Life [Fry 1847] Horace Walpoles letter to C t . of Ossory [Walpole 1848] …
- … Asiatic Society ]—contains very little Macleay’s letter to D r Fleming [Macleay 1830] …
- … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
- … of the material from these portfolios is in DAR 205, the letter from William Edward Shuckard to …
- … ( Notebooks , pp. 319–28). 55 The letter was addressed to Nicholas Aylward Vigors …
- … to William Jackson Hooker. See Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, [5 or 12 November …
- … 119: 21b Broughton, William Grant. 1832. A letter in vindication of the principles of …
- … by Bekhur to Garoo and the Lake Manasarowara: with a letter from … J. G. Gerard, Esq. …
- … 1830. On the dying struggle of the dichotomous sytem. In a letter to N. A. Vigors. Philosophical …
- … *119: 8v., 22v.; *128: 165 ——. 1850a. Letter to the Rev. John Bachman, on the question of …
- … art of improving the breeds of domestic animals. In a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Sir …
- … 1820. Remarks on the improvement of cattle, &c. in a letter to Sir John Saunders Sebright, …
Darwin's health
Summary
On 28 March 1849, ten years before Origin was published, Darwin wrote to his good friend Joseph Hooker from Great Malvern in Worcestershire, where Dr James Manby Gully ran a fashionable water-cure establishment. Darwin apologised for his delayed reply to…
Matches: 22 hits
- … Darwin apologised for his delayed reply to Hooker’s letter which he put down to his exceptionally …
- … I was rapidly going the way of all flesh. See the letter At various periods in his …
- … months while he took Dr Gully’s water cure. In Darwin’s letter to Hooker, he described Dr Gully’s …
- … certain that the Water Cure is no quackery.— See the letter After returning from …
- … in the years around 1848, 1852, 1859, and 1863. In a letter to Hooker in April of 1861, for example, …
- … as my retching is apt to be extremely loud.— See the letter Besides experimenting …
- … the vomiting wonderfully & I am gaining vigour .’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 April [1864] ) …
- … these grounds (see, for example, Correspondence vol. 2, letter to J. S. Henslow, 14 October …
- … first mentioned attacks of ‘periodical vomiting’ in a letter to W. D. Fox, [7 June 1840] ( …
- … sickness in 1849, describing ‘incessant vomiting’ in his letter to Richard Owen, [24 February 1849 …
- … he was sick almost daily (see Correspondence vol. 12, letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox, [6 …
- … before Darwin’s decision to consult John Chapman. In a letter to J. D. Hooker, [20-] 22 February …
- … after eating, and that he seldom threw up food. In his letter to Chapman of 16 May [1865] , …
- … and care see, for example, Correspondence vol. 4, letter to Emma Darwin, [27-8 May 1848] . …
- … had suffered from gout (see Correspondence vol. 1, letter to W. D. Fox, [25-9 January 1829] , …
- … see King-Hele 1999, pp. 161-2). Erasmus also wrote a letter to Darwin’s father, in which he claimed …
- … are discussed in Colp 1977, pp. 31-2, 47, 98. In his letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 March [1863] ( …
- … feel a little alive’. See also Correspondence vol. 12, letter from Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker, …
- … the treatment (see, for example, Correspondence vol. 4, letter to W. D. Fox, 24 [March 1849] …
- … at Down for several years (see Correspondence vol. 4, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 October 1849 …
- … September and October 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox, …
- … checked his chronic vomiting ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 April [1864] …
Science: A Man’s World?
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…
Matches: 18 hits
- … Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, written shortly before …
- … feminine world of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., …
- … an hour “with poor Mrs. Lyell sitting by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to …
- … whose attractions are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 …
- … her own steam and is a “first rate critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, …
- … ornaments in the making of feminine works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 …
- … the young, especially ladies, to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., …
- … Anderson is “neither masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., …
- … to him as a published science author, is a man. Letter 7314 - Kovalevsky, S. to Darwin, …
- … Theoriae Functionum Ellipticarum , (1829). Letter 7329 - Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 …
- … to prick up what little is left of them ears”. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, …
- … almost out of a woman’s natural thinking”. Letter 8079 - Norton, S. R. to Darwin, [20 …
- … but has not read the pamphlet herself. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, [16 May …
- … narrative so not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
- … which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 10746 – Darwin to Dicey, E. M., …
- … inability to cope well with the sight of blood. Letter 12389 - Johnson, M. to Darwin, …
- … to have entered the cave “since the flood”. Letter 13414 - Darwin to Harrison, L., [18 …
- … and possess strong powers of patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 …
Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications
Summary
This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…
Matches: 5 hits
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 210-12. —Observations of proofs …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 446-9. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 542-4. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 552-4. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
- … F1660.] —Remarks on the preceding paper, in a letter from Charles Darwin, Esq., to Mr. …
Dining at Down House
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Dining, Digestion, and Darwin's Domestic Life While Darwin is best remembered for his scientific accomplishments, he greatly valued and was strongly influenced by his domestic life. Darwin's…
Matches: 9 hits
- … and Conclusion”). Letters Letter Packet: Dining at Down House …
- … ill health began on his Beagle voyage. In this letter (written amidst the excitement of South …
- … difficulties of traveling on horseback while ill. Letter 465 —Emma Wedgwood (Emma Darwin …
- … making himself agreeable” for her sake. Letter 3626 —Emma Darwin to T. G. Appleton, 28 …
- … to thank Appleton for gifts sent from America. Letter 3597 —Darwin to Joseph Dalton …
- … to Henrietta Darwin, [5 September 1868] In this chatty letter to her daughter Henrietta, who …
- … typical nineteenth-century luncheon fare. Letter 8296 —Darwin to Francis Galton, 21 …
- … who was then a professor at Cambridge University. This letter is full of news about the political …
- … his letters. They were particularly intrigued by this letter written from Emma to Charles before …
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: 23 hits
- … of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
- … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
- … 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, …
- … He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
- … of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
- … of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
- … of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
- … about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
- … there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
- … need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
- … with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
- … that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
- … and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
- … “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
- … man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
- … most correct description of my state of mind”. Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, …
- … as examples to illustrate his ideas on beauty. Letter 4752 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
- … discusses humming birds and orchids as examples. Letter 4939 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
- … a long discussion on beauty in the natural world. Letter 4943 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
- … beauty of flowers is solely to attract insects. Letter 5003f — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
- … Beauty against the Duke of Argyll’s criticisms. Letter 5004 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
- … of beauty being displayed in conspicuous parts. Letter 5060 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C. …
Darwin on marriage
Summary
On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and been accepted; they were married on 29 January 1839. Darwin appears to have written these two notes weighing up the pros and cons of…
Matches: 5 hits
- … On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to …
- … his correspondents. First note [after 7 April 1838][1] Work finished [2] …
- … Library, DAR 210.8:1 Second note [July 1838][12] This is the Question[13] …
- … note was written in pencil on the three blank pages of the letter from Leonard Horner, 7 April [1838 …
- … definite prospect in mind at the time of writing, but in a letter to Charles Lyell, [12 November …
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: 5 hits
- … on how species might have arisen. In September 1838, reading Thomas Malthus’s Essay on the principle …
- … his species doubts as has been commonly thought. Between 1838 and 1857, he told at least ten of his …
- … the mutability of species. As early as 14 September 1838, before reading Malthus, he wrote to Lyell …
- … the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In his letter of 11 January 1844 , Darwin …
- … ‘big book’, when, in June 1858, he received the famous letter from Wallace in which was enclosed a …
Species and varieties
Summary
On the origin of species by means of natural selection …so begins the title of Darwin’s most famous book, and the reader would rightly assume that such a thing as ‘species’ must therefore exist and be subject to description. But the title continues, …or…
Matches: 7 hits
- … (DAR 119: 2v), Darwin scribbled a reminder to himself in 1838 to ‘read Aristotle to see if any of my …
- … & yet all the genera have 1/2 a dozen synonyms’ ( letter to H. E. Strickland, [4 February 1849] …
- … and explicit in the work of contemporary naturalists. In a letter to his friend Joseph Hooker, he …
- … I believe, from trying to define the undefinable’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1856] ). …
- … a selected quality to keep incipient species distinct’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] …
- … of hybrids might be produced by natural selection ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 1 March 1868 ). …
- … to ‘say no more but leave the problem as insoluble’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 ). …
George Robert Waterhouse
Summary
George Waterhouse was born on 6 March 1810 in Somers Town, North London. His father was a solicitor’s clerk and an amateur lepidopterist. George was educated from 1821-24 at Koekelberg near Brussels. On his return he worked for a time as an apprentice to…
Thomas Burgess
Summary
As well as its complement of sailors, the Beagle also carried a Royal Marine sergeant and seven marines, one of whom was Thomas Burgess. When the Beagle set sail he was twenty one, having been born in October 1810 to Israel and Hannah Burgess of Lancashire…
Matches: 5 hits
- … probably never thought about him again until he opened a letter from him in March 1875 . It was …
- … show that he married Hannah Fletcher in the early months of 1838, and from the births of their …
- … Orme sr in 1860 (TNA RG11/3490/34/13). In his second letter Burgess explained that he had never …
- … a copy of one. Darwin complied and Burgess sent a third letter expressing his thanks for the …
- … friend ‘who Doubted Some of my Assertions’. Presumably a letter and photograph were not sufficient …
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: 31 hits
- … suppose abuse is as good as praise for selling a Book’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 January [1867] …
- … to the printer, but without the additional chapter. In a letter written on 8 February [1867] to …
- … books, Descent and Expression . In the same letter, Darwin revealed the conclusion to his …
- … variation of animals and plants under domestication . In a letter to his son William dated 27 …
- … of his brother’s embryological papers with his first letter to Darwin of 15 March 1867 , although …
- … . Indeed, he told his publisher, John Murray, in a letter of 4 April [1867] , not to send …
- … tell me, at what rate your work will be published’ ( letter from J. V. Carus, 5 April 1867 ). This …
- … & sent to him, he may wish to give up the task’ ( letter to Carl Vogt, 12 April [1867] ). …
- … fit person’ to introduce the work to the German public ( letter from J. V. Carus, 15 April 1867 ). …
- … Vogt should translate my book in preference to you’ ( letter to J. V. Carus, 18 April [1867] ). …
- … varieties at the eye, which resulted in a mottled hybrid ( letter from Robert Trail, 5 April 1867 …
- … seems to me, if true, a wonderful physiological fact’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). …
- … it will be a somewhat important step in Biology’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 22 August [1867] ). …
- … if you attack it & me with unparalleled ferocity’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 November [1867] …
- … own discretion; anyhow most ought to be introduced’ ( letter to W. S. Dallas, 8 November [1867] ). …
- … however, & I cannot get on so quickly as I could wish’ (letter from W. S. Dallas, 20 November …
- … of the emotions in humans for a long time. From around 1838, he had begun making observations on …
- … with me about 27 years old In a letter of 22 February [1867] to Fritz Müller in …
- … chapter on the cause or meaning of Expression.’ With this letter Darwin enclosed a list of questions …
- … ‘Queries about Expression’. In a postscript to the letter he added, ‘But you must not plague …
- … that Darwin send his queries to foreign newspapers. The letter also reveals that he did not share …
- … work in some “supplemental remarks on expression”’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [12–17] March [1867] …
- … of no one to send them to, so do not want any more’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). …
- … for the year 1867. In his 15 April [1867] letter to Gray , Darwin commented, ‘I have been …
- … further ( Variation 2: 75). In notes for his reply to a letter from Edward Blyth dated 19 …
- … on sexual differences in mammals and birds. In his letter to Fritz Müller of 22 February [1867] , …
- … topic on a theoretical level was Alfred Russel Wallace. In a letter to Wallace written on 23 …
- … in his aviary to see whether this was the case ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1867] ). …
- … at a fundamental level. In his response to Wallace ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 26 February [1867] ) …
- … selection might come into play in some circumstances. In a letter of 5 May [1867] , Darwin …
- … done by you than I c d have succeeded in doing’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 29 April [1867] ). …
Charles Lyell
Summary
As an author, friend and correspondent, Charles Lyell played a crucial role in shaping Darwin's scientific life. Born to a wealthy gentry family in Scotland in 1797, Lyell had a classical and legal education but by the 1820s had become entranced by…
What did Darwin believe?
Summary
What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of his theory of evolution for religious faith? These questions were asked again and again in the years following the publication of Origin of species (1859). They are…
Matches: 17 hits
- … often seeking direction for their own. Mary Boole’s letter In December 1866 Darwin …
- … of Science & the promises of religion. See the letter Boole, like a number …
- … meeting point should still be far off. See the letter In his response to Boole …
- … feeling. But he does not venture into such territory in this letter to a stranger. Emma …
- … description of my state of mind. See the letter In this letter, Darwin is …
- … In their correspondence, shortly after their engagement in 1838, we find an early expression of …
- … & I cannot help being open with you. See the letter We know from Darwin’s …
- … means so in eternity. There is a marked tension in Emma’s letter between reason and feeling, and …
- … as a guide to moral conduct, as in his remarks on Paul’s letter to Galatians, chapter six: ‘read …
- … it derive from inner feelings or instincts? In a letter written to Charles several months …
- … trying to learn the truth, you cannot be wrong … See the letter Yet she is concerned …
- … by adopting … the first fashionable view. Letter from T. H. Huxley to H. A. Heathorn, …
- … life. Huxley could not accept this, but Kingsley’s letter opened a line of communication that …
- … conception of entire surrender to the will of God.’ (Letter from T. H. Huxley to C. Kingsley, …
- … blows are everywhere necessary. See the letter Darwin is often portrayed as …
- … potential allies and disturb old allegiances. Haeckel’s letter had been prompted by an admonition …
- … of the truth of his own conclusions. See the letter Cautious style and self …
Journal of researches
Summary
Within two months of the Beagle’s arrival back in England in October 1836, Darwin, although busy with distributing his specimens among specialists for description, and more interested in working on his geological research, turned his mind to the task of…
Matches: 3 hits
- … or simply get lost as part of three-volume set. In September 1838, Charles Lyell reported that his …
- … because Darwin had circulated the page proofs from early 1838, not least to William Whewell, …
- … Alexander von Humboldt, who wrote a long and appreciative letter about the ‘ excellent et admirable …
Darwin and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 23 hits
- … & I can see it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] …
- … wrote to the contrary: ‘I am sorry to see in your last letter that you still look forward to the …
- … near the British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] …
- … it is a sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). …
- … and in correspondence with his fiancée, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838 and 1839, as can be read here. In the …
- … However, what remains is cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to …
- … (a local charity), which he administered from 1848 to 1869 (letter to J. B. Innes, [8 May 1848] …
- … he would make an excellent Guardian [of the Poor Fund]’ (letter to J. W. Lubbock, 28 March [1854] …
- … club the use of his own lawn for its meetings (Moore 1985; letter to J. S. Henslow, 17 January …
- … the family’s dog, Quiz, when he moved away from Down (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 December [1861] ) …
- … was considered to be a cross between a cow and a red deer (letter from J. B. Innes, 7 December …
- … ancestor. Please think of my request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed …
- … and leaves Moses to take care of himself. Letter from J. B. Innes, 1 December 1878 …
- … take care of the financial complications he left behind (letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June …
- … seemed to have made off with the church’s organ fund (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 June [1868] ). So …
- … by Horsman relating to the Down school and organ funds (letter to J. B. Innes, 13 January 1871 ). …
- … Dissenters’ chapel, rather than the Down parish church (letter to J. B. Innes, 1 December 1868 ). …
- … in the Parish, but preaches, I hear, very dull sermons’ (letter to J. B. Innes, 18 January [1871] …
- … capital testimonials to his wife’s qualifications’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 5 June 1871 ). …
- … support, and presented their answer to the School Committee (letter to Down School Board, [after …
- … of letters to both men, vainly seeking to reconcile them (letter from John Lubbock, 5 April [1875] …
- … During the reign of Ffinden, there is an interesting letter from Darwin to the evangelist J. W. C. …
- … do not know that there is a drunkard left in the village’ (letter to J. W. C. Fegan, [December …
1.2 George Richmond, marriage portrait
Summary
< Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more may once have existed. In a letter of 1873 an old Shrewsbury friend, Arthur Mostyn Owen, offered to send Darwin a watercolour sketch of him, painted many years…
Matches: 5 hits
- … youth survive, although more may once have existed . In a letter of 1873 an old Shrewsbury friend, …
- … estimate of Richmond’s work can be gauged from a letter which Hooker wrote to Darwin some years …
- … belonged to ‘The Family’ – helpfully adding a date of 1838, when Richmond was in Italy! …
- … account books, entry for Dec. 1839. Joseph Hooker, letter to Darwin, 17 March 1862 (DCP-LETT-3474). …
- … this seemingly conflicts with the indications in Erasmus’s letter of 1866, quoted above. …
Darwin’s observations on his children
Summary
Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children, began the research that culminated in his book The Expression of the emotions in man and animals, published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, published in Mind…
Matches: 5 hits
- … our door N o 12 and N o 11 is in the slit for the Letter box.— he decidedly ran past N o 11 …
- … has learned them from my sometimes changing the first letter in any word he is using—thus I say …
- … , pp. 131–2. [6] Correspondence vol. 2, letter from Emma Wedgwood, [23 January 1839] . …
- … 1840] . [8] See CD’s autobiographical fragment of 1838 ( Correspondence vol. 2, Appendix …
- … transcription of CD’s autobiographical fragment written in 1838, in which he remarked on how he …
