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Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
Matches: 20 hits
- … – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as …
- … quotes from the correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton …
- … read the words of the following: Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin …
- … day archivist, this actor uses the words of Jane Loring Gray, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Hugh Falconer, …
- … in which the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the …
- … are described by his widow Jane the final days of Professor Asa Gray, Harvard Botanist. A series of …
- … of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa Gray is in his late 70s. JANE …
- … as if confessing a murder. DARWIN: 7 January 1844. My dear Hooker. I have been …
- … secret and potentially incendiary ideas. A younger Asa Gray (now in his mid 40s) arrives in …
- … you might reasonably expect… Yours most sincerely Asa Gray. DARWIN: 16 My dear …
- … 25 I send enclosed [a letter for you from Asa Gray], received this morning. I send my own, also, …
- … instructive to me. 42 Ever most cordially yours, Asa Gray Darwin, after a short …
- … interrupts, barely able to suppress his anger. He is in his 70s and in poor health. …
- … records tell us of its history… GRAY: 70 Well, … the book has reached me, and … …
- … by it, to our great delight. AGASSIZ: 71 [I] consider the transmutation theory a …
- … and mischievous in its tendency. GRAY: 72 [He] has been helping the circulation …
- … one book as I have from yours…. DARWIN: 75 I should rather think there was a good …
- … of this reads quite Lamarckian… DARWIN: 76 About [the] weak points, I agree. The …
- … tells me I ought to conquer the cold shudder. 77 Owen, after much shuffling and …
- … run prevail. CERTAIN BENEFICIAL LINES: 1860 Asa Gray presents his argument of Creation …
Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments
Summary
1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…
Matches: 15 hits
- … and assistance with experiments. In January, he wrote to Asa Gray thanking him for some ‘new cases …
- … had ‘different functions’. He continued to write to Gray throughout the year about his quest for …
- … frustrated, telling Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 March [1862] ): ‘I am nearly sure that …
- … time on the problem: ‘the labour is great’, he told Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] ) …
- … may be said to be generically distinct’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 14 July [1862] ). The case was so …
- … seed. The case clearly excited Darwin, who exclaimed to Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, 9 August [1862] …
- … had enjoyed observing the orchids: he described the work to Gray as a ‘hobby-horse’ that had given …
- … of natural selection through the back door ( letter to Asa Gray, 23[–4] July [1862] ). Moreover, …
- … his opposition to the Origin ’ ( letter from Asa Gray, 2–3 July 1862 ). Henry Walter …
- … ). War abroad. Anxiety at home As usual, Asa Gray took care that Americans should know …
- … & genius you have for these researches’ ( letter from Asa Gray, 18 May 1862 ). In thanking …
- … ‘not a shade of feeling against slavery’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 16 October [1862] ). It was …
- … ‘fearful evil to the whole world’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 16 October [1862] )—appreciated how well …
- … had ‘come to wish for Peace at any price’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 23[–4] July [1862] ), the couple …
- … than almost anywhere else’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 March [1862] ). he is so …
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: 17 hits
- … ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, Darwin’s friend in the United …
- … Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In May, Darwin …
- … and letter to Athenæum , 18 April [1863] ). He told Gray: ‘Under the cloak of a fling at …
- … Lyells amended verdict on the Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 20 April [1863] ). Darwin quoted a …
- … the public in this way ( see letter from J. D. Hooker, [7 May 1863] , and Appendix VII). He also …
- … 1862 (see Correspondence vol. 10). He sent a copy to Asa Gray to review in an American journal, …
- … [1863] , and letter from Julius von Haast, 21 July [–7? August] 1863 ). Darwin was subsequently …
- … January [1863] and 31 January [1863] , and letter to Asa Gray, 31 May [1863] ). Asa Gray …
- … over the angles of leaves, asking the professional botanists Gray, Hooker, and Daniel Oliver for …
- … letter from Daniel Oliver, 17 February 1863 , letter to Asa Gray, 20 April [1863] , letter to …
- … was ‘enough to drive the quietest man mad’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). Hooker and Gray …
- … forms that he had started the previous year ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). The results …
- … paper with satisfaction ( see letter to John Scott, 7 November [1863] ). Scott had referred …
- … Darwin concluded: ‘It was beautiful’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 20 April [1863] ). Cross …
- … and pistils mature at different times ( see letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). The fertility of …
- … all its modifications as anything in orchids’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). He acquired …
- … he could send him to the war ( see letter from Asa Gray, 7 July 1863 ). Darwin shared this letter …
Six things Darwin never said – and one he did
Summary
Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly attributed to Darwin that never flowed from his pen.
Matches: 1 hits
- … Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly …
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 15 hits
- … September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist Asa Gray, ‘I have just begun a large …
- … the growth of the young plants is highly remarkable’ ( To Asa Gray, 10 September [1866] ). By …
- … 17 March [1867] ). He noted another factor in a letter to Gray, remarking, ‘I am going on with my …
- … visited by insects & so have been rarely crossed’ ( To Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). One of …
- … on cross and self-fertilised plants, as he explained to Gray, ‘I worked last summer hard at Drosera, …
- … the dogs till I finish with this & get it published’ ( To Asa Gray, 11 March [1873] ). …
- … add new researches on this subject. ( To J. V. Carus 7 February 1875 ). In fact, Darwin had …
- … of Lythrum; for the fact seems to me all important.’ ( To Asa Gray, 30 May [1875] ). In earlier …
- … By August 1876, the book had gone to press and Darwin told Gray, ‘This will complete all that I …
- … first grandchild, a son born to Amy and Francis Darwin on 7 September, suddenly turned to tragedy …
- … Comes ( From Hermann Müller, 4 October 1876 ). Gray was impatient for a copy and asked for …
- … your judgment than for that of almost anyone else’ ( To Asa Gray, 28 October 1876 ). Gray …
- … written of, as being as faultless as your temper’ ( From Asa Gray, 12 November 1876 ). The …
- … 27 January 1877 ). Darwin was especially pleased with Gray’s review, and told him, ‘Your abstract …
- … given everything,—you have quite eviscerated it’ ( To Asa Gray, 18 February [1877] ). By mid-March …
Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…
Matches: 13 hits
- … On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s …
- … out in the United States and in Germany, he expressed to Asa Gray his astonishment at the widespread …
- … thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
- … were inexplicable by the theory of creation. Asa Gray’s statement in his March review that natural …
- … solely by explaining an ample lot of facts.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 18 February [1860] ). To those …
- … perfected structure as the eye. As Darwin admitted to Lyell, Gray, and others, imagining how …
- … caused him greater discomfort. As he readily admitted to Gray: ‘The sight of a feather in a peacock …
- … change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). Only his …
- … Saturday session of Section D. He told Darwin how ‘between 700 & 1000 people’ crowded into the …
- … in letters to his closest confidants Hooker, Lyell, and Gray. Initially he found it curious ‘how …
- … not thoroughly . . . I must be a very bad explainer.' Asa Gray and design in nature …
- … Origin in America by Louis Agassiz and his followers, Gray’s essays, Darwin believed, could also …
- … on the progress and results of his study, he wrote on 7 May [1860]: 'I have this morning been …
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: 10 hits
- … they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). Darwin was ready to …
- … folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). He particularly …
- … & that almost exclusively bread & meat’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 August [1865] ). By …
- … to his publisher, John Murray, ‘Of present book I have 7 chapters ready for press & all others …
- … bear the expense of the woodcuts ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). After sending the …
- … on 2 February, and in April Darwin wrote to his friend Asa Gray, a botanist in the United States, …
- … be an unnatural parent, for it is your child’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 19 April 1865 ; Darwin noted …
- … and Darwin summarised them in Variation 2: 106–7, concluding, ‘it follows from Mr. Scott’s …
- … Benjamin Dann Walsh in the Midwestern United States, and Asa Gray wrote a long review of ‘Climbing …
- … of real improvement in health’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). All the children …
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: 8 hits
- … of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, taking as their point of …
- … force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 July [1860] Darwin writes to …
- … for the attention now given to the subject. He poses Gray a question on design in nature, as he is …
- … an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 11 Dec [1861] Darwin writes to …
- … white flag than to fire my usual long-range shot”. He asks Gray some questions about design. …
- … gives an “excellent idea of Pangenesis”. He talks about Gray giving him a good slap at his …
- … Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, John, 7 May 1879 In this letter marked “private”, …
- … theist and evolutionist, giving the examples of Kingsley and Asa Gray. As regards his own views, his …
Darwin’s queries on expression
Summary
When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…
Matches: 10 hits
- … Darwin, W.E. [7? April 1868] Southampton, England …
- … Gaika, Christian 7 July 1867 Bedford [Cape of Good …
- … Galton, Francis 7 Nov 1872 Rutland Gate, London, …
- … Ceylon Gray, Asa 26 March 1867 …
- … Nile Gray, Asa 14 April 1871 …
- … Laura Bridgman Gray, Asa 10 & 14 March …
- … on Laura Bridgman Gray, Asa 9 May [1869] …
- … possibly included in letter(s) from Asa Gray Nile Gray, …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 7 Sept 1872 11 St Mary Abbot' …
- … British Columbia, Canada) forwarded by Asa Gray Atnah Espyox Nasse …
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 12 hits
- … … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). Francis Darwin, …
- … of work’ left in him for ‘new matter’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). The preparation of the …
- … evidence for the ‘advantages of crossing’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). Revising Orchids …
- … and sympathised with his close friends Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray, whose situations often …
- … you suffer largely in the same way’, Darwin wrote to Gray on 28 January . On 14 November, Hooker …
- … the more shocking because associated with a happy event. On 7 September, Charles and Emma became …
- … my horrid bad style into intelligible English’, he told Asa Gray on 28 October . …
- … are not readable, & the 6 last very dull’, he warned Asa Gray on 28 October , when sending …
- … lively reading for one so poor at figures as I am’, Gray conceded on 12 November , although he …
- … harmony with yours’ ( letter from George Henslow, [ c. 7 December 1876] ). A more typical …
- … compare size of pollen grains & state of stigma’, he told Gray on 4 December. Darwin also …
- … than the more widely used ‘heterostyle’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 20 December 1876 ). Darwin …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 10 hits
- … the networks of others, such as Joseph Dalton Hooker and Asa Gray, who were at leading scientific …
- … contact. His correspondence with Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray illustrates how close personal ties …
- … D. Hooker. The second is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray. Darwin and Hooker …
- … he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., [11 …
- … “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 23 Feb …
- … species to wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. …
- … in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 20 July [1857] Darwin writes …
- … Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., 6 & 7 Apr 1850 Hooker apologises for the …
- … — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. S., 24 July & 28 Oct & 7 Nov 1834 Darwin is excited by …
- … Primula . Letter 4611 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 13 Sept [1864] Darwin sends …
Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep
Summary
In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…
Matches: 9 hits
- … in the shape of an arch ( Movement in plants , pp. 96–7). As usual, staff at the Royal Botanical …
- … my work, I scribble to you ( letter to Francis Darwin, 7 [July 1878] ). Two weeks later he wrote: …
- … Francis reported ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ): ‘The oats have only just …
- … the bedded out one’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ). Sachs’s confidence was …
- … are here & all adoring Bernard’, he wrote to Francis on 7 July . ‘Bernard is very sweet & …
- … to refuse,’ he wrote to William Spottiswoode on 7 July . Pinker later made a statue of Darwin for …
- … that touched on his accuracy as an investigator. He wrote to Asa Gray on 21 and 22 January of …
- … generations’ ( enclosure to letter to T. H. Farrer, 7 March 1878 ). In the end, the attempt to …
- … from a person unknown to him. The benefactor wrote on 7 December : ‘I consider that you, more …
List of correspondents
Summary
Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent. "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…
Matches: 15 hits
- … (1) Asher, G. M. (7) Ashley, Miss (1 …
- … (4) Aubertin, J. J. (7) Aussant-Carà, Paul …
- … (1) Aveling, E. B. (7) Axon, W. E. A. …
- … (16) Balfour, J. H. (7) Ball, John …
- … (36) Baxter, William (7) Baynes, H. M. …
- … (1) Blair, R. A. (7) Blair, R. H. (4 …
- … (3) Boott, Francis (7) Boott, Mary …
- … (1) Chambers, Robert (7) Chance, Frank …
- … (3) Clarke, R. T. (7) Clarke, T. W. …
- … (6) Darwin, V. H. (7) Darwin, Violetta …
- … (1) Dowie, Annie (7) Down Friendly Society …
- … (2) Farr, William (7) Farrar, F. W. …
- … (28) Fitzgerald, R. D. (7) Fitzmaurice, Edmond …
- … (2) Forel, Auguste (7) Forster, L. M. …
- … (3) Gordon, George (b) (7) Goschen, G. J. …
Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 7 hits
- … ( Correspondence vol. 27, letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 , and letter to Ernst Krause …
- … manroot). Darwin had raised the plant from seeds sent by Asa Gray in December 1879. His observations …
- … enemies.’ ‘Your letter … made me open my eyes’, Gray replied on 3 February , but he affirmed his …
- … same species, should behave so differently.’ ( Letter to Asa Gray, 17 February 1880 .) But Gray …
- … whose description agreed with Darwin’s ( letter from Asa Gray, 4 April 1880 ). Having …
- … study to public-school pupils ( letter to Francis Galton, 7 April 1880 , and letter from Francis …
- … B. Buckley, 31 October [1880] ). Buckley reported back on 7 November : ‘At first he hesitated …
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: 5 hits
- … the book in correspondence with Joseph Dalton Hooker, Asa Gray, and Huxley but he never spoke out …
- … taking a clear position on the transmutation of species. 7 Later, he wrote to Lyell himself, …
- … 1863a are discussed in Bynum 1984, pp. 154–9. 7. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter …
- … vol. 11, letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] and n. 7. 9. See Correspondence …
- … 14, doc. 183–4). 15. Letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 March 1865, in BL MSS ADD 49641. …
Interview with Randal Keynes
Summary
Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…
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: 9 hits
- … to his newly completed book: a paragraph throwing doubt on Asa Gray’s doctrine that each variation …
- … Trail, 5 April 1867 ). Darwin told his American friend Asa Gray, ‘I am repeating this experiment on …
- … the queries to acquaintances in remote areas. On 26 March, Asa Gray wrote, ‘You see I have …
- … one to send them to, so do not want any more’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 April [1867] ). …
- … , 31 August 1867. Another version, possibly derived from Asa Gray’s printed queries, was published …
- … for less favoured males (see Origin , pp. 156–7). In Variation , Darwin had discussed changes …
- … selection, but had not elaborated further ( Variation 2: 75). In notes for his reply to a letter …
- … three botanists put together’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, 7 February [1867] ). Müller had written …
- … down on both of us’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, [before 7 January 1867] ). In February, Hooker …
Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…
Matches: 6 hits
- … countered Nägeli’s thesis ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 151–7). Fleeming Jenkin and problems of …
- … revisions of the ‘everlasting old Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 1 June [1869] ), he was able to …
- … peoples in India and Africa. The American botanist Asa Gray and his wife, Jane Loring Gray , who …
- … read it, of dislike & contempt—almost hatred—’ ( from Asa Gray and J. L. Gray, 8 and 9 May …
- … in Patagonia and Wales ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 May 1869 , letter from W. B. Dawkins, 17 …
- … oil over the bumptious man’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 7 September 1869 ). Huxley playfully …
Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 8 hits
- … Darwin was clearly impressed by Lewes’s reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter …
- … of me. I feel convinced it is by Owen’. John Edward Gray, a colleague of Richard Owen’s in the …
- … undergoing vaccination ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 April 1868] ). Francis was also drafted into …
- … desire to penetrate Truth’ ( letter from Ernest Faivre, 7 April 1868 ). Armand de Quatrefages, who …
- … the theology favoured by some of his supporters, notably Asa Gray, seemed to render natural …
- … lines by God. Of Darwin’s discussion in Variation , Gray wrote on 25 May : ‘I found your … …
- … perfectly, & feel the weight of it.’ Some thought Gray’s position still a strong one. An …
- … that the outing had done nothing for his health ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 August [1868] ), but it …
Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
