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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: 17 hits
- … for evaluation, and persuaded his friend Joseph Dalton Hooker to comment on a paper on Verbascum …
- … committed suicide at the end of April; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic …
- … thriving, and when illness made work impossible, Darwin and Hooker read a number of novels, and …
- … having all the Boys at home: they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
- … had failed to include among the grounds of the award ( see letter from Hugh Falconer to Erasmus …
- … his letters to Darwin, and Darwin responded warmly: ‘Your letter is by far the grandest eulogium …
- … may well rest content that I have not laboured in vain’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 6 January [1865] …
- … always a most kind friend to me. So the world goes.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 February [1865] …
- … for our griefs & pains: these alone are unalloyed’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 3 February 1865 …
- … Sic transit gloria mundi, with a vengeance’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 February [1865] ). …
- … know it is folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). He …
- … given it up by early July ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 July 1865] ). In July, he …
- … finished hearing it read aloud ( letter to Fritz Müller, 10 August [1865] ). Over the next few …
- … ( see letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, and 10 October 1865] ; since it is impossible …
- … similarly coloured varieties (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to John Scott, 19 November …
- … ‘industry & ability’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [10 March 1865] ). Scott took these …
- … of transmutation to humans (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter from J. H. Balfour, 14 January …
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
- … that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
- … persevered with his work on Variation until 20 July, his letter-writing dwindled considerably. The …
- … from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] …
- … ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863] …
- … than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
- … the origin of species particularly, worried Darwin; he told Hooker that he had once thought Lyell …
- … wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] ). …
- … lack of expertise in the subject. ‘The worst of it is’, Hooker wrote to Darwin, ‘I suppose it is …
- … difficulty in answering Owen unaided ’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] ). Hugh …
- … of Lyell’s book being written by others’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] ). …
- … to see men fighting so for a little fame’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1863] ). …
- … to capture his and others’ attention ( see letter to J. D. Dana, 20 February [1863] , and letter …
- … had been published in 1862 (see Correspondence vol. 10). He sent a copy to Asa Gray to review in …
- … of species, when crossed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 10 [January 1863] ). He reminded Huxley again …
- … Verbascum and Zea (see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix VI). However, when Evidence as …
- … other acquired differences’ (see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix VI). In addition to crossing …
- … orchid genus Acropera (see Correspondence vol. 10). Their 1863 letters reveal Darwin’s …
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: 16 hits
- … species such as the mammoth ( Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 4 May [1860] and n. …
- … Galton. In February 1863, Lubbock received a letter from Lyell, evidently in response …
- … discussed the book in correspondence with Joseph Dalton Hooker, Asa Gray, and Huxley but he never …
- … complaint about the book was more personal. He confided to Hooker that he was ‘deeply disappointed’ …
- … about Lyell’s failure to support him. In April 1863, in a letter to the Athenæum , he discussed a …
- … transmutation; he also wrote to Lyell telling him about the letter to the Athenæum . 9 …
- … but had tried, indirectly, to influence him. He told Hooker: 10 Do see Falconer …
- … Falconer to tone down his attack on Lyell and agreed, on Hooker’s advice, to soften a passage in the …
- … 1863b, p. 213). In May 1864, Lubbock received a letter from Falconer, who reiterated his …
- … allude to Sir C’s explanation of the matter’. 23 Hooker, who had also been sent copies of the …
- … reiterated his admiration for Lubbock’s book ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [4 June 1865] ). A week …
- … When Hooker pressed him for an opinion ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 July 1865 ), Darwin wrote …
- … of Antiquity of man (C. Lyell 1863c; see letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 June 1865] and n. 13) …
- … 7. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] . On Lyell’s …
- … , and letter to Charles Lyell, 18 April [1863 ]. 10. Correspondence vol. 11, …
- … 19. See letter from J. D. Hooker, 2 May 1865 and n. 10. 20. See the second enclosure …
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: 17 hits
- … to be referred to routinely. In November, Joseph Dalton Hooker told him: ‘you are alluded to in no …
- … but really I do think you have a good right to be so’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 and] 20 …
- … species. Darwin attempted to dissuade him from this view ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 14 [January 1862 …
- … partially sterile together. He failed. Huxley replied ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 January 1862 …
- … and pronounced them ‘simply perfect’, but continued ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 18 December [1862] ) …
- … resigned to their difference of opinion, but complained ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1862 …
- … letters, Darwin, impressed, gave him the commission ( see letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] …
- … of dimorphism. Towards the end of the year, he wrote to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 …
- … lengthy dialogue on the subject (see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix VI). His paper, ‘Dimorphic …
- … became increasingly frustrated, telling Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 March [1862] ): ‘I am …
- … labour is great’, he told Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] ), ‘I have lately counted …
- … from his ‘ enormous labour over them’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 [October 1862] ; see ML 2: …
- … case warranted a paper for the Linnean Society ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 6 October [1862] ). …
- … to whom the book should be sent (see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendixes III and IV) and …
- … additions that he would send (see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix VIII). Bronn complied …
- … caution into Tyndall’s ears’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10–12 November [1862] ). Another of …
- … referred him back to Origin (l etter to T. H. Huxley, 10 May [1862] ): 'I fully agree …
Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest
Summary
The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…
Matches: 18 hits
- … on publishers, decried on one occasion by Joseph Dalton Hooker as ‘Penny-wise Pound foolish, …
- … Fuller consideration of Darwin’s work was given by Hooker in an evening speech on insular floras at …
- … able to write easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). …
- … of coffee to two cups a day, since coffee, with the ‘10 drops of Muriatic acid twice a day (with …
- … once daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
- … see you out with our beagles before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 …
- … work doing me any harm—any how I can’t be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). …
- … production of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January …
- … continued to refine his hypothesis in 1866. He wrote to Hooker on 16 May [1866] , ‘I … am at work …
- … it was too big. ‘You must congratulate me’, he wrote to Hooker, ‘when you hear that I have sent M.S. …
- … Animals & Cult. Plants” to Printers’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1866] ). When …
- … more than the belief of a dozen physicists’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 February 1866] ). Darwin …
- … ‘Your father … entered at the same time with Dr B. J. who received him with triumph. All his friends …
- … me to worship Bence Jones in future—’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 May 1866 ). Darwin himself …
- … then went for ¾ to Zoolog. Garden!!!!!!!!!’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 April 1866] ). …
- … you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). Henrietta’s letter …
- … know how to begin’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, [before 10 December 1866] ). The intrusion of …
- … other German states and Austria in June and July. Writing on 10 May from Württemberg, one of the …
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: 23 hits
- … writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring Gray Louis Agassiz, Adam …
- … this actor uses the words of Jane Loring Gray, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Hugh Falconer, Louis Agassiz, …
- … of natural selection to his friend, the botanist, Joseph D Hooker GRAY: 3 Charles …
- … year 1839, and copied and communicated to Messrs Lyell and Hooker in 1844, being a part of …
- … DARWIN: 7 January 1844. My dear Hooker. I have been …engaged in a very presumptuous work …
- … his University) and is much less his own man. A letter from England catches his attention …
- … the opportunity I enjoyed of making your acquaintance at Hooker’s three years ago; and besides that …
- … you sent me as well as I could. DARWIN: 10 My dear Dr Gray. I really hardly know …
- … sheet of note-paper! DARWIN: 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably nice and kind …
- … be of any the least use to you? If so I would copy it… His letter does strike me as most uncommonly …
- … on the geographical distribution of the US plants; and if my letter caused you to do this some year …
- … 22 Hurrah I got yesterday my 41st Grass! Hooker is younger than Darwin and Gray by …
- … a brace of letters 25 I send enclosed [a letter for you from Asa Gray], received …
- … might like to see it; please be sure [to] return it. If your letter is Botanical and has nothing …
- … Atlantic. HOOKER: 28 Thanks for your letter and its enclosure from A. Gray which …
- … right when he said the whole subject would be forgotten in 10 years. But now that I hear you will …
- … a lesser degree ‘Blood’s One Penny Envelope, 1, 3, and 10 cents’. If you will make him this present, …
- … HOOKER: 208 We had a horrid scare 10 days ago, in the form of a Telegram from ‘Nature’ to …
- … XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 5 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER …
- … 9 A GRAY TO C DARWIN, 22 MAY 1855 10 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 24 AUGUST 1855 …
- … JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 72 A GRAY TO C DARWIN, 10 JANUARY 1860 73 C DARWIN TO …
- … A GRAY, 21 JULY 1861 120 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, 10 JUNE 1861 121 A GRAY TO C …
- … C DARWIN, 18–19 AUGUST 1862 149 C DARWIN TO J. D. HOOKER 26 JULY 1863 150 …
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Summary
The 1400 letters exchanged between Darwin and Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) account for around 10% of Darwin’s surviving correspondence and provide a structure within which all the other letters can be explored. They are a connecting thread that spans…
Matches: 21 hits
- … with his closest friend, the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. The 1400 letters exchanged …
- … that period. They illuminate the mutual friendships he and Hooker shared with other scientists, but …
- … two men. Their correspondence began in 1843 when Hooker, just returned from James Clark Ross …
- … main elements of his species theory, and within a few months Hooker was admitted into the small and …
- … to discuss his emerging ideas. In perhaps his most famous letter of all , Darwin wrote to Hooker …
- … When Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) sent Darwin a letter in 1858 outlining an almost identical …
- … Darwin called “natural selection”. It was also to Hooker that Darwin, writing furiously in …
- … of On the Origin of Species for comment, and Hooker continued to be a sounding board for …
- … which various plants are nourished, reproduce, and colonise. Hooker, who after ten years as …
- … global networks of well-informed correspondents. Hooker was a frequent visitor to Darwin at …
- … as well as to the patient ”. It was to Darwin that Hooker wrote just an hour after the death of his …
- … the many hundreds of letters that passed between Darwin and Hooker all but a handful of those that …
- … in 1888 and 1902, the second of which he dedicated to Hooker “in remembrance of his lifelong …
- … of the writer, in particular anxiety or agitation (as in the letter about the death of baby Charles …
- … letters is also obvious, for example in his annotations to Hooker’s comments on the first edition of …
- … Key letters Developing a theory: Darwin to J. D. Hooker, [11 January 1844] : Darwin …
- … “It is miserable in me” Darwin wrote in his second letter “to care at all about priority”. …
- … and just write gossip . There is a good example in a letter in which Darwin speculates that a lady …
- … made fun of Darwin’s appearance: he addressed one letter to his “ Glorified Friend ” after …
- … of one of Hooker’s sons interrupted the writing of one letter, and Darwin teased him for …
- … friend, the Harvard botanist Asa Gray (see for example letter 3395 ); Darwin’s views were chiefly …
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: 15 hits
- … be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
- … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
- … And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’ ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
- … inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
- … to believe in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 …
- … that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
- … for misinterpreting Darwin on this point ( letter from J. D. Dana, 21 July 1874 ); however, he did …
- … Mivart (see Correspondence vol. 20, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin …
- … views. In December, he sought advice from Huxley and Hooker, sending them a draft letter that …
- … Mivart had written the article ( enclosure to letter from J. D. Hooker, 21 December 1874 ). Huxley …
- … an insignificant figure, as a cube of cartilage of 1 / 10 inch is almost beyond their …
- … 1874 ). Darwin immediately sent a donation of £100, and £10 each from his sons George and Francis ( …
- … and sent a copy to Darwin ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 10 July 1874 ). After a second letter from …
- … the Beagle) in December ( letter from C.-F. Reinwald , 10 December 1874 ). Samuel Jean Pozzi and …
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: 19 hits
- … self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom , published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a …
- … of the young plants is highly remarkable’ ( To Asa Gray, 10 September [1866] ). By early December, …
- … his results. In March 1867, he told his close friend Joseph Hooker, ‘The only fact which I have …
- … produced by a cross between two distinct plants’ ( To J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1867] ). He noted …
- … of France where Moggridge lived for part of the year ( To J. T. Moggridge, 1 October [1867] ). …
- … ‘I always supposed until lately that no evil effects w d be visible until after several …
- … flower. ‘How utterly mysterious it is’, he reported to Hooker, ‘that there sh d be some …
- … to impotence when taken from the same plant!’ ( To J. D. Hooker, 21 May [1868] ) Pollen tubes, or …
- … Darwin sent specimens of plants he raised from this seed to Hooker, who named it Abutilon darwinii …
- … a new species, & I am honoured by its name’, Darwin told Hooker, ‘It offers an instance, of …
- … the season it becomes capable of self-fertilisation’ ( To J. D. Hooker, 23 July [1871] ). Darwin …
- … ). When Darwin began writing in February 1873, he asked Hooker for names of families of several …
- … & I have no idea when it will be published’ ( To J. V. Carus, 8 May [1873] ). Hermann Müller …
- … great measure my further working’ ( From Hermann Müller, 10 June 1873 ). Darwin, in turn, had …
- … and not on ‘the evil effects of Interbreeding’ ( To J. V. Carus, 2 August [1873] ). In …
- … had ‘begun to prepare for press observations continued for 10 years on the effects of crossing …
- … 12 November 1876 ). The book was published on 10 November 1876. Within days, Darwin received …
- … A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this letter has been found, but Darwin had long …
- … of rye and wheat that he had studied ( From A. W. Rimpau, 10 December 1877 ). By the end of …
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: 16 hits
- … learn that the book was on sale even in railway stations ( letter to Charles Lyell, 14 January …
- … the book, thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
- … cannot expect fairness in a Reviewer’, Darwin commented to Hooker after reading an early notice that …
- … his theory would have been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A …
- … from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
- … a theory solely by explaining an ample lot of facts.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 18 February [1860] ). …
- … phenomena it comes in time to be admitted as real.’ ( letter to C. J. F. Bunbury, 9 February [1860] …
- … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
- … two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
- … form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). Only his theory, he …
- … with other animals’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] )— he and others were well aware …
- … ‘topics of the day’ at the meeting in a letter from Hooker written from Oxford. Hooker’s letter, one …
- … Hooker attended the fabled Saturday session of Section D. He told Darwin how ‘between 700 & 1000 …
- … ‘master of the field after 4 hours battle’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, 2 July 1860). Other …
- … were already proved) to his own views.—’ ( letter from J. S. Henslow to J. D. Hooker, 10 May 1860 …
- … serve a purpose in Britain. He immediately wrote to Gray on 10 September after studying the first …
Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers
Summary
In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…
Matches: 23 hits
- … which I can do’, he wrote despondently to Joseph Dalton Hooker on 15 June , concluding, ‘I must …
- … in Unconscious memory in November 1880 and in an abusive letter about Darwin in the St James’s …
- … memory in Kosmos and sent Darwin a separate letter for publication in the Journal of Popular …
- … within the family, Henrietta explained to Stephen on 10 January , hoping that he did not think …
- … publishers decided to print ‘500 more, making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ) …
- … the animal learnt from its own individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). …
- … whether observations of their behaviour were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] …
- … about the sale of books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 …
- … investigate aggregation. He explained to Fritz Müller on 10 September why he had embarked on …
- … for more suggestions of such plants, especially annuals ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 21 March …
- … supposed he would feel ‘less sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The …
- … made clear the veneration in which he was held. ‘I’d give one year of my life for one hours …
- … to the general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). Josef Popper, an expert …
- … which he thought ‘an excellent Journal’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 4 July [1881] ). In these ways, …
- … friends, however, did not agree. Both John Lubbock and Hooker asked for Darwin’s advice when writing …
- … ( letter to John Lubbock, [18 September 1881] ). When Hooker, anxious about his address on …
- … one’ and had ‘gone much out’ of his mind ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 June [1881] ). Feeling …
- … approach to omniscience than for originality’, and telling Hooker, ‘Your long letter has stirred …
- … atrocious a manner on all physiologists’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 April 1881 ). A letter he …
- … would be with a less intelligent man’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 1 July [1881] ). Despite this, …
- … to R. F. Cooke, 5 October 1881 ). The publication date was 10 October, but by 7 October Darwin …
- … of soil, while his brother James Geikie told Darwin on 10 October that no one would ‘any longer …
- … have a domestic life & public duties!’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 October 1881] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings
Summary
‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…
Matches: 21 hits
- … work of preparing new Editions’, he complained again to Hooker on 18 August. Finally, by …
- … much more than insectivorous plants. As he confessed to Hooker on 12 December , ‘I have not felt …
- … the matter to his satisfaction. On 8 January , he told Hooker: ‘I will write a savage letter & …
- … during the affair by the loyalty of his close friends, Hooker and Thomas Henry Huxley. …
- … honoured George. You have indeed been a true friend.’ Hooker was hampered by his position as …
- … & if he speaks to me should let him feel it .’ Hooker also directed some of his anger …
- … to the Editor … Poor Murray shuddered again & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January …
- … thirst for vengeance is now quite Satisfied’, he told Hooker on 17 January , ‘I feel now like a …
- … vol. 22, letters from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 and 10 July 1874 ). ‘I am astounded & …
- … the process of writing and revising at all satisfying. On 10 February he complained to Hooker : …
- … offered to pay the costs for printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). …
- … & bless the day That ever you were born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 …
- … that the originally red half has become wholly white’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [before 4 …
- … pp. 188–90). He drew attention to this discussion in a letter to George Rolleston, remarking on 2 …
- … Darwin wrote, ‘I beg ten thousand pardon & more’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [ c . February …
- … signed himself, ‘Your affect son … the proofmaniac’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, 1 and 2 May [1875 …
- … firm. Darwin was impressed by the device, remarking to Hooker on 13 October : ‘Horace has made a …
- … objectless & all being vanity of vanities,’ he wrote on 10 February . ‘But this will wear …
- … both critical and reverential. On 16 July he received a letter from an advocate of women’s …
- … her presentation copy of Insectivorous plants ( letter to D. F. Nevill, 15 July [1875] ). Such …
- … of my house within the short time I can talk to anyone’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 3 May [1875] ). …
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: 20 hits
- … Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
- … silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
- … observations of cats’ instinctive behaviour. Letter 4258 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, …
- … to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
- … be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to …
- … Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
- … Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., …
- … expression of emotion in her pet dog and birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. …
- … of wormholes. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] …
- … Darwin’s behalf. Letter 8683 - Roberts, D. to Darwin, [17 December 1872] …
- … little treatise”. Letter 4436 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [26-27 March 1864] …
- … and orangs. Letter 5705 - Haast, J. F. J. von to Darwin, [4 December 1867] …
- … in a marble tablet”. Letter 6815 - Scott, J. to Darwin, [2 July 1869] John …
- … Men: Letter 385 - Wedgwood, S. E. & J. to Darwin, [10 November 1837] …
- … at Maer Hall, Staffordshire. Letter 1219 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, [3 February …
- … The experiments were carried out “at the suggestion of Dr Hooker” and what little he has ascertained …
- … Women: Letter 2345 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [20 October 1858] Darwin …
- … of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] Darwin …
- … Letter 2475 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [2 July 1859] Darwin returns the manuscript of …
- … Letter 347 - Darwin to Whewell, W., [10 March 1837] Darwin seeks to decline the …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 18 hits
- … of the five physicians Darwin had consulted in 1863. In a letter of 26[–7] March [1864] , Darwin …
- … and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
- … As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
- … observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] , Darwin …
- … gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
- … peduncles to test sensitivity, and in his request to Hooker for another specimen: ‘I want it …
- … matters which routinists regard in the light of axioms’ ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864 …
- … plant morphology. Many of his other correspondents, such as Hooker and Gray, had grown accustomed to …
- … the Lythrum paper was published, Darwin remarked to Hooker in a letter of 26 November [1864] …
- … with his stipend being paid by Darwin himself ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [1 April 1864] ). …
- … often at odds with one another: ‘Gardeners are the very d—l, & where two or three are gathered …
- … enough to play your part over them’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [2 April 1864] ). …
- … … they do require very careful treatment’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 8 April 1864 ). Nevertheless …
- … that in giving I am hastening the fall’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 20 April 1864 ). In his …
- … perseverance, and his knowledge’ ( letter to John Scott, 10 June 1864 ). Hooker met Scott in …
- … a first-class cabin for the journey ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 August 1864] ). Darwin …
- … “Darwin–Mann” ’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 10 August 1864 ). Haeckel sent Darwin a number of his …
- … most of the old Testament’ ( Correspondence vol. 10, letter to Asa Gray, 6 November [1862] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 16 hits
- … in his immediate circle were Charles Lyell and Joseph Dalton Hooker, who were joined in 1856 by …
- … an illustration of how selection might work in nature ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. …
- … way before. ‘How very odd it is that no zoologist sh d . ever have thought it worth while to look …
- … ‘& I mean to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] …
- … plants, he asked Asa Gray, vary in the United States ( letter to Asa Gray, 2 May 1856 )? What …
- … than their lowland relatives. But a last-minute check with Hooker revealed that Darwin was mistaken: …
- … plants pretty effectually’ complained Darwin in 1857 ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857] ). …
- … calculations and different ways of working, in letters to Hooker, Gray, and Watson. The results …
- … John Lubbock that his method of calculation was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). …
- … ‘Darwin, an absolute & eternal hermaphrodite’ ( letter to to T. H. Huxley, 1 July [1856] ), …
- … an equally difficult problem that he took in turn to Watson, Hooker, George Bentham, and the Belfast …
- … show a separation of the sexes, a proposal that Asa Gray and Hooker confirmed during the course of …
- … my profound experiments. Franky said to me, “why sh d not a bird be killed (by hawk, …
- … which the bird had naturally eaten have grown well.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1856] …
- … he wrote to Syms Covington in New South Wales ( letter to Syms Covington, 9 March 1856 ). …
- … Lyell had pressed him to write up his views ( letters to J. D. Hooker, 9 May [1856] ). …
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: 22 hits
- … ‘my wife … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). …
- … quantity of work’ left in him for ‘new matter’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). The …
- … to a reprint of the second edition of Climbing plants ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 23 February …
- … & I for blundering’, he cheerfully observed to Carus. ( Letter to J. V. Carus, 24 April 1876. …
- … provided evidence for the ‘advantages of crossing’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). Revising …
- … year to write about his life ( Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, 20 …
- … however, continued to be raised in various ways. On 10 January, Charles O’Shaughnessy , an Irish …
- … nowadays is evolution and it is the correct one’ ( letter from Nemo, [1876?] ). …
- … him ‘basely’ and who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). …
- … for 3 February, Darwin reassured his close friend Joseph Hooker that he and Francis would attend the …
- … of blackballing so distinguished a zoologist ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 29 January 1876 ). Both …
- … them to such extent?’ enthused Hermann Hoffmann on 10 January , while on 23 June, Auguste Forel …
- … of plant digestion further, had already reported on 10 January that he had confirmed the ‘more …
- … results in this year’s experiments’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [ c . 19 March 1876] ). A less …
- … by the mutual pressure of very young buds’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 21 June [1876] ). Darwin …
- … researcher, and sympathised with his close friends Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray, whose situations …
- … Darwin wrote to Gray on 28 January . On 14 November, Hooker himself acknowledged he was ‘ over …
- … paper was ‘not worthy of being read ever’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 28 January 1876 ). Darwin …
- … Caroline home, they had experienced a further calamity. On 10 May, William suffered serious …
- … of illness & misery there is in the world’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 26 May [1876] ). A …
- … mentioned his oldest daughter Annie, who died at the age of 10 in 1851, but William, who was 11 …
- … Hildebrand, 6 December 1876 , and letter from F. J. Cohn, 31 December 1876 ). To Darwin’s …
6430_10256
Summary
From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hookerf1 25 October 1868Lund (Suède)25 Okt. 1868.Monsieur le Professeur! J’ai écrit à deux de mes amis qui ont des connaissances personnelles à la Lapponie, pour avoir les…
Matches: 9 hits
- … From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hooker f1 25 October 1868 Lund (Suède) 25 Okt. 1868. …
- … du Renne &c f2 Mais comme la poste va très lentement d’ici aux regions les plus …
- … que veut connaitre M r . Darwin. f4 De l’autre partie j’espère tôt ou tard pouvoir communiquer …
- … de joindre ici la mienne en échange de la Votre, et j’espère que Vous avez la bonté de me …
- … Footnotes f1 For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix I. …
- … of northern Europe during the Stone Age (Nilsson 1868); see letter to John Lubbock, 15 February …
- … From Sven Nilsson to J. D. Hooker f1 25 October 1868 Lund (Sweden) 25 Oct. 1868 …
- … Footnotes f1 For a transcription of this letter in its original French, see part II: 811–2. …
- … see letter to John Lubbock, 15 February [1868] and n. 10. f6 See Nilsson 1866–7. In …
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: 21 hits
- … in satisfying female preference in the mating process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, …
- … of changing the races of man’ (Correspondence vol. 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
- … book would take the form of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But …
- … as well say, he would drink a little and not too much’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 15 May [1868] ) …
- … the accursed Index-maker’, Darwin wrote to Joseph Dalton Hooker on 6 January . Darwin had sent …
- … would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to …
- … of labour to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). …
- … if I try to read a few pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). …
- … reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from the Isle of Wight on the formation …
- … away’ that sparked the most discussion. Darwin wrote to Hooker on 23 February , ‘did you look at …
- … thought it was by Gray himself, but Darwin corrected him: ‘D r Gray would strike me in the face, …
- … editor of the London and Westminster Review . When Hooker later tried to refute the claims of the …
- … a scamp & I begin to think a veritable ass’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868] ). …
- … on 17 April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d C. Darwin M.d’; Binstead evidently …
- … (from ?, 6 April 1868). On 21 May , Darwin complained to Hooker, ‘I am bothered with heaps of …
- … information on colour changes in the canary (letters from J. J. Weir, [26] March 1868 and 3 …
- … added, ‘for it is clear that I have none’ ( letter to J. J. Weir, 30 May [1868] ). Sexual …
- … role of colour, sound, and smell in attracting females. J. J. Weir reported on 14 April 1868 …
- … Wallace that he had begun the previous year, writing to Hooker on 21 May , ‘I always distrust …
- … am not sure’, Darwin reflected in a letter dated [8–10 September 1868] , ‘whether it w d not …
- … walked with village girls at night ( letter to J. B. Innes, 10 December [1868] ). ‘The Church will …
Darwin's notes for his physician, 1865
Summary
On 20 May 1865, Emma Darwin recorded in her diary that John Chapman, a prominent London publisher who had studied medicine in London and Paris in the early 1840s, visited Down to consult with Darwin about his ill health. In 1863 Chapman started to treat…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Darwin began the ice treatment on 20 May 1865. In his letter to Chapman of 7 June 1865, he reported …
- … week of July, he had evidently given up the treatment (see letter from Charles and Emma Darwin to J. …
- … by William Brinton, William Jenner, and George Busk (see letter to J. D. Hooker, [7 January 1865], …
- … with dietary restrictions (see Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 April [1864], …
Was Darwin an ecologist?
Summary
One of the most fascinating aspects of Charles Darwin’s correspondence is the extent to which the experiments he performed at his home in Down, in the English county of Kent, seem to prefigure modern scientific work in ecology.
Matches: 8 hits
- … is a sore puzzle to me.— Charles Darwin to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1866] . …
- … Despite the difference in language between Darwin’s letter and the modern scientific paper quoted …
- … daresay very well, & for coining new words.’ See the letter The word first appeared …
- … for atheism, but as Darwin himself acknowledged in a letter to Mary Boole, it was more satisfactory …
- … as a result of the direct intervention of God. See the letter We may contrast Darwin’s …
- … sucks it, must have! It is a very pretty case.’ See the letter Darwin was confident …
- … nature as she really is.’ It seems from Haeckel’s letter that what most struck him about …
- … of his great discovery is by contrast extremely modest. In a letter written in 1864 and …