To Richard Owen 17 July [1852]
Summary
Gratified by what RO says about his book [Living Cirripedia, vol. 1 (1851)]. The anatomical work is the only part he is really interested in; finds the "mere systematic part infinitely tedious"; but will be surprised if he is ever proved wrong on the males of Ibla and Scalpellum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Richard Owen |
| Date: | 17 July [1852] |
| Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (General Special Collections Owen correspondence 9/188) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1484 |
From John Higgins 27 July 1852
Summary
Explains the effects of the falling prices of wheat and cattle on the rents from CD’s and his sister Susan Elizabeth Darwin’s farms.
| Author: | John Higgins |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 27 July 1852 |
| Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/2/2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1484F |
To John Higgins 29 July [1852]
Summary
Thanks JH for his exposition of the effects of falling grain and lifestock prices on farm income.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Higgins |
| Date: | 29 July [1852] |
| Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/2/3) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1484G |
From John Higgins 31 July 1852
Summary
Asks for more information about CD’s idea of a ‘more permanent arrangement’ with his tenant.
Explains the drawback of a lease or a corn rent.
| Author: | John Higgins |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 31 July 1852 |
| Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/2/5) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1484H |
To John Higgins 2 August [1852]
Summary
Discusses rent reduction and possibility of a lease.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Higgins |
| Date: | 2 Aug [1852] |
| Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/2/6) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1485 |
To George Ransome 5 August [1852]
Summary
Forwards an order for £1 1s in response to a circular from Ipswich Museum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Ransome |
| Date: | 5 Aug [1852] |
| Classmark: | Yale University Medical Historical Library, Harvey Cushing / John Hay Whitney Medical Library (William Finkelstein autograph collection 1747–1979 (MS 19th cent+) vol. 2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1485F |
To W. E. Darwin 27 August [1852]
Summary
Thanks for his letter; hopes he is managing all right [at Rugby?].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Date: | 27 Aug [1852] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 4 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1486 |
To George Robert Waterhouse 8 September [1852]
Summary
Knows no one in Buenos Aires. Suggests sites in South America where Auguste Bravard can find fossils.
Ray Society has delayed distribution [of Living Cirripedia (1851)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Robert Waterhouse |
| Date: | 8 Sept [1852] |
| Classmark: | Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1487 |
To Josiah Wedgwood III 21 October [1852]
Summary
Informs JW of his intention to sell his N. W. Railway shares.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Josiah Wedgwood, III |
| Date: | 21 Oct [1852] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.10: 17 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1488 |
To W. D. Fox 24 [October 1852]
Summary
News of his health; has been well of late, but cannot stand excitement. Hereditary weakness is another of his bugbears.
At work on cirripedes – "I hate a Barnacle as no man ever did before."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 24 [Oct 1852] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 81) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1489 |
To Josiah Wedgwood III 20 November 1852
Summary
A statement of payments made by trustees to CD and by CD to trustees for the years 1851 and 1852.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Josiah Wedgwood, III |
| Date: | 20 Nov 1852 |
| Classmark: | V&A / Wedgwood Collection (MS W/M 1019) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1490 |
To George Johnston 23 November 1852
Summary
Recommends GJ for Government pension.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Johnston |
| Date: | 23 Nov 1852 |
| Classmark: | DAR 146: 6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1491 |
To J. D. Dana 25 November [1852]
Summary
Thanks JDD for information.
Discusses Acasta sporillus.
Comments on review of first volume of Living Cirripedia [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 14 (1852): 125–7].
Asks JDD to examine Lerneidae.
Will read with interest the geographical discussion of Crustacea when JDD’s volume [Crustacea (1852–5)] appears. John Lubbock will purchase a copy.
Discusses error in Living Cirripedia.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Dwight Dana |
| Date: | 25 Nov [1852] |
| Classmark: | Yale University Library: Manuscripts and Archives (Dana Family Papers (MS 164) Series 1, Box 2, folder 43) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1492 |
To Joseph Augustin Hubert de Bosquet 17 December [1852]
Summary
At request of Edward Forbes sends vol. 1 of Living Cirripedia and vol. 1 of Fossil Cirripedia.
Calls attention to sexual relations of Ibla and Scalpellum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Augustin Hubert de Bosquet |
| Date: | 17 Dec [1852] |
| Classmark: | Ripon College, Lane Library |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1493 |
To John Higgins 18 December [1852]
Summary
Discusses his account. Mentions the rent.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Higgins |
| Date: | 18 Dec [1852] |
| Classmark: | Lincolnshire Archives (HIG/4/2/1/58) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1494 |
To Albany Hancock 25 December [1852]
Summary
Discusses capacity of some cirripedes to bore into rock.
Mentions Alcippe specimens borrowed from AH.
Relation of sexes in Ibla and Scalpellum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Albany Hancock |
| Date: | 25 Dec [1852] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1495 |
To J. D. Hooker [April 1852]
Summary
Questions on variation in nature: taxa varying in one region but not another. Variation between vs within species. Rarity of variation in important organs within a species. G. R. Waterhouse’s views on variation in highly developed organs, which CD relates to variation in rudimentary organs.
Asks for cases of obligate self-fertilising plants.
[CD annotation proposes using the Steudel Nomenclator botanicus (1821–4) to determine if variable species occur in genera with many species.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | [Apr 1852] |
| Classmark: | DAR 107: 66–7 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1496 |
To William Parsons, earl of Rosse, Chairman of the Committee of Papers, Royal Society 16 March [1852]
Summary
Referee’s report on paper by Daniel Sharpe ["On foliation and cleavage", Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 142 (1852): 445–62].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Parsons, 3d earl of Rosse, Lord Rosse, Lord Oxmantown; Royal Society of London |
| Date: | 16 Mar [1852] |
| Classmark: | The Royal Society (RR2: 226) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-840 |
| Darwin, C. R. | (35) |
| Higgins, John | (2) |
| Steenstrup, Japetus | (1) |
| Higgins, John | (4) |
| Dana, J. D. | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (3) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (2) |
| Fox, W. D. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (38) |
| Higgins, John | (6) |
| Dana, J. D. | (3) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (2) |
| Fox, W. D. | (2) |
Edward Lumb
Summary
Edward Lumb was born in Yorkshire. According to the memoirs of his daughter Anne, Lady Macdonell, he travelled to Buenos Aires aged sixteen with his merchant uncle, Charles Poynton, and after some fortunate enterprises set up in business there. In 1833…
Matches: 3 hits
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: 23 hits
- … through 1851; the second (DAR 128) continues the list from 1852 to 1860, when, except for a few odd …
- … [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] …
- … John Davies. China during the War and Peace [J. F. Davis 1852]. read Books Read, 1838–51 …
- … Asiatic Society ]—contains very little Macleay’s letter to D r Fleming [Macleay 1830] …
- … [Southey 1834–47]. Poor. skimmed Books to be Read, 1852–60 [DAR *128: Cover] …
- … of 1851 on silk-worms & sheep, selection & crossing [R. Owen 1852]. Also hybrid-wheat …
- … & Triticum 84 Knox on Anatomy & Art [R. Knox 1852]. London Library (read) …
- … Work on Hybridism reviewed in Gardeners Chronicle in 1852. by Wagner? [Unger 1852] 85 Read …
- … vols. The Vegetation of Europe by A. Henfrey [Henfrey 1852]. (remarks on Geograph. Distrib. …
- … very expensive Coll. of Surgeons? M r Highley. 88 1852 French Translation of Von …
- … Life of L d . Jeffrey. Colburn Cockburn [Cockburn 1852] Our antipodes by Colonel Mundy [G. …
- … [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 and Fatherhood
Summary
Charles Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and over the next seventeen years the couple had ten children. It is often assumed that Darwin was an exceptional Victorian father. But how extraordinary was he? The Correspondence Project allows an unusually…
Matches: 4 hits
- … he had just sent his eldest son William to Rugby School in 1852, Darwin admitted that ‘No one can …
- … through the trammels.’ (Darwin to W. D. Fox, 7 March [1852] ). A more modern and scientific …
- … were favourite family games, and in 1859 he ended a letter to his oldest son with the exclamation ‘I …
- … (Darwin to his son William, [30 October 1858] ). In one letter in 1856, he explained his paternal …
Living and fossil cirripedia
Summary
Darwin published four volumes on barnacles, the crustacean sub-class Cirripedia, between 1851 and 1854, two on living species and two on fossil species. Written for a specialist audience, they are among the most challenging and least read of Darwin’s works…
Matches: 4 hits
- … year on cirripede anatomy, Darwin wrote a rather reflective letter to his former professor and …
- … his conclusions about larval-adult homologies in a letter to Dana in December 1853 . …
- … bears the date 1851, it did not appear until January 1852 . By 1852, Darwin was well …
- … so that the volume, at first promised by the end of 1852 then the summer of 1853 was only …
Scientific Practice
Summary
Specialism|Experiment|Microscopes|Collecting|Theory Letter writing is often seen as a part of scientific communication, rather than as integral to knowledge making. This section shows how correspondence could help to shape the practice of science, from…
Matches: 24 hits
- … | Microscopes | Collecting | Theory Letter writing is often seen as a part of …
- … with detailed correspondence about barnacles. Letter 1514 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. …
- … of one idea. – cirripedes morning & night.” Letter 1480 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, …
- … on embryological stages than Huxley thinks. Letter 1592 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. H …
- … and difficulties of botanical experimentation. Letter 4895 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, J …
- … on Anelasma which he thinks seems probable. Letter 5173 — Müller, J. F. T. to …
- … and on some plants which seem to be dichogamous. Letter 5429 — Müller, J. F. T. to …
- … and crossed with pollen of other species. Letter 5480 — Müller, J. F. T. to Darwin, C. …
- … Claus, Die freilebenden Copepoden [1863]. Letter 5551 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, J. …
- … on the use and importance of the microscope. Letter 207 — Darwin, C. R. to Fox, W. D., …
- … with a microscope ranks second only to geology. Letter 1018 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, …
- … “take advantage of your wicked offer of assistance”. The letter is full of observations on barnacles …
- … ed., Manual of scientific enquiry (1849)]. Letter 1167 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, …
- … finds this microscope “wonderfully superior”. Letter 1174 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
- … specimens and information for his barnacle book. Letter 1140 — Darwin, C. R. to Ross, J …
- … to the Arctic in search of Sir John Franklin. Letter 1262 — Darwin, C. R. to Hancock, …
- … discusses Lithotrya and its burrowing habits. Letter 1495 — Darwin, C. R. to …
- … at his collection to check on his suspicions. Letter 1370 — Darwin, C. R. to Covington, …
- … only one specimen is known to exist in the world. Letter 1251 — Darwin, C. R. to Gould, …
- … between theory and practice in natural history. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, …
- … first describer’s name to specific name. Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., …
- … perpetuity of names in species descriptions. Letter 1260 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
- … with the former and deferring the species paper. Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, …
- … have progressed but Hooker is not converted. Letter 1339 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
'An Appeal' against animal cruelty
Summary
The four-page pamphlet transcribed below and entitled 'An Appeal', was composed jointly by Emma and Charles Darwin (see letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox, [29 September 1863]). The pamphlet, which protested against the cruelty of steel vermin…
Matches: 13 hits
- … was composed jointly by Emma and Charles Darwin (see letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox, [29 …
- … of the pamphlet in August and September 1863 (see letter from G. B. Sowerby Jr to Emma Darwin, 22 …
- … 1863, pp. 821–2, under the title `Vermin and traps' ( Letter no. 4282). The wording of the …
- … and to 'a good many persons Squires Ladies & MPs' (see letter from Emma Darwin to W. D …
- … more success with the campaign than she expected (see the letter from Emma Darwin to William Erasmus …
- … s. 6 d. for distributing the 'cruelty pamphlet', and letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. …
- … involved no more cruelty than the possible alternatives (see letter from E. L. Darwin, 7 September …
- … animals, reporting a neighbouring farmer to the RSPCA in 1852 for working horses with sore necks …
- … , pp. 44, 54–5, 78, and Correspondence vol. 2, letter to W. D. Fox, 28 August [1837]). Later he …
- … Autobiography , pp. 78–9, Correspondence vol. 7, letter to W. E. Darwin, 22 [September 1858], …
- … Gardeners’ Chronicle , 29 August 1863, pp. 821–2 ( Letter no. 4282). The woodcut was arranged …
- … is to William Howitt; the quotation is taken from Howitt"s letter to the Morning Star , 8 …
- … Gardeners’ Chronicle , 29 August 1863, pp. 821–2 ( Letter no. 4282). 7 Edward Strong …
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: 23 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 …
- … which increased in severity in the years around 1848, 1852, 1859, and 1863. In a letter to Hooker in …
- … 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 correspondence during periods of sickness in 1848, 1852, and 1859 (see Colp 1977, pp. 38, 47, 64 …
- … 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] …
3.9 Leonard Darwin, photo on horseback
Summary
< Back to Introduction It is so rare to encounter an image of Darwin in a specific locale that a family photograph of him riding his horse Tommy takes on a special interest. He is at the front of Down House, the door of which is open; it seems as…
Matches: 5 hits
- … paces.’ Henrietta’s brother George reported to her in a letter of February 1870, ‘I have been doing …
- … the RSPCA to prosecute a man living in Down village in 1852 on a charge of cruelty to his horses, …
- … c.1866, acting as the local magistrate, he wrote a warning letter to another local farmer, whose …
- … references and bibliography Darwin’s draft letter to a local farmer, c.1866, about the state of …
- … Darwin’s accident when riding Tommy on 9 April 1869. Letter from George Darwin to his sister …
New material added to the American edition of Origin
Summary
A ‘revised and augmented’ American edition of Origin came on the market in July 1860, and was the only authorised edition available in the US until 1873. It incorporated many of the changes Darwin made to the second English edition, but still contained…
Matches: 12 hits
- … Soon after Origin was published, Darwin received a letter from Asa Gray offering to arrange an …
- … Darwin responded favourably to Gray’s proposal in his letter of 21 December [1859] ( Correspondence …
- … had been fixed through the process of stereotyping (see letter from Asa Gray, 23 January [1860] and …
- … of species; Darwin sent this off to Gray enclosed in his letter of [8 or 9 February 1860]. He had …
- … [1860] and 1 February [1860]). A month later, in his letter of 8 March [1860], Darwin sent …
- … (especially that given by Hewett Cottrell Watson in his letter of [3? January 1860]) that Darwin …
- … changes he intended to make in the American edition in the letter to Lyell, 18 [and 19 February 1860 …
- … corrected Second Edition with additional corrections” (letter to Asa Gray, 1 February [1860]). …
- … resulting from three separate printings of Origin (see letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] and …
- … in an Essay (originally published in the Leader, March, 1852, and republished in his Essays, 1858), …
- … of each mental power and capacity by gradation. In 1852 (Revue Horticole, p. 102), M. Naudin, …
- … of Origin ( Origin 3d ed., pp. 363–6). See also letter from John Lubbock, [after 28 April …
George Busk
Summary
After the Beagle voyage, Darwin’s collection of bryozoans disappears from the records until the material was sent, in 1852, for study by George Busk, one of the foremost workers on the group of his day. In 1863, on the way down to Malvern Wells, Darwin had…
Hermann Müller
Summary
Hermann (Heinrich Ludwig Hermann) Müller, was born in Mühlberg near Erfurt in 1829. He was the younger brother of Fritz Müller (1822–97). Following the completion of his secondary education at Erfurt in 1848, he studied natural sciences at Halle and Berlin…
Matches: 3 hits
Jane Gray
Summary
Jane Loring Gray, the daughter of a Boston lawyer, married the Harvard botanist Asa Gray in 1848 and evidence suggests that she took an active interest in the scientific pursuits of her husband and his friends. Although she is only known to have…
Matches: 7 hits
- … botanists such as George Bentham and Francis Boott. In one letter Bentham reported to her on the …
- … of ‘about 40 ladies and a few gentlemen’ (letter to Jane Gray from George Bentham, 10 March …
- … sending him observations about the behaviour of her dog (letter from J. L. Gray, 14 February 1870 …
- … of Darwin’s current research preoccupations. In their letter to Darwin from Egypt, Jane Gray wrote: …
- … The other women only the up & down wrinkles— (letter from Asa Gray and J. L. Gray, 8 …
- … whilst I have won, hurrah, hurrah, 2795 games. (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ) …
- … boys and for the gift of pincushions sent back with them (letter from Emma Darwin to Jane Gray, 28 …
Wearing his knowledge lightly: From Fritz Müller, 5 April 1878
Summary
Darwin received letters from so many people and wrote so many fascinating letters himself, that it’s hard to choose from many letters that stand out, but one of this editor’s favourites, that always brings a smile, is a letter from Fritz Müller written 5…
Matches: 7 hits
- … this editor’s favourites, that always brings a smile, is a letter from Fritz Müller written 5 …
- … had emigrated to the German colony of Blumenau in Brazil in 1852. He had a PhD in natural sciences …
- … natural world. Müller begins this letter by mentioning notes that he has …
- … or sexual selection. The next section of the letter demonstrates not only Müller’s skill …
- … Vatican Council of 1869–70). Müller closes the letter with a complaint that a yellow …
- … to correspond. What shines through in this letter is Müller’s enthusiasm for his …
- … discussion, and shows a sense of fun. Müller in this letter, as always, wears his knowledge lightly. …
Alfred Russel Wallace
Summary
Wallace was a leading Victorian naturalist, with wide-ranging interests from biogeography and evolutionary theory to spiritualism and politics. He was born in 1823 in Usk, a small town in south-east Wales, and attended a grammar school in Hertford. At the…
Matches: 7 hits
- … most of his collection in a fire on the return to England in 1852, Wallace became known for his …
- … by Wallace’s observations and theoretical abilities. In a letter of 1 May 1857, he alluded to his …
- … as too metaphorical and prone to misinterpretation (see letter from A. R. Wallace, 2 July 1866). …
- … phenomena, open to scientific investigation (see letter from A. R. Wallace, 18 April [1869]). …
- … letters to Wallace, 17 June 1876 and 7 January 1881, and the letter from A. R. Wallace, 29 January …
- … chief”, while Darwin was the “great General” (letter to Charles Kingsley, 7 May 1869). In later …
- … jealousy towards each other, though in one sense rivals” (letter to A. R. Wallace, 20 April [1870]). …
Arthur Mellersh
Summary
Arthur Mellersh was a midshipman (promoted to mate during the voyage) serving on the Beagle at the time when Darwin was travelling around the world. One account suggests an inauspicious start to their friendship; apparently Mellersh introduced himself…
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
- … However, at this point the record breaks off until January 1852, by which time the Darwin family had …
- … 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 …
- … to change “Yours is larger than mine Annie.” Jan. 1852 Lizzy 4½ years old.[60] She has always …
- … , pp. 131–2. [6] Correspondence vol. 2, letter from Emma Wedgwood, [23 January 1839] . …
Syms Covington
Summary
When Charles Darwin embarked on the Beagle voyage in 1831, Syms Covington was ‘fiddler & boy to Poop-cabin’. Covington kept an illustrated journal of his observations and experiences on the voyage, noting wildlife, landscapes, buildings and people and,…
Matches: 3 hits
The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 19 hits
- … in no other place, could have been given to it’ (Kirby 1852, 2: 246). Darwin’s copy of …
- … principles and the proximity of other cells. Darwin’s letter has not been found, but from Waterhouse …
- … were not subject to the space constraints of other cells. (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 14 April …
- … diameter being determined by her power of reaching.’ (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 10 February …
- … were exercising their minds on the problem. In his next letter, Waterhouse described wasps’ nests …
- … formal constraints as a group of bees working together. (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 13 February …
- … mind on the subjects of wasp’s nests. He sent another long letter to Darwin on the subject, this …
- … the other straight sides that were bounded by other cells (letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 17 April …
- … arranged to look at Tegetmeier’s piece of honeycomb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, [21 April 1858] …
- … to keep an eye out for the first beginnings of the comb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 9 May [1858] …
- … has not correctly described their manner of building’ (letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1858] .) …
- … hardly been begun; & all must be very minute. ( See the letter ) Darwin was …
- … asked Tegetmeier to look out for isolated cylindrical cells (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 5 June …
- … ordering another hive from Tegetmeier, and buying a swarm (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 [June …
- … Waterhouse reviewed the latest controversies in his letter to Darwin of 2 August 1858 . The …
- … of bee cell sizes might have a simple explanation. (Letter to Richard Hill, 8 August [1859] .) …
- … are different sizes) was carried out in different ways (letter from Jeffries Wyman, 11 January …
- … Darwin’s conclusions about the building of cells. (Letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 September [1858] …
- … bought to bear, a myth. In 1865, Darwin received a letter from Edward Cresy (letter from …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and …
Fritz Müller
Summary
Fritz Müller, a German who spent most of his life in political exile in Brazil, described Darwin as his second father, and Darwin's son, Francis, wrote that, although they never met 'the correspondence with Müller, which continued to the close of…
