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Darwin in letters, 1844–1846: Building a scientific network
Summary
The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but he broadened his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species. Far from being a recluse, Darwin was at the heart of British scientific society,…
Matches: 16 hits
- … The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but …
- … his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species and varieties. In contrast to …
- … and gathering information from an ever-expanding network of correspondents. Down House was altered …
- … stay; and, with his father’s advice, Darwin began a series of judicious financial investments to …
- … of the first edition. He continued as an officer of the Geological Society of London, acting as one …
- … he was a conscientious member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society; he regularly …
- … Government grant was exhausted ( Correspondence vol. 2, letter to A. Y. Spearman, 9 October 1843, …
- … are not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [11 January 1844] ). …
- … the essay of 1844 to read (see Correspondence vol. 4, letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 [February 1847]) …
- … himself: as he told his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of [24 April 1845] , he felt he …
- … Natural selection Perhaps the most interesting letter relating to Darwin’s species theory, …
- … Darwin’s views. South America drew together all the geological and palaeontological results of …
- … (1830–3) and a commitment to Lyell’s idea of gradual geological change taking place overimmensely …
- … Darwin not only used his personal notes and records but, by letter, marshalled the resources of …
- … of the laws of creation, Geographical Distribution’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 February 1845] ) …
- … University and a period of half-hearted work with the Geological Survey of Great Britain. Like …
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: 25 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to …
- … were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119) …
- … a few odd entries, the record ends. Both notebooks consist of two different sections, headed ‘Books …
- … copy of the catalogue of scientific books in the Royal Society of London (Royal Society of London …
- … 3v.] Hunter has written Quarto work on Physiology 11 besides the paper collected by Owen …
- … Transact 15 [ Transactions of the Horticultural Society ] Mr Coxe “view of the …
- … Transactions [ ?Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society ]: Asa Gray & Torrey …
- … [ Journal of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India ; Proceedings of the …
- … Transactions [ Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London ].— [DAR *119: 8v.] …
- … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
- … Transact [ Transactions of the Linnean Society of London ] Wernerian d[itt]o [ Memoirs …
- … of Books at end of Catalogue of Royal Soc. [Royal Society of London 1839]— Meckel’s Anatomy. …
- … 1831]. Book I. ch. 7 & Book II. Ch. 8. Book. VII. ch 8, 11. read 1 st . vol of Lamarck. …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … ] Veterinary: Jan & Feb. number 1841. Karkeek on the geological History of the Horse …
- … [Haldeman 1843–4] already (1844) VI. vols. published Lib. Geological Society (read) Goulds …
- … 1834b]. 9. Columbidæ (Pigeons.) [Selby 1835] 11. Ruminating Animals (Deer, Antelopes, …
- … 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] …
- … Expedition to Siberia & Polar Sea [Wrangell 1840] Geological Report. New York 69 Jan. …
- … 16 th Dublin Geolog. Journ. [ Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin ] Vol 1.— …
- … Nov. 12. Mem. of Geolog. Survey [ Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain ] Vol I …
- … Grammont’s Memoirs [Gramont 1714] light & poor Nov 11. Bamford life of Radicle [Bamford …
- … (in relation to Köelreuter) in Revue Horticole No 9–11 89 1853 [Lecoq 1853]. Reviewed in …
- … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
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: 21 hits
- … As the sheer volume of his correspondence indicates, 1862 was a particularly productive year for …
- … botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the …
- … 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] …
- … condition in Primula ’, was read before the Linnean Society of London in November 1861, and was …
- … on Linum ‘at once’ ( letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] ), writing up his experiments in …
- … had decided that the case warranted a paper for the Linnean Society ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 6 …
- … of Natural History’ ( letter to Armand de Quatrefages, 11 July [1862] ). She had had assistance …
- … for a second edition ( letter from H. G. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ), Darwin asked him to use …
- … see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 11 July 1862 ). Yet Darwin was now …
- … in America. Even after the news, which arrived in London early in January, that the Trent affair had …
- … violent vomiting and trembling; that I dread coming up to London’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 14 …
- … no longer active in the field himself, his opinions on geological matters were still greatly valued …
- … Darwin agreed to referee Jamieson’s paper for the Geological Society ( see letter to A. C. Ramsay, …
- … and enemies Others were anxious for Darwin’s geological approval. Andrew Crombie Ramsay, the …
- … the paper had been attacked by members of the council of the Geological Society, and there was …
- … 1862 ). Ramsay’s was not the only significant geological paper of 1862. In May, Darwin heard …
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: 21 hits
- … The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
- … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
- … 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 …
- … opportunity to contact the spirit world. While Darwin was in London, his son George organised a …
- … in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
- … review me in a hostile spirit’ ( letter to John Murray, 11 August 1874 ). Darwin was …
- … Correspondence vol. 20, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin’s relief, …
- … suggested having him removed as secretary of the Linnean Society ( letter From J. D. Hooker, 29 …
- … the moment of being hatched ( letter to Nature , 7 and 11 May [1874] ; Spalding 1872a). …
- … & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). Plants that eat . …
- … cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). His research …
- … physiologists at the Brown Animal Sanatory Institution in London, who performed comparative animal …
- … Darwin offered to try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from …
- … time in China, in his candidacy for election to the Royal Society of London ( see letter to H. B. …
- … the colour of their surroundings to the Entomological Society of London ( letter from H. W. Bates, …
- … of Charles Lyell’s plan to leave a bequest to the Geological Society of London and an annual medal ( …
- … February 1874 ), and honorary member of the Entomological Society of France ( letter to Eugène …
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: 21 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
- … scientific correspondence. Six months later the volume of his correspondence dropped markedly, …
- … 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] ). …
- … regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, …
- … by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the same letter, he …
- … bottom of seas, lakes, and rivers ( Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix VII). Quarrels at …
- … the first part of his presidential address at the Linnean Society of London to British and foreign …
- … he discussed the importance of applying Darwin’s theory to geological and palaeontological …
- … Academy of Sciences, Berlin (see Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix III), and of the Société des …
- … November when Darwin heard that his nomination for the Royal Society’s Copley Medal had been …
- … to win the award was Edward Sabine, President of the Royal Society ( see letter from Edward Sabine …
- … [9 May 1863] , and memorandum from G. H. Darwin, [before 11 May 1863]) . As he struggled …
- … in species of Linum ’) was read before the Linnean Society. In the paper, Darwin presented …
- … communicated Scott’s Primula work to the Linnean Society in a paper that was read in February …
- … Scotland; he warned Darwin that at the Edinburgh Botanical Society, where he read his orchid paper, …
- … On the way to Malvern Wells, Darwin stopped in London overnight to consult George Busk, former …
- … Brinton, a stomach specialist at St Thomas’s Hospital, London ( letter from George Busk, [ c. 27 …
Books on the Beagle
Summary
The Beagle was a sort of floating library. Find out what Darwin and his shipmates read here.
Matches: 27 hits
- … Captain FitzRoy in the Narrative (2: 18). CD, in his letter to Henslow, 9 [September 1831] , …
- … he felt he would need, even if it meant duplicating some of FitzRoy’s own: ‘You are of course …
- … to leaving mine behind . . . There will be plenty of room for Books.’ (Letter from Robert …
- … to Keith Thompson (1975), the cabin measured 10 feet by 11 feet. The books in the Poop Cabin …
- … diary, field notebooks, and the extensive zoological and geological notes it is possible to compile …
- … the ‘immense stock’ which CD mentions may be had from a letter FitzRoy wrote to his sister during an …
- … on the list are derived from the unpublished zoological and geological notes in the Darwin Archive …
- … the most frequently cited sources are the zoological and geological notes made by CD during the …
- … on board the Beagle § — mentioned in a letter or other source as being on board …
- … book on folio 61 (recto) in part 1 of volume 32 of CD’s geological diary (DAR 32.1) in the Darwin …
- … papers . . . of . . . Lord Anson . . . by Richard Walter . London, 1748. ( ‘Beagle’ diary p. 62) …
- … atlas, constructed from the latest authorities. London and Edinburgh, 1823. (Contemporary …
- … and Beering’s Strait . . . 1825, 26, 27, 28 . London, 1831. (DAR 31.1: 276v.; 33: 253v.). …
- … Naturelle 3 (1834): 84–115. (DAR 37.1: 677v.; letter to J. S. Henslow, 12 July 1835). * …
- … d’histoire naturelle . 17 vols. Paris, 1822–31. (Letter from J. S. Henslow, 15–21 January [1833]). …
- … round the world. Translated by John Reinhold Forster. London, 1772. ( Voyage , p. 178; DAR …
- … Science. Report of the 2d meeting . . . Oxford, 1832 . London, 1833. (Letter to J. S. Henslow …
- … ‡ De la Beche, Henry Thomas. A selection of the geological memoirs contained in the Annales des …
- … Library–Down. ‡ De la Beche, Henry Thomas. A geological manual. London, 1831. (DAR 32.1: …
- … vols. London, 1829. (DAR 37.2: 798; Stoddart 1962, pp. 6, 8, 11). Encyclopædia Britannica. …
- … Anniversary address (1834). Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1833–8): 44–70. …
- … of Anglesea. Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 1, pt 2 (18): 359–452. (DAR 33: …
- … Hope and the interjacent ports. 2 pts. London, 1809–11. (DAR 30.1: 2v.). ‡ Humboldt, …
- … of South America. Journal of the Royal Geographical Society 1 (1832): 155–175. (DAR 32.1: 120v.) …
- … . of earthquakes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 51 (1760): 566–634. …
- … insect . . . Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 4 (1833): 209–17. (Letter to J. …
- … of cotidal lines. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 123 (1833): 147–236. …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 16 hits
- … Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively …
- … Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
- … to Darwin’s request for observations to be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . …
- … Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
- … is making similar observations for him. Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. …
- … of a crying baby to Darwin's daughter, Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, …
- … briefly on her ongoing observations of wormholes. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. …
- … Edward Blyth, curator of the museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, sends specimens and bird …
- … Sutton, the keeper of the Zoological gardens in London, responds to Darwin’s request for …
- … tells Darwin about her work on worms and about a recent geological ramble she had taken with her …
- … Letter 4928 - Henslow, G. to Darwin, [11 November 1865] J. S. Henslow’s son, George, …
- … from Miss Bateman, the first woman admitted to Linnean Society. Men: Letter 1836 …
- … James Tenant, keeper of the aquarium at the Zoological Society’s gardens, sends Darwin the results …
- … Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] Darwin expresses anxiety over …
- … passes on Henrietta’s insightful comments on Lyell’s Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of …
- … Darwin seeks to decline the Secretaryship of the Geological Society. Once his writing skills and …
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: 23 hits
- … Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864 : ‘the venerable beard gives …
- … after the long illness that had plagued him since the spring of 1863. Because of poor health, Darwin …
- … professor of clinical medicine at University College, London, and physician-in-ordinary to Queen …
- … of the five physicians Darwin had consulted in 1863. In a letter of 26[–7] March [1864] , Darwin …
- … of Lythrum salicaria ’) and sent it to the Linnean Society of London, thus completing the work he …
- … and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
- … were also marked by the award to Darwin of the Royal Society’s Copley Medal; he had been nominated …
- … As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
- … medal was considered the greatest accolade that the Royal Society could bestow. The announcement of …
- … continue his observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] …
- … Gardens, Kew, and professor of botany at University College, London, were of substance, testifying …
- … gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
- … fearfully for it is a leaf climber & therefore sacred’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] …
- … plants’), which Darwin submitted to the Linnean Society in January 1865. Climbers and twiners …
- … Origin . He communicated Crüger’s paper to the Linnean Society, in addition to a paper on Bonatea …
- … two letters to the Athenæum ( Correspondence vol. 11). Darwin’s anxiety about the matter was …
- … socialising with Charles Lyell and other members of the London scientific circle. Another …
- … Council’s judgment. The declaration, drafted by a group of London chemists and signed by over 200 …
- … in 1864 reflects the strong interest he still took in geological questions. The arguments taking …
- … always immediately related to his theory; however, his early geological studies on the Beagle …
- … of upheaval and subsidence. Darwin’s changes to the geological chapters in later editions of …
- … and the question of human origins ( Correspondence vol. 11). Wallace, however, traced a possible …
- … some scientific journals, and to discuss botanical and geological questions with Hooker. He also …
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: 23 hits
- … I cannot bear to think of the future The year 1876 started out sedately enough with …
- … ‘my wife … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). …
- … one or the other was away from Down. The usual rhythm of visits with family and friends took place …
- … to think of the future’, Darwin confessed to William on 11 September just hours after Amy’s …
- … 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 …
- … South America , in a new single-volume edition titled Geological observations , Darwin resisted …
- … & 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 …
- … zoologist Edwin Ray Lankester was blackballed at the Linnean Society of London because of internal …
- … scientific reputation, but also to save the Linnean Society from the ‘utter disgrace’ of …
- … Lankester must have been cast by the ‘poorest curs in London’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [4 …
- … school at Cambridge University. The Physiological Society, which had been founded in March 1876 by …
- … what action to take. Burdon Sanderson was keen for the society’s secretary, George Romanes, to write …
- … on leaf-arrangement or phyllotaxy was sent to the Royal Society of London by Darwin because he …
- … naturalist Thomas Edward ( letter from F. M. Balfour, 11 December 1876 ; letter to Samuel Smiles …
- … gynaecologist. The decision by the Royal Society of London to reject a paper by Tait on the …
- … not to be too downhearted if his paper on the influence of geological changes on the earth’s axis of …
- … while Emma was suffering from a feverish cold, Darwin’s London consultant Andrew Clark was called …
- … who died at the age of 10 in 1851, but William, who was 11 years old at the time of her death, would …
- … you are one of the best of all’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 11 September [1876] ). …
- … do I cannot conceive’, Darwin wrote anxiously to Hooker on 11 September. By the time Darwin …
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: 19 hits
- … the chief work on Charles Darwin’s mind was the writing of The variation of animals and plants …
- … projects came to fruition in 1865, including the publication of his long paper on climbing plants in …
- … the year, Darwin was elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The year …
- … The death of Hugh Falconer Darwin’s first letter to Hooker of 1865 suggests that the family …
- … having all the Boys at home: they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
- … Darwin’s nomination for the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1864, had staunchly …
- … of species ( Origin ), which the Council of the Royal Society had failed to include among the …
- … 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 …
- … gas.— Sic transit gloria mundi, with a vengeance’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 February [1865] ). …
- … fever), and was wondering whether to send it to the Linnean Society, or to the Royal Society of …
- … crossing experiments in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from John Scott, 21 September …
- … interest in Darwin’s theory ( Correspondence vol. 11, letter from J. D. Hooker, 10 June 1863 ) …
- … Hooker to convalesce, first with friends in Notting Hill, London, then in Buxton, Derbyshire. …
- … and Leonard were still at school in Clapham, south-west London, and Horace was seeing a private …
- … foolish’;. In November, Darwin and Emma visited Erasmus in London ( Correspondence vol. 13, CD’s …
- … and before the move to Down, Kent, when Darwin was living in London. There are letters commenting on …
Darwin’s introduction to geology
Summary
Darwin collected minerals as a child and was introduced to the science of geology at the University of Edinburgh, but he only became actively interested in the subject as he was completing his degree at Cambridge.
Matches: 7 hits
- … minerals as a child and was introduced to the science of geology during his abortive tenure as a …
- … completing his degree at Cambridge. Under the influence of the professor of botany (and former …
- … Darwin apprenticed himself to the Cambridge professor of geology, Adam Sedgwick, who had invited the …
- … and inducted Darwin as an interested participant in geological research, which the young man …
- … August 1831 and together they travelled to the Welsh town of Llangollen. Their geological excursion …
- … back inland by himself, visiting the cliff-encircled lake of Cwm Idwal on his way to meet friends in …
- … from Wales on 29 August 1831. He had scarcely put down his geological hammer when he learned that …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 23 hits
- … in plant physiology, he investigated the reactive properties of roots and the effects of different …
- … between science and art, and the intellectual powers of women and men. He fielded repeated requests …
- … ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
- … by early April, he was being carried upstairs with the aid of a special chair. The end came on 19 …
- … his brother Erasmus had been interred in 1881. But some of his scientific friends quickly organised …
- … fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
- … of carbonate of ammonia on roots’, read at the Linnean Society of London on 6 and 16 March, …
- … François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
- … quite untirable & I am glad to shirk any extra labour’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 6 January …
- … by planting in apposition’, was read at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. …
- … probably intending to test its effects on chlorophyll ( letter to Joseph Fayrer, 30 March 1882 ). …
- … rather the best of the fight’ ( letter from G. F. Crawte, 11 March 1882 ). The battle apparently …
- … Collier in 1881 for a portrait commissioned by the Linnean Society. Collier sent Darwin a copy of …
- … 2, p. 2). His physician for some years was the prominent London practitioner Andrew Clark. On 9 …
- … a ‘Glycerin Pepsin mixture’ (letters to W. W. Baxter, 11 March 1882 and 18 March [1882 ]). …
- … I want you to do is to get one of the cleverer sort of young London Doctors such as Brunton or Pye …
- … immediately wrote to George, who had visited Down on 11 April (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). …
- … travel inland from Santiago in 1834, making observations of geological uplift ( letter from Thomas …
- … scientific life in the 1840s: his duties as secretary of the Geological Society, his work on geology …
- … In May 1857, Darwin wrote to the secretary of the Royal Society, William Sharpey, with …
- … the ‘parallel roads’ of Glen Roy. In one of his earliest geological publications, he had argued that …
- … was presented by Thomas Francis Jamieson in a paper to the Geological Society. Darwin was a referee …
- … man’s private property’ ( letter to George Warington, 11 October [1867] ). Respecting the …
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: 18 hits
- … I think we have proved that the sleep of plants is to lessen injury to leaves from radiation …
- … Hooker, ‘or as far as I know any scientific man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 December [1878] ). …
- … or arched.… Almost all seedlings come up arched’ ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 24 March [1878–80] ). …
- … when he finds out that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] …
- … Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my blunder’ ( letter to John Tyndall, 22 December [1878] ). …
- … accursed German language: Sachs is very kind to him’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June …
- … to expertise. ‘It is funny’, he wrote to Huxley on 11 August , ‘the Academy having elected a man …
- … ‘I tried to show the way, which the paleontological-geological inquiry has to go, in the mind of …
- … whatever he earnestly desires’ ( letter to James Grant, 11 March 1878 ). The question of …
- … required, to define the rectitude of adding a new member to society’ ( letter from G. A. Gaskell, …
- … himself.’ Darwin considered writing to the Philadelphia Society, but instead took up the matter …
- … his father’s advice on publicly criticising a paper on geological time recently given at the Royal …
- … referee a paper by Haughton on the same topic for the Royal Society, and recommended that it not be …
- … requesting permission to publish it. While he was in London, Darwin consulted Thomas Farrer at the …
- … Farrer and James Caird, a member of the Royal Agricultural Society. Torbitt’s credentials as a …
- … relatively stable for some years. He did make one visit to London at the end of April to see his …
- … now followed a regular pattern, with two or three stays in London at the home of his daughter …
- … The Rich legacy consisted of four freehold houses in central London. Darwin was uncertain 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: 20 hits
- … On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species , …
- … 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] ). …
- … but were nonetheless appreciated for their honest critiques of his views. ‘One cannot expect …
- … gave ‘good and well deserved raps’ on his discussion of the geological record; but this criticism, …
- … to fly’. His ‘dearly beloved’ theory suffered a series of attacks, the most vicious of which came …
- … 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 that explained several classes of facts— those of geological succession, geographical …
- … 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] …
- … natural selection did not necessarily lead to progression ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [and 19 …
- … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
- … criticisms arose from evidence (or the lack thereof) in the geological record. Several critics …
- … Russel Wallace’s assessment that the imperfection of the geological record was one of the weakest …
- … naturalists because more accustomed to reasoning.’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 18 May 1860 ). …
- … two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
- … stated publicly at a meeting of the Cambridge Philosophical Society in May that ‘his chief attacks …
- … (letters to Charles Lyell, 1 June [1860] and 11 August [1860] ). As the months passed …
- … after reading William Hopkins’s hostile critique of his geological argument, he wrote to Lyell on …
Darwin’s student booklist
Summary
In October 1825 Charles Darwin and his older brother, Erasmus, went to study medicine in Edinburgh, where their father, Robert Waring Darwin, had trained as a doctor in the 1780’s. Erasmus had already graduated from Cambridge and was continuing his studies…
Matches: 18 hits
- … very enjoyable or profitable, would find the discipline of medicine more congenial. In October 1826 …
- … anatomy and dissection; and much later in life he wrote of surgery: I also attended on …
- … to make me do so; this being long before the blessed days of chloroform. The two cases fairly …
- … By the time Charles returned to Shrewsbury in the summer of 1827 he had decided not to continue the …
- … However, Granby follows Cuvier: Darwin’s own copy of this is the fifth edition of 1827. Of …
- … suitable reading for a medical student: John Abernethy was a London surgeon whose lectures were …
- … intellectual community. A translation of the principal geological work of Georges Cuvier, Discours …
- … took Darwin to meetings of the Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh. Hugh Blair, although …
- … work in 1879 Darwin judged it ‘a wretched production’ (letter to Ernst Krause, 19 March 1879 ); …
- … Dr Darwin had Lichfield connections, but the writer left for London about twenty years before the …
- … Letters & Poems 12 mo 10 Pennants Arctic Zoology 11 2 Vols 4to Several …
- … n. 3). 10 White 1826. 12 mo: duodecimo. 11 Pennant 1784–5. 12 …
- … CD described Lister 1826 as an ‘entertaining book’ (see letter to S. E. Darwin, 29 January [1826] …
- … 1819: delivered before the Royal College of Surgeons, in London. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, …
- … diseases, delivered before the Royal College of Surgeons, in London . New edition. London: Longman, …
- … Royal College of Surgeons, in the year 1817 . 2d edition. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and …
- … diseases: delivered before the Royal College of Surgeons, London, in 1814 and 1815 . New ed. London …
- … trans. 1827. Essay on the theory of the earth with geological illustrations . By Georges Cuvier. …
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: 16 hits
- … On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He …
- … have written these two notes weighing up the pros and cons of marriage in the months immediately …
- … Library. The related letters contain a selection of musings on marriage by Darwin and his …
- … America???? If I travel it must be exclusively geological United States, Mexico Depend upon …
- … If I dont travel.— Work at transmission of Species— Microscope simplest forms of life— Geology. ? …
- … If marry—means limited, Feel duty to work for money. London life, nothing but Society, no country, …
- … than hybernating in country, & where? Better even than near London country house.— I could not …
- … & I do not see what line can be followed by man tied down to London.— In country, …
- … a dog anyhow.— [15] Home, & someone to take care of house— Charms of music & female …
- … Imagine living all one’s day solitarily in smoky dirty London House.— Only picture to yourself a …
- … [18] Freedom to go where one liked— choice of Society & little of it . — …
- … work too much) Perhaps my wife wont like London; then the sentence is banishment & …
- … expense in getting & furnishing a house,—fighting about no Society—morning calls—awkwardness …
- … note was written in pencil on the three blank pages of the letter from Leonard Horner, 7 April [1838 …
- … interl . [10] ‘C’ over illeg . [11] ‘I’ over ‘l’. [12] The date is …
- … definite prospect in mind at the time of writing, but in a letter to Charles Lyell, [12 November …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
Matches: 20 hits
- … years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural …
- … book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred …
- … has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
- … to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
- … Bernhard Tegetmeier, founder and president of the Apiarian Society, provided Darwin with information …
- … as evidence for what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
- … throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
- … his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
- … selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell …
- … and was postmarked ‘Singapore Apr 21 58’ and ‘London Ju 3 58’. Brooks maintains that Darwin …
- … letter aboard the 9 March steamer could have arrived at the London General Post Office on 14 May via …
- … 1984 show that another mail from the East Indies arrived in London on 17 June, a delivery date that …
- … to the reading of the Darwin–Wallace papers at the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858, including a …
- … public and that he did not attend the meeting of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858. The …
- … appear in one or more papers in the Journal of the Linnean Society. But once he had commenced …
- … acted as referee for several papers submitted to the Royal Society and served on the society’s …
- … with Darwin receiving the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society, considered to be the highest …
- … Cirripedia (1851 and 1854) ( Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 15 (1859): xxv). …
- … ideas (see letters to J. D. Hooker, 2 March [1859] , 11 March [1859] , and 7 April [1859] ) …
- … Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). Visitors to Down and trips to London regularly punctuate the …
Origin
Summary
Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for the species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, and had resisted suggestions in 1856…
Matches: 16 hits
- … work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for …
- … resisted suggestions in 1856 that he publish a short version of his theory. Instead, he believed …
- … by Alfred Russel Wallace in June 1858. In the aftermath of the first public presentation of …
- … to remove the family from Down for a few weeks to the Isle of Wight. Although Darwin and …
- … 100 to 150 pages in a ‘ separate supplemental number ’ of the journal. By this point, Hooker had …
- … so much as a non consenter to them in the present state of my knowledge, nor till you had weighed my …
- … ‘ After all, I am now beginning to prepare an abstract of my Species Theory ’. Perhaps because Fox …
- … to publish it in Linnean Journal, together some notes of mine written very many years ago; & …
- … till completed: it will be published, probably, in Journal of Linn. Soc y . & I shall have …
- … Hooker’s father-in-law, who clearly had seen the Linnean Society papers. ‘I sh d . be extremely …
- … of his abstract and was relieved to learn from the Linnean Society that he could be a little more …
- … make a large-sized pamphlet. ’ On the 4 October, in a letter to T. C. Eyton explaining his change …
- … buoyed up in January 1859, when he received a (now lost) letter from Wallace, expressing …
- … to this much unorthodoxy, which in fact is not more than any Geological Treatise, which runs slap …
- … his friend George Frederick Pollock. The former, in a long letter to Murray, believed that Darwin …
- … is in the main safe ’. Darwin reassured Lyell on 11 October that he was aware that his …
Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 23 hits
- … busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his long-awaited book on human …
- … , ‘Good God how glad I shall be when I can drive the whole of the confounded book out of my head’. …
- … that were already under way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded …
- … lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the ‘higher’ faculties of human nature: …
- … do to talk about it, which no doubt promotes the sale’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ) …
- … to her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). …
- … and had forsaken his lunch and dinner in order to read it ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 …
- … they believe to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). …
- … and Oldham … They club together to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). …
- … one’s n th . ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). …
- … habits, furnished with a tail and pointed ears” (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871) …
- … ‘will-power’ and the heavy use of their arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 …
- … in order to make it darker than the hair on his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 …
- … together with an image of an orang-utan foetus ( letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871 ). …
- … Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871 ; letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 March 1871 ; letter from Hermann …
- … St G. J. Mivart, 24 January 1871 ). The men did meet in London at the end of February, and Darwin’s …
- … review of Genesis of species to be reprinted in London (Wright 1871b). The article was by the …
- … in the offspring. In a paper presented at the Royal Society of London in March, Galton announced …
- … stemming from a short paper Darwin had delivered at the Geological Society of London in 1837, would …
- … was now studying medicine at St George’s Hospital in London, although he still attended some …
- … a barrister, philanthropist, and music instructor at the London Working Men’s College. A wedding …
- … sober image of the naturalist appeared in the Illustrated London News in March, with deep set …
- … a ‘venerable old Ape’ ( letter from D. Thomas, [after 11 March 1871] ). Descent and …
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: 24 hits
- … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing …
- … again to write on general & difficult points in the theory of Evolution’, he told the …
- … as the sweetest place on this earth’. From the start of the year, Darwin had his demise on his mind. …
- … affairs and began to make provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s …
- … 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 …
- … 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 …
- … 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 …
- … the limits of science in questions of religion, morals, and society. Graham accepted evolution and …
- … obliged to sit for a portrait commissioned by the Linnean Society. ‘It tires me a good deal to sit …
- … dog not to agree’, he told Romanes, secretary of the society, on 27 May . Romanes assured Darwin …
- … brilliant and when William expressed his wish to join the Geological Society of London, if it were …
- … not commending papers presented by Francis at the Linnean Society the previous December (claiming …
- … ‘any longer undervalue the “earth-worm” as a potent geological agent’ and that henceforward this …
- … Reade wrote on 6 November , ‘It seems strange that the geological work done by worms should not …
- … Britannica , telling the author, Arabella Buckley, on 11 July that he regretted that there …
- … character, such as ‘his strong sense of humour and love of society’, ‘his extreme interest in the …
- … entirely new will. Apart from providing for his family, on 11 September he instructed his …
- … being found in Lower Carboniferous strata by the Scottish Geological Survey, and assuming that the …
- … and plants, Darwin told the director, Archibald Geikie, on 11 November , ‘This leads me to make …
