To T. H. Huxley 23 April [1853]
Summary
On THH’s paper on cephalous Mollusca [Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 143 (1853) pt 1: 29–66]. Discovery of the type or "idea" (in THH’s sense, not Owen’s or Agassiz’s) is one of the highest ends of natural history.
Discusses anamorphism;
position of heart in Cleodora.
Variability within species;
cementing process in cirripedes.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
| Date: | 23 Apr [1853] |
| Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 4) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1480 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge …
To Charles Lyell 15 February [1853]
Summary
Returns Lake Superior [1850], which he already has received from Agassiz. Thanks for pamphlets by C. B. Adams [on Mollusca, Contrib. Conchol. 10 (1851): 189–206; 11 (1852): 207–15].
Describes his dissection of an unusual cirripede [Alcippe lampas] with 12 males attached [see Living Cirripedia 2: 556, 558].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 15 Feb [1853] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.103) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1502 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge …
| letter | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
| Lyell, Charles | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
| Lyell, Charles | (1) |
Abstract of Darwin’s theory
Summary
There are two extant versions of the abstract of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. One was sent to Asa Gray on 5 September 1857, enclosed with a letter of the same date (see Correspondence vol. 6, letter to Asa Gray, 5 September [1857] and enclosure).…
Matches: 11 hits
- … sent to Charles Lyell and Joseph Dalton Hooker in June 1858 as part of Darwin’s contribution to the …
- … manuscript and the printed text of Darwin and Wallace 1858 have been noted. For CD’s work on the …
- … dated Down, September 5th, 1857.” (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 50). The text comprises the second …
- … printed version reads: ‘astounded’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 50). 3 The printed version …
- … carpets, of another for cloth, &c.’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 51). 10 The printed …
- … external appearances, but who could’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 51). 11 The manuscript …
- … should go on selecting for one object’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 51). 13 The printed …
- … few years, or at most a few centuries’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 51). 17 At this point in …
- … not hold the progeny of one pair’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 51). 18 The printed version …
- … printed version reads: ‘far more’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 52). 21 The printed version …
- … by struggling with other organisms’ (Darwin and Wallace 1858, p. 52). 22 The printed version …
The writing of "Origin"
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
Matches: 19 hits
- … Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ) The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at work …
- … on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to prepare the next chapter, ‘Mental …
- … facts on record.—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In addition to behaviour such as …
- … occurred in nature (see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and Natural selection , p. 161). …
- … you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have been forced to …
- … much of his research completed, Darwin began in mid-June 1858 to write up the results of his study …
- … of my Chapters.’ (letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). As was his custom, Darwin did …
- … endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the accuracy of Darwin’s …
- … Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same day that another letter …
- … 2). The correspondence between mid-May and mid-June 1858 provides some circumstantial …
- … of anxiety. He says in a letter to Syms Covington, 18 May [1858] , that he expects the …
- … full well you will be dreadfully severe.—’ On 18 [May 1858] , he again tells Hooker: ‘There is …
- … the Darwin–Wallace papers at the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858. It also includes an unpublished …
- … days immediately following his letter to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest daughter, Henrietta Emma …
- … did not attend the meeting of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858. After the theory of natural …
- … a ‘small volume’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 October [1858] ). Begun while he was in Sandown on …
- … detailed sections for his ‘big book’. In September 1858 he finished his manuscript discussion of …
- … experiments on bees’ cells continued through the autumn of 1858, even though he had completed a …
- … of publishing (see ‘Journal’; Appendix II). Twice in 1858 and three times in 1859 he had gone to …
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: 14 hits
- … of reaching.’ (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 10 February 1858 .) By now not only …
- … together. (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 13 February 1858 .) In April 1858, Darwin went to …
- … discussion in a memorandum to W. H. Miller, [15 April 1858] , summarising his position as follows …
- … by other cells (letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 17 April 1858 ). Waterhouse also told Darwin …
- … piece of honeycomb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, [21 April 1858] ); however, it had been mislaid. …
- … beginnings of the comb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 9 May [1858] ). He suspected that the first …
- … manner of building’ (letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1858] .) To Tegetmeier, he explained in more …
- … cylindrical cells (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 5 June [1858] ). Tegetmeier suggested putting a …
- … and buying a swarm (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 [June 1858] ). (Articial wax is probably …
- … result is shown in the photograph below. In August 1858, Waterhouse’s remarks at the 5 April …
- … At a meeting of the Entomological Society on 7 July 1858 ( Proceedings of the Entomological Society …
- … latest controversies in his letter to Darwin of 2 August 1858 . The notion that the theory of …
- … with the least possible expenditure of wax, but in September 1858 Tegetmeier was able to give Darwin …
- … of cells. (Letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 September [1858] .) In Origin , in 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: 25 hits
- … The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From …
- … of organic change at the Linnean Society of London in July 1858 and prompted the composition and …
- … from these years. The 'big book' The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at …
- … on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to prepare the next chapter, ‘Mental …
- … facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In addition to behaviour such as …
- … occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and Natural selection , p. 161). …
- … you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have been forced to …
- … best.—’ Other topics discussed in the letters of 1858 also relate to questions that Darwin …
- … much of his research completed, Darwin began in mid-June 1858 to write up the results of his study …
- … of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). As was his custom, Darwin did …
- … endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the accuracy of Darwin’s …
- … Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same day that another letter …
- … 2). The correspondence between mid-May and mid-June 1858 provides some circumstantial …
- … of anxiety. He says in a letter to Syms Covington, 18 May [1858], that he expects the publication of …
- … full well you will be dreadfully severe.—’ On 18 [May 1858], he again tells Hooker: ‘There is not …
- … the Darwin–Wallace papers at the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858, including a letter from Wallace to …
- … days immediately following his letter to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest daughter, Henrietta Emma …
- … did not attend the meeting of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858. The writing of Origin …
- … a ‘small volume’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 October [1858] ). Begun while he was in Sandown on …
- … detailed sections for his ‘big book’. In September 1858 he finished his manuscript discussion of …
- … experiments on bees’ cells continued through the autumn of 1858, even though he had completed a …
- … the most difficult challenge to his views. In November 1858, he communicated a long summary of his …
- … letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [before 13 November 1858] ), in which he presented the evidence for …
- … of publishing (see ‘Journal’; Appendix II). Twice in 1858 and three times in 1859 he had gone to …
- … we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). Visitors to Down and trips to …
Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
Dates of composition of Darwin's manuscript on species
Summary
Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s manuscript on species (DAR 8--15.1, inclusive; transcribed and published as Natural selection). This manuscript, begun in May 1856, was nearly completed by…
Matches: 6 hits
- … manuscript, begun in May 1856, was nearly completed by June 1858. At that point Darwin was …
- … theory of transmutation ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). Darwin recorded in his …
- … 10 9 March 1858 Mental powers and the instincts of …
- … [4] 12 June 1858 [3] [Discussion on large genera and …
- … [6] 12 June 1858 [Correcting chapter 6] (DAR 10.2: 26a- …
- … intended to be added to chapter 4 was completed on 14 April 1858. Stauffer considers the alterations …
Instinct and the Evolution of Mind
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Slave-making ants For Darwin, slave-making ants were a powerful example of the force of instinct. He used the case of the ant Formica sanguinea in the On the Origin of Species to show how instinct operates—how…
Matches: 5 hits
- … Letter 2226 —Frederick Smith to Darwin, 26 Feb 1858 In this letter, Smith, a prominent …
- … Letter 2235 —Darwin to Frederick Smith, [before 9 Mar 1858] This letter contains a list of …
- … Letter 2413 —Charles Darwin to Emma Darwin, [25 Apr 1858] Written from Moor Park, a …
- … 2265 —Charles Darwin to William Erasmus Darwin, [26 Apr 1858] Writing to his eldest son, …
- … Letter 2306 —Charles Darwin to Joseph Hooker, 13 [July 1858] In this famous letter to …
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: 4 hits
- … and gratefully Charles Darwin. CREED AND FEVER: 1858 In which Gray expresses his …
- … Origin of Species…’ FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH: 1857-1858 In which Gray and Hooker begin …
- … 1856 24 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, 13 JULY 1858 25 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, …
- … OF COMMON PRAYER 47 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 4 JULY 1858 48 C DARWIN TO LYELL …
Alfred Russel Wallace’s essay on varieties
Summary
The original manuscript about varieties that Wallace composed on the island of Gilolo and sent to Darwin from the neighbouring island of Ternate (Brooks 1984) has not been found. It was sent to Darwin as an enclosure in a letter (itself missing), and was…
Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions
Summary
Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...
Matches: 1 hits
- … Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …
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…
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…
Controversy
Summary
The best-known controversies over Darwinian theory took place in public or in printed reviews. Many of these were highly polemical, presenting an over-simplified picture of the disputes. Letters, however, show that the responses to Darwin were extremely…
Matches: 6 hits
- … Letter 2285 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 18 [June 1858] Darwin writes to Lyell and …
- … Letter 2294 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, [25 June 1858] Darwin writes to Lyell saying …
- … Letter 2295 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 26 [June 1858] Darwin writes to Lyell and …
- … Hooker, J. D. & Lyell, Charles to Linnean Society, 30 June 1858 Hooker and Lyell write …
- … Letter 2306 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 13 [July 1858] Darwin writes to Hooker, saying …
- … Letter 2337 — Wallace, A. R. to Hooker, J. D., 6 Oct 1858 Darwin thanks Hooker and Lyell for …
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 …
Darwin as mentor
Summary
Darwin provided advice, encouragement and praise to his fellow scientific 'labourers' of both sexes. Selected letters Letter 2234 - Darwin to Unidentified, [5 March 1858] Darwin advises that Professor C. P. Smyth’s observations are not…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Letter 2234 - Darwin to Unidentified, [5 March 1858] Darwin advises that Professor C. P. …
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…
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: 5 hits
- … a similar theory by Alfred Russel Wallace in June 1858. In the aftermath of the first public …
- … a longer abstract of his species theory . On 5 July 1858, Darwin stated his intention to start work …
- … was writing his essay on the flora of Australia in December 1858, he asked to borrow Darwin’s ‘ …
- … convert. ’ Making the book By mid-October 1858, Darwin had expected that his abstract …
- … was having, and the fulfilment of his stated aim in July 1858 when he began to write his abstract: ‘ …
On the Origin of Species
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
Orchids
Summary
Why Orchids? Darwin wrote in his Autobiography, ‘During the summer of 1839, and, I believe, during the previous summer, I was led to attend to the cross-fertilisation of flowers by the aid of insects, from having come to the conclusion in my…
2.26 Linnean Society medal
Summary
< Back to Introduction In 1908 the Linnean Society celebrated the jubilee of ‘the greatest event’ in its whole history, which had occurred on 1 July 1858: the presentation by Charles Lyell and Joseph Hooker of papers by Darwin and Alfred Russel…
Matches: 3 hits
- … event’ in its whole history, which had occurred on 1 July 1858: the presentation by Charles Lyell …
- … of thanks recalled the momentous reading of the papers in 1858, and the stunned or bemused reactions …
- … is inscribed round the rim on both sides ‘LINN.SOC.LOND: 1858–1908’. The ‘Objects exhibited in the …
