To Benjamin Collins Brodie 26 April [1859]
Summary
CD suggests George Bentham or Joseph Prestwich for Royal Medal.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Benjamin Collins Brodie, Sr, 1st baronet |
Date: | 26 Apr [1859] |
Classmark: | The Royal Society |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2454F |
To John Murray 29 April [1859]
Summary
Will send first six chapters [of Origin] for the press. Sends data on size of MS and book. His "beau ideal" for type and size is Lyell’s Manual [of geology] 1st ed.
Important to his health to get the work printed quickly. Must leave home soon to stay for months at a water-cure establishment.
Asks printer to send a proof-sheet a day until he gets well ahead.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 29 Apr [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.38–39) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2455 |
To Frederick Smith 29 April [1859]
Summary
Has FS observed the slaves of Formica sanguinea foraging outside the nest.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Frederick Smith |
Date: | 29 Apr [1859] |
Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archive (General Special Collections DC AL 1/22) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2455F |
From Frederick Smith 30 April 1859
Summary
Reports his observations on the habits of slave-making ants (Formica sanguinea).
Author: | Frederick Smith |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 30 Apr 1859 |
Classmark: | DAR 177: 192 (fragile) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2456 |
To J. D. Hooker 3 May [1859]
Summary
CD favours occurrence of reversions, although lack of experiments forces one to vague opinions. Reversions oppose only the inheritance not the occurrence of variation. Discusses relation of reversion, direct influence of conditions, and selection.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 3 May [1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2457 |
To J. D. Hooker 6 May [1859]
Summary
JDH’s comments on style of Origin MS leave CD confused.
CD advises on how to get Acacia to set seed.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 6 May [1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 14 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2458 |
To John Murray 6 May [1859]
Summary
CD is convinced that the suggestions [for the Origin?] of both Lyell and Whitwell Elwyn are impracticable.
Will send first six chapters of MS next week. Has taken such pains with it that he hopes corrections will not be heavy.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 6 May [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.57–57A) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2459 |
To John Murray 10 May [1859]
Summary
Sends first six chapters [of Origin] for the press. Asks JM to urge printer to keep well ahead of CD so as not to waste time. This is important for his health’s sake.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 10 May [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42153 ff.56–57) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2460 |
To J. D. Hooker 11 May [1859]
Summary
JDH finds style of CD’s MS obscure.
CD wary of JDH’s starting point on variability: it is not inherent, it does not lead necessarily to divergence, and it must be distinguished from inheritance.
Asa Gray has misread CD’s views on pre-glacial migrations and botched the subject.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 11 May [1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 15 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2461 |
To John Murray 14 May [1859]
Summary
Approves specimen sheet [of Origin]. Sorry book will be so long. Has now written half of last chapter; it is as long as his estimate of the entire chapter. Now thinks it will run to 6000 or 7000 words. Will do his utmost to improve his style. Anxious to publish soon; he knows of two men already writing on the subject, starting from his Linnean Society paper ["On the tendency of species to form varieties", Collected papers 2: 3–19]. Will send a diagram for the book.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 14 May [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.40–40A) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2462 |
To J. D. Hooker 18 [May 1859]
Summary
Too ill to examine proofs of JDH’s Flora Tasmaniae [The botany of the Antarctic voyage, pt III].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 18 [May 1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 16 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2463 |
To John Murray 18 May [1859]
Summary
His health has suddenly failed. He is leaving home for one week’s rest.
Has informed William Clowes that he will begin correcting on the 27th.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 18 May [1859] |
Classmark: | John Wilson (dealer) (no date) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2463A |
To J. D. Hooker [26 May 1859]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | [26 May 1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 17 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2464 |
To John Murray 31 May [1859]
Summary
CD’s diagram [for chapter on "Divergence of character", Origin] is indispensable.
Finds he will have to make many corrections, his text is so obscure.
A week of hydropathy at Moor Park has done him a world of good.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 31 May [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.41–42) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2465 |
To T. H. Huxley 2 June [1859]
Summary
THH should understand that CD’s hypothesis [natural selection] has as many flaws and holes as sound parts. The question is whether CD’s rag of a hypothesis is worth anything. A poor rag is better than nothing to carry one’s fruit to market.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Date: | 2 June [1859] |
Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 65) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2466 |
To W. E. Darwin 3 June [1859]
Summary
Reports events at Down.
Is busy with proofs [of Origin];
is anxious to hear how WED does in his examinations.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
Date: | 3 June [1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 45 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2467 |
To John Murray 14 June [1859]
Summary
Finds style [of Origin] incredibly bad; corrections are very heavy. Supposes it was due to his attention being fixed on general lines of argument and not on detail. Wishes to share expense of corrections.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 14 June [1859] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.43–44) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2469 |
To John Higgins 15 June 1859
Summary
Acknowledges receipt of £244 15s. 11d.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Higgins |
Date: | 15 June 1859 |
Classmark: | Dominic Winter Auctioneers (dealers) (10 April 2019, lot 138) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2469F |
To Charles Lyell 21 June [1859]
Summary
Discusses S. S. Haldeman’s paper ["Enumeration of the recent freshwater Mollusca", Boston J. Nat. Hist. 4 (1844): 468–84].
Centres of species origin.
Describes his corrections of Origin.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
Date: | 21 June [1859] |
Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.165) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2470 |
To J. D. Hooker 22 [June 1859]
Summary
CD making extensive corrections on proofs of Origin. Worries that style is too dry.
Doubts about Joseph Prestwich’s discovery [of flint tools].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 22 [June 1859] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 18 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2471 |
letter | (239) |
Darwin, C. R. | (199) |
Lyell, Charles | (7) |
Hooker, J. D. | (6) |
Darwin, E. A. | (2) |
Hill, Richard | (2) |
Darwin, C. R. | (40) |
Hooker, J. D. | (34) |
Murray, John (b) | (25) |
Lyell, Charles | (23) |
Huxley, T. H. | (15) |