From Asa Gray [August 1857]
Summary
States he has "misgivings about the definiteness of species". Believes there is some inherent tendency for plants to originate varieties. Cross-fertilisation is likely in most cases but sees difficulties with plants like Adlumia.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [Aug 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 100, 101 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2129 |
To J. D. Hooker 1 August [1857]
Summary
Important issue at stake with new flora calculations: evidence that species are only strongly marked varieties. Planning large-scale survey.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 1 Aug [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 206, 207 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2130 |
To Laurence Edmondston 2 August [1857]
Summary
Thanks for rabbit.
Are there dun-coloured ponies in Shetlands? Are they striped?
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Laurence Edmondston |
Date: | 2 Aug [1857] |
Classmark: | L. D. Edmondston (private collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2131 |
To J. S. Henslow 10 August [1857]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
Date: | 10 Aug [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: A122 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2132 |
From T. V. Wollaston [November–December 1857]
Summary
He was unaware that varieties occurred proportionately more in large genera.
Recommends a work [Leonard Gyllenhaal, Insecta Suecica, 4 vols. (1808–27)] for tabulating varieties.
Lists "close geographical representatives of Europaean species" based on the species numbers [in T. V. Wollaston, Catalogue of the coleopterous insects of Madeira (1857)].
Author: | Thomas Vernon Wollaston |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [Nov–Dec 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 16: 223 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2133 |
To J. D. Hooker 22 August [1857]
Summary
Tabulation of varieties goes on; very important as it shows the branching of forms. Mentions his principle of divergence.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 22 Aug [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 208 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2134 |
To W. E. Darwin [before 29 October 1857]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
Date: | [before 29 Oct 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 18 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2135 |
To Asa Gray 5 September [1857]
Summary
Encloses an abstract of his ideas on natural selection and the principle of divergence; the "means by which nature makes her species".
Discusses varieties and close species in large and small genera, finding some data from AG in conflict with his expectations.
Has been observing the action of bees in fertilising kidney beans and Lobelia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 5 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (48) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2136 |
To J. D. Hooker 6 September [1857]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 6 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 209 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2137 |
To Secretary, Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Naturae Curiosorum 8 September [1857]
Summary
CD acknowledges honour of his election to the Academy.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Naturae Curiosorum |
Date: | 8 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter Lc 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 200–202 ) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2138 |
To J. D. Hooker 11 September [1857]
Summary
Representative species may complicate tabulation of varieties.
Questions for Mr Anderson about horse colouring in Norway.
Has been writing an "audacious little discussion" to show that "organic beings are not perfect, only perfect enough to struggle with their competitors".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 11 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 211; DAR 115: 73a |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2140 |
To T. H. Huxley 15 September [1857]
Summary
Thanks for three last lectures and the account of cirripedes.
Difficulty of classifying the higher groups.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Date: | 15 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 137) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2141 |
From Robert Schlagintweit 25 September 1857
Summary
Gives CD further details of the fertility of the offspring from cross of a yak and Indian cow, the so-called chooboos, whose fertility he has traced to the seventh generation [see Natural selection, pp. 437–8].
Author: | Robert Schlagintweit |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 25 Sept 1857 |
Classmark: | DAR 177: 52 (fragile) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2142 |
To William Walmisley Baxter 23 September [1857–9?]
Summary
The returned gloves are similar to some he has already, and he would prefer a pair with stiffer bristles.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Walmisley Baxter |
Date: | 23 Sept [1857-9] |
Classmark: | Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh (dealers) (4 February 2009) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2142F |
To T. H. Huxley 26 September [1857]
Summary
Agassiz’s superficiality and wretched reasoning powers. But he stirred up Europe on glaciers. Lyell has been working on their effects – testing work of others.
CD believes "Natural Systems" ought to be simply genealogical. "Time will come when we shall have true genealogical trees of each great kingdom of nature."
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Date: | 26 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 54) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2143 |
From T. H. Huxley [before 3 October 1857]
Summary
On classification and possibilities of a scientific morphology and zoology. CD’s "pedigree business" is important for physiology but has nothing to do with pure zoology any more than human pedigree has to do with the census. Zoological classification is a census of the animal world.
Author: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [before 3 Oct 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 205.5: 218 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2144 |
From A. R. Wallace [27 September 1857]
Summary
Refers to CD’s letter of "May last". ARW’s views on order of succession of species are in accordance with CD’s.
Disappointed that his paper ["On the law which has regulated the introduction of new species", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2d ser. 16 (1855): 184–96] elicited no discussion; now ARW is trying to prove it. Paper merely states the theory.
On black jaguars breeding inter se: ARW has never heard of a parti-coloured one.
Author: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [27 Sept 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 47: 145 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2145 |
To W. B. Tegetmeier 29 September [1857]
Summary
Will collect no more pigeons. Is awaiting Burmese fowls’ skins coming via Berlin.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
Date: | 29 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2146 |
To W. E. Darwin 29 [October 1857]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
Date: | 29 [Oct 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 19 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2147 |
To J. D. Hooker 30 September [1857]
Summary
C. F. Ledebour [Flora rossica (1842–53)] particularly useful for variety tabulation. Results generally favourable.
Additions to Down House.
Last two chapters of MS took six months to write.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 30 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 210 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2148 |
Darwin, C. R. | (47) |
Hooker, J. D. | (31) |
Tegetmeier, W. B. | (12) |
Huxley, T. H. | (10) |
Darwin, W. E. | (8) |
Darwin, C. R. | (179) |
Hooker, J. D. | (36) |
Gray, Asa | (12) |
Huxley, T. H. | (12) |
Tegetmeier, W. B. | (12) |