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Darwin in letters, 1861: Gaining allies

Summary

The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. He had weathered the storm that followed the publication of Origin, and felt cautiously optimistic about the ultimate acceptance of his ideas. The letters from this year provide an…

Matches: 5 hits

  • … formulated the hypothesis of natural selection, Bates was a firm believer in the involvement of …
  • … support to date for the working of selection in nature. As Bates boldly stated: ‘I think I have got …
  • … enabling them to withstand adverse circumstances. Bates had investigated cases in several …
  • … mimicry). Applying the notion of selective advantage, Bates explained such cases as illustrations of …
  • … (Bowler 1983, p. 29). Darwin suggested that Bates write a popular account of his travels, …

List of correspondents

Summary

Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent.    "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…

Matches: 0 hits

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: 20 hits

  • Thomas Henry Huxley gave lectures about it, and Henry Walter Bates invoked it to explain mimicry in
  • attempted to dissuade him from this view ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 14 [January 1862] ): 'no
  • together. He failed. Huxley replied ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 January 1862 ): 'I
  • themsimply perfect’, but continued ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 18 December [1862] ): 'you say
  • their difference of opinion, but complained ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1862] ): &#039
  • his son, William, his language was more blunt ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ): …
  • from Asa Gray, 23 July 1862 ). Henry Walter Bates Natural selection was also to
  • and published in 1862. Darwin, already well-disposed towards Bates, became increasingly convinced of
  • withgood dashes of original reflexions’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 13 January [1862] ). He warmly
  • really curiously satisfactory to me to see so able a man as Bates (& yourself) believing more
  • The three were able to discuss the subject face to face when Bates and Hooker spent Easter at Down
  • … & admirable papers I ever read in my life’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 20 November [1862] ). He
  • telling him of the need for a second edition ( letter from H. G. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ), …
  • and Emmaperplexed to death what to do’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [23 August 1862] ). They
  • analogous to the nervous matter of animals’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 20 [September 1862] ; letter
  • byparticularly active young wolves’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 9 October 1862 ). Darwin
  • have never passed so miserable a nine months’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 12 September [1862] ). …
  • work would make his lifemuch happier’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 14 February [1862] ). Darwin
  • with him, enthusiastically set to work ( see letter to W. E. Darwin, [23 August 1862] , and
  • insects with Darwins hypothesis ( see letter from H. W. Bates, 30 April 1862 ), Darwin was

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…

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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: 1 hits

  • … river Amazons , a book that he had encouraged Henry Walter Bates to write. When the book appeared …

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’.  Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 1 hits

  • … about the consequences of Wallace’s book. Henry Walter Bates urged Darwin to respond to it directly …

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…

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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: 10 hits

  • When I was in spirits I sometimes fancied that my book w d  be successful; but I never even built
  • from the load of curious facts on record.—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In
  • myself that all was much alike, & if you condemned that you w  d . condemn allmy lifes work— …
  • words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both of whom believe that
  • day that another letter from Wallace to his friend Frederick Bates, dated 2 March 1858, arrived in
  • to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was
  • is whether the rag is worth anything?’ (letter to T. H. Huxley, 2 June [1859] ). But as critical
  • this Essay & that  you  were the man.’ (letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1859] ). …
  • it is impossible that men like Lyell, Hooker, Huxley, H. C. Watson, Ramsay &c would change their
  • required a fresh act of intervention to supply the lacunas w  h . he himself had made’ (letter

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: 11 hits

  • at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes fancied that my book w  d  be successful; but I never even built
  • from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In
  • myself that all was much alike, & if you condemned that you w d . condemn allmy lifes work— …
  • words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both of whom believe that
  • day that another letter from Wallace to his friend Frederick Bates, dated 2 March 1858, arrived in
  • to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was
  • is whether the rag is worth anything?’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 2 June [1859] ). But as critical
  • this Essay & that  you  were the man.’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1859] ). …
  • it is impossible that men like Lyell, Hooker, Huxley, H. C. Watson, Ramsay &c would change their
  • required a fresh act of intervention to supply the lacunas w h . he himself had made’ ( letter
  • got much more larky since we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). …

Origin: the lost changes for the second German edition

Summary

Darwin sent a list of changes made uniquely to the second German edition of Origin to its translator, Heinrich Georg Bronn.  That lost list is recreated here.

Matches: 6 hits

  • changes to the existing German edition (see letter from HG. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ). …
  • small corrections & a few of importance’ (see letter to HG. Bronn, 11 March [1862] ). …
  • …  From facts lately communicated to me by the Rev. WB. Clarke, it appears also that there are clear
  • have migrated from the same great mountain-chain. But Mr. Bates, who has studied with such care the
  • character and the direction of its mountain-ranges, the Rev. WB. Clarke has lately maintained that
  • and fish, between flying possums and flying squirrels, etc. Bates has recently reported how some

The "wicked book": Origin at 157

Summary

Origin is 157 years old.  (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 November 1859.  To celebrate we have uploaded hundreds of new images of letters, bringing the total number you can look at here to over 9000 representing more than…

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Science, Work and Manliness

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …

Matches: 1 hits

  • … George that it will be tedious work. He has consulted Mr. Bates who has suggested a wage of around …

Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex

Summary

The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…

Matches: 0 hits

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of  Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 16 hits

  • easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had
  • daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
  • me any harmany how I cant be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). Towards
  • of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January [1866] ). …
  • think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
  • Hookers research on alpine floras, Henry Walter Batess article on mimetic butterflies, Lubbocks
  • come on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [  c . 10 May 1866] ). …
  • there are over 200 medallions of Papa made by a man from W ms  photo in circulation amongst the
  • weak in his Greek, is something dreadful’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
  • teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). Also in
  • species wasmerely ordinaryly diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May11 June 1866] ). On
  • is a case of dimorphic becoming diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 20 June [1866] ). …
  • I am well accustomed to such explosions’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 22 June [1866] ). He urged
  • Darwins  Orchids  and papers on botanical dimorphism, Batess and Wallaces work on mimetic
  • natural selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker
  • as athinking pump’: ‘I read aloud your simile of H. Spencer to a thinking pump, & it was

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: 1 hits

  • … George that it will be tedious work. He has consulted Mr. Bates who has suggested a wage of around …

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: 4 hits

  • Menyanthes  ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [20 May 1864] ), or his
  • of a strangling fig that had been described in Henry Walter Batess  Naturalist on the river
  • its death blowwith the publication of  Origin  (T. H. Huxley 1864a, p. 567). In 1864, …
  • had there been any failure of justice’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 4 November 1864 ). …
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