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Adam Sedgwick

Summary

One of the early leaders of geology in Britain, Adam Sedgwick  was born in the Yorkshire village of Dent in 1785. Attending Trinity College Cambridge, he was ordained as clergyman and in 1818 was appointed to the Woodwardian Chair of Geology, which offered…

Matches: 6 hits

  • … Despite having little prior knowledge of the subject, Sedgwick soon commenced fieldwork, offered …
  • … gatherings. In the summer of 1831 Darwin accompanied Sedgwick on a tour of the older fossil-bearing …
  • … and 'set him up wonderfully', as he told Henslow in a letter , 'Tell Prof: …
  • … three weeks, than in pounding the NW mountains.' Darwin and Sedgwick continued to correspond in …
  • … Darwin sent a copy of the first edition of Origin . Sedgwick had long battled against …
  • … friendly letters.  In 1870 they met for the last time, and Sedgwick took Darwin on a long tour of …

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: 4 hits

  • … geologist and for the invention of geological hypotheses.  Sedgwick gave this enthusiasm direction …
  • … ‘I would not give up for any consideration.’ Sedgwick met up with his protégé at the Darwin …
  • … 5 and 11 August.  Although field notes by both Darwin and Sedgwick have survived, the exact sequence …
  • … by historians.  On 12 August, Darwin may have accompanied Sedgwick to the island of Anglesey, where …

Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'

Summary

The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…

Matches: 18 hits

  • … in London and at the end of the year their first child, William Erasmus, was born. In September 1842 …
  • … had been spread by the publication by J. S. Henslow and Adam Sedgwick of excerpts from his letters, …
  • … This explanation of a “new Geological Power”, as William Buckland called it (in his referee’s report …
  • … of the  Beagle  voyage. With the help of J. S. Henslow, William Whewell, and other prominent …
  • … by C. G. Ehrenberg; fungi by M. J. Berkeley; and corals by William Lonsdale ( Collected papers , 2 …
  • … Towards the end of 1843, he increasingly hoped that William Jackson Hooker or his son Joseph might …
  • … letters have suffered an even more severe loss. In a letter to Lyell’s sister-in-law, Katharine …
  • … Henslow, Jenyns, Waterhouse, and his second cousin, William Darwin Fox—knew, as he said to Henslow, …
  • … of fact . . . on the origin & variation of species” ( Letter to J. S. Henslow, [November 1839] …
  • … that he had a sound solution to what J. F. W. Herschel in a letter to Lyell had called the ‘mystery …
  • … about searching for evidence to support his hypothesis. In a letter to Lyell, [14] September [1838 …
  • … selection preserved from this period are the exchanges with William Herbert, Dean of Manchester, a …
  • … just the same, though I know what I am looking for' ( Letter to G. R. Waterhouse, [26 July …
  • … there were no doubts as to how one ought to act’ ( Letter from Emma Darwin, [  c.  February 1839] …
  • … for several months (See  Correspondence  vol. 1, letter to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , …
  • … the correspondence about the vitality of seeds discovered by William Kemp of Galashiels in a …
  • … sea-water. The letters about Kemp’s seeds and the William Herbert correspondence, which was …
  • … notebook). See also Allan 1977, pp. 128–30). The letter, on ‘Double flowers’ to the  …

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: 22 hits

  • he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. This
  • has  infinitely  exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
  • chapter on Instinct very perplexing’, he told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘from not knowing what
  • pigeons, many other people were drawn into his researches. William Bernhard Tegetmeier, founder and
  • mathematical measurements and geometry, Darwin called upon William Hallowes Miller, Cambridge
  • voyage; on his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin; and his son William. Even his apiarian neighbours were
  • 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
  • fowlsGallus bankiva . Similarly, he asked his son William, as well as a number of foreign
  • his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
  • selection. Darwins shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell
  • Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
  • on Charles Lyells endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the
  • McKinney has suggested that Darwin received Wallaces letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same
  • Brooks maintains that Darwin received Wallaces letter even earlier, perhaps as early as 14 May. …
  • of the Peninsular & Oriental Company, and assuming that the letter to Darwin was posted at the
  • he felt at the severity of some of the attacks. Adam Sedgwicks negative response to  Origin
  • 1859 ). Equally painful was the news that John Frederick William Herschel, whom he so venerated, …
  • and Leonard suffered similar symptoms. With his sons William and George, he became an enthusiastic
  • in the fields around Down. With equal interest, he guided William and Henrietta in their
  • full of family gossip and fatherly advice now that William was beginning to make his own way in life
  • and a carriage, leading Darwin to comment ruefully to William thatMamma has got much more larky

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 in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours

Summary

Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…

Matches: 28 hits

  • … his son’s own work on plant sensitivity and digestion. William, who had contributed to some of the …
  • … of respect and affection’. He hinted as much in his letter of 4 June : ‘you will see I have done …
  • … Darwin corresponded most often with the assistant director, William Turner Thiselton-Dyer, who …
  • … as rain, wind, temperature, and light. While staying with William in Southampton he made notes on …
  • … ‘I got out within 2 minutes of a very heavy shower’, William wrote on 24 August 1877 . ‘The …
  • … have shared Hooker’s suspicion of ambitious gardeners ( letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 25 August …
  • … method of recording leaf motion for extended periods. In a letter to Thiselton-Dyer of 11 October …
  • … … tap one of the young leaves with a delicate twig’ ( letter to R. I. Lynch, 14 September 1877 ). …
  • … , or to the vibratory flagella of some Infusoria’ ( letter from F. J. Cohn, 5 August 1877 ). …
  • … in July 1877 (F. Darwin 1877b), and Darwin sent Cohn’s letter vindicating his son’s research to …
  • … he had begun in 1839 with the birth of his first child, William. He had used some of this material …
  • … attracted immediate attention from other researchers. William Preyer requested a copy and shared …
  • … and classical scholars, including the eminent politician William Ewart Gladstone. Darwin wrote to …
  • … his sense of form and of motion was exact and lively’ ( letter from W. E. Gladstone, 23 October …
  • … the Westphalian Provincial Society for Science and Art. In a letter to Darwin written before 16 …
  • … the only one full-page in size. Haeckel sent a personal letter of congratulation on 9 February , …
  • … (see Appendix V). The album arrived with a long letter from the director and secretary of the …
  • … reported, ‘but found him as soft & smooth as butter’ ( letter to C. E. Norton, 16 March 1877 ) …
  • … write to Owen & offer himself you & me to dejeuner!!!’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 14 June …
  • … where I hope it may remain for centuries to come’ ( letter from C. C. Graham, 30 January 1877 ). …
  • … you in the interests of truth, of man and of societies’ ( letter from Marcellin de Bonnal, [1877] …
  • … to the old story to be horsewhipped by a duke!’ ( letter to J. M. Rodwell, 3 June 1877 ). Back …
  • … , he was criticised for having quoted from an article by William Rathbone Greg on the ‘careless, …
  • … C. T. E. Siebold, 10 October 1877 ). An American banker, William Burrows Bowles, having read Ernst …
  • … a fossil by a model-maker. The giant’s ‘discoverer’, William Conant, was a colleague of the showman …
  • … brought a very happy occasion with the engagement of William to Sara Sedgwick. She was the daughter …
  • … Southampton a dull place, but he did his best to recommend William: ‘his temper is beautifully sweet …
  • … ‘I enclose my marriage present’, Darwin wrote to William on 3 October , ‘I fear that Sara will …

Religion

Summary

Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…

Matches: 22 hits

  • … of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
  • … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
  • … nature, as he is in a “muddle” on this issue. Letter 3256 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
  • … shares a witty thought experiment about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
  • … He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
  • … of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
  • … of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
  • … of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
  • … about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
  • … there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
  • … need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
  • … with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
  • … that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
  • … and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
  • … “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
  • … man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
  • … most correct description of my state of mind”. Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, …
  • … as examples to illustrate his ideas on beauty. Letter 4752 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
  • … discusses humming birds and orchids as examples. Letter 4939 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
  • … a long discussion on beauty in the natural world. Letter 4943 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
  • … beauty of flowers is solely to attract insects. Letter 5003f — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
  • … Beauty against the Duke of Argyll’s criticisms. Letter 5004 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …

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: 28 hits

  • … shall be a man again & not a horrid grinding machine’  ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 December …
  • … anything which has happened to me for some weeks’  ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ) …
  • … corrections of style, the more grateful I shall be’  ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ) …
  • … who wd ever have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). …
  • … abt any thing so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February …
  • … thro’ apes & savages at the moral sense of mankind’ ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870?] …
  • … how metaphysics & physics form one great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870 …
  • … in thanks for the drawing ( Correspondence  vol. 16, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26 November [1868] …
  • … patients, but it did not confirm Duchenne’s findings ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 15 March …
  • … Darwin turned to the physician and eye-specialist William Ogle, requesting him to observe the muscle …
  • … muscle’, he complained, ‘is the bane of existence!’ ( letter to William Ogle, 9 November 1870 ). …
  • … expression, including four lengthy letters from the explorer William Winwood Reade, who had led an …
  • … to their belief that all demons and spirits were white ( letter from W. W. Reade, 9 November 1870 …
  • … . . Could you make it scream without hurting it much?’ ( letter to A. D. Bartlett, 5 January [1870] …
  • … or crying badly; but I fear he will not succeed’ ( letter to James Crichton-Browne, 8 June [1870] …
  • … Lucy Wedgwood, who sent a sketch of a baby’s brows ( letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [5 May 1870] ). …
  • … is the inclination to finish my note on this subject’  ( letter from F. C. Donders, 17 May 1870 ). …
  • … the previous year (see  Correspondence  vol. 17, letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). His …
  • … (in retrograde direction) naturalist’ (letter to A. R.Wallace, 26 January [1870]). …
  • … towards each other, though in one sense rivals’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 20 April [1870] ). …
  • … version of the theory of descent by natural selection in a letter to Darwin, prompting much anxiety …
  • … But who is to criticise them? No one but yourself’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 20 May 1870 ). …
  • … me to be able to say that I  never  write reviews’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, [22 May 1870] ). …
  • … Darwin commented on Mivart’s essay in a letter to William Henry Flower: ‘I am glad you noticed the …
  • … of consanguineous marriages. He enlisted the support of William Farr, a specialist in medical …
  • … receive friends and visit family. He confided to his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘I never pass 6 …
  • … at Ightam Mote, in Kent, and nearly a fortnight with his son William in Southampton, and making a …
  • … man’. ‘I can most truly say’, he wrote to his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘that I have written …

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: 28 hits

  • … 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] ). …
  • … of those whose support he most wanted: Thomas Henry Huxley, William Benjamin Carpenter, and Joseph …
  • … he told Hooker, did not at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] …
  • … his theory would have been ‘ utterly  smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A …
  • … track, the only track that leads to physical truth’ (Sedgwick 1860) that most wounded Darwin. Having …
  • … to deflect such criticism. ‘I can perfectly understand Sedgwick or any one saying that nat. …
  • … from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
  • … 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 …
  • … several were considered in future editions of  Origin . William Henry Harvey wondered, in addition …
  • … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
  • … 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 …
  • … tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 April [1860] ). By the …
  • … favour of change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). …
  • … his study of the geographical distribution of species ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 6 August 1860 …
  • … ‘man is in same predicament with other animals’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] )— he …
  • … book had become ‘topics of the day’ at the meeting in a letter from Hooker written from Oxford. …
  • … hear Samuel Wilberforce, the bishop of Oxford, reply to John William Draper’s paper giving a …
  • … Darwin ‘master of the field after 4 hours battle’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, 2 July 1860). Other …
  • … that ‘this row is best thing for subject.—’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). Further …
  • … if the whole were already proved) to his own views.—’ ( letter from J. S. Henslow to J. D. Hooker, …
  • … ‘how differently different opposers view the subject’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 15 February [1860] …
  • … understood his theory. Somewhat exasperated after reading William Hopkins’s hostile critique of his …
  • … studying the first published piece: 'I said in a former letter that you were a Lawyer; but I …
  • … that these visits have led to changed structure.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 27 April [1860] ). …

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: 24 hits

  • … 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] ). …
  • … from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
  • … leap from that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
  • … out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
  • … book he wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
  • … I respect you, as my old honoured guide & master’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
  • … against stronger statements regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). …
  • … thinking, while Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In …
  • … change of species by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the …
  • … disaffected towards Lyell and his book. In a February letter to the  Athenæum , a weekly review of …
  • … find great difficulty in answering Owen  unaided ’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
  • … of so much of Lyell’s book being written by others’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
  • … is wretched to see men fighting so for a little fame’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1863] ). …
  • … overt act, and I shall watch for a fitting opportunity’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 5 [and 6] …
  • … God demented Owen, as a punishment for his crimes… ?’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] …
  • … appearance of an anonymous review in the  Athenæum  of William Benjamin Carpenter’s book on …
  • … help in his research throughout the year. His eldest son, William Erasmus Darwin, a banker in …
  • … make observations in the field on dimorphic plant species. William was a conscientious observer, as …
  • … gravestone in 1863, they wrote to Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, who had visited the grave …
  • … medication and also advised him to consult the physician Dr William Brinton, a stomach specialist at …

British Association meeting 1860

Summary

Several letters refer to events at the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend the meeting but in the end was unable to. The most famous incident of the meeting was the verbal…

Matches: 2 hits

  • … treatment for a stomach that had “utterly broken down” (letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [June 1860] ) …
  • … 2: 335–6); John Lubbock (Hutchinson 1914, 1: 50); John William Draper (Fleming 1950); and also …

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: 23 hits

  • whole has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.— (letter to Charles Lyell25 [November
  • chapter on Instinct very perplexing’, he told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘from not knowing what
  • pigeons, many other people were drawn into his researches. William Bernhard Tegetmeier, founder and
  • mathematical measurements and geometry, Darwin called upon William Hallowes Miller, Cambridge
  • voyage; on his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin; and his son William. Even his apiarian neighbours were
  • 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. Darwins shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell
  • Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ (letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
  • on Charles Lyells endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the
  • McKinney has suggested that Darwin received Wallaces letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same
  • Brooks maintains that Darwin received Wallaces letter even earlier, perhaps as early as 14 May. …
  • of the Peninsular & Oriental Company, and assuming that the letter to Darwin was posted at the
  • 20 May via Southampton. Accordingto Brooks, Darwin kept the letter for a month, during which time he
  • at Down on 18 June. In the absence of Wallaces letter or of any firm evidence for the date of its
  • work, and he shows no sign of anxiety. He says in a letter to Syms Covington, 18 May [1858] , …
  • … ‘There is not least hurry in world about my M.S.’ In his letter to Hooker of 8 June [1858] , he
  • of someone who is distressed, as Darwin clearly was in his letter to Lyell, at the prospect of
  • Society on 1 July 1858. It also includes an unpublished letter from Wallace to Hooker thanking him
  • Darwin was during the days immediately following his letter to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest
  • he felt at the severity of some of the attacks. Adam Sedgwicks negative response to  Origin
  • 1859 ). Equally painful was the news that John Frederick William Herschel, whom he so venerated, …

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,…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … some of the highlights in chronological order: Adam Sedgwick's report on his geological …
  • …  may be seen growing,  [1–23 July 1841] William Hopkins's comments on a compass …
  • … of germination in Megarrhiza californica , enclosed in a letter from Asa Gray,   4 April 1880 …

Discussion Questions and Essay Questions

Summary

There are a wide range of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence.  We have provided a set of sample discussion questions and essay questions, each of which focuses on a particular topic or correspondent in depth.…

Matches: 4 hits

  • … people? What sort of things could one say in a letter that could not be said in print, and …
  • … Boole (1864), F. E. Abbot (1871-4), John Fordyce (1879), William Graham (1881)] How did Darwin …
  • … his family in his research? [Henrietta Darwin (1870-71), William Darwin (1863-4, 1870), George …
  • … to his children influenced by their sex? [Henrietta Darwin, William Darwin, George Darwin, W. D. Fox …

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: 26 hits

  • … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds  letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
  • … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34  —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
  • … 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] …
  • … 1841]. 2 d . vols. —— 30 th . Smollets William & Mary. & Anne [Smollett 1805].— …
  • … ] 12. Sedgwicks Discourse on Study of Univers [Sedgwick 1850] 28 Steenstrup on …
  • … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
  • … [DAR *128: 149] Murray Geograph. Distrib. Price William & Norgate 2” 12” 6 [A. Murray …
  • …  Hind’s Solar System [Hind 1852] April 20 th  William Humboldts letters [K. W. von Humboldt …
  • … 7  Probably a reference to the private library of William Jackson Hooker and his son, Joseph …
  • … In February 1882, however, after reading the introduction to William Ogle’s translation of Aristotle …
  • … Notebooks ). 19  According to the  DNB , William Herbert provided notes for both …
  • … is presumably the date and number of the part containing William Pulteney Alison’s article which was …
  • … of the material from these portfolios is in DAR 205, the letter from William Edward Shuckard to …
  • … listing the volumes in the Naturalist’s Library edited by William Jardine, a forty-volume series on …
  • … ( Notebooks , pp. 319–28). 55  The letter was addressed to Nicholas Aylward Vigors …
  • … 66  The bibliography provides the titles of the works by William Shakespeare that CD recorded …
  • … CD’s collection is a presentation copy from the author to William Jackson Hooker. See  …
  • …  edited by Robert Bentley Todd, was issued in parts. William Pulteney Alison’s article first …
  • … crayon and the ‘O’ in pencil. It is not clear which of William Jackson Hooker’s journals is meant …
  • … and London. [Other eds.]  *119: 15 Alison, William Pulteney. 1847. Instinct. In vol. 3, pp …
  • … 119: 21b Broughton, William Grant. 1832.  A letter in vindication of   the principles of …
  • … by Bekhur to   Garoo and the Lake Manasarowara: with a letter from … J.   G. Gerard, Esq. …
  • … 1830. On the dying struggle of the dichotomous sytem. In a letter to N. A. Vigors.  Philosophical …
  • … *119: 8v., 22v.; *128: 165 ——. 1850a. Letter to the Rev. John Bachman, on the question of …
  • … art of improving the   breeds of domestic animals. In a letter addressed to the   Right Hon. Sir …

1.4 Samuel Laurence drawing 1

Summary

< Back to Introduction Samuel Laurence’s intimate chalk drawing of Darwin is dated 1853. It is likely that Darwin sat for the portrait at Down House, and Francis Darwin, in his catalogue of portraits of his father painted or drawn ‘from life’, noted…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … Laurence, probably done on the same occasion, is now in the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge. While …
  • … for the ‘Literary and Scientific Portrait Club’. In a letter to Hooker of May 1855, Darwin made an …
  • … the one now at Down House then belonged to Darwin’s son William, his principal heir.  Samuel …

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: 28 hits

  • … will do me & Natural Selection, right good service’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] …
  • … ‘barometer’ of scientific opinion, Charles Lyell ( see letter to Charles Lyell, 20 July [1861] ). …
  • … selection could not be ‘directly proved’ ( see second letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 [April 1861] ). …
  • … in 1861. He had been disappointed to learn of John Frederick William Herschel’s initial cool …
  • … was ‘the only one proper to such a subject’ ( letter from Henry Fawcett, 16 July [1861] ). Mill in …
  • … or against some view if it is to be of any service!’ ( letter to Henry Fawcett, 18 September [1861] …
  • … chapter on the imperfection of the geological record ( see letter to George Maw, 19 July [1861] ). …
  • … he planned to report ‘at a favourable opportunity’ ( letter from Joseph Leidy, 4 March [1861] ). …
  • … laboratory where Nature manufactures her new species’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 28 March [1861] ) …
  • … study of natural history was evident. He told Darwin in his letter of [1 December] 1861: …
  • … by insect enemies from which the other set is free’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 30 September 1861 ) …
  • … be a ‘very valuable contribution to Nat. History.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 4 April [1861] ). He …
  • … causes &c’, and ‘Monkeys,—our poor cousins.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 3 December [1861] ). …
  • … a view to obtaining ‘large distribution’ for the work ( letter to H. W. Bates, 25 September [1861] …
  • … him on producing ‘a complete and awful smasher’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). Ever …
  • … but he and Owen would ‘never be friends again’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). …
  • … Henslow had defended Darwin against criticism from Adam Sedgwick and Richard Owen. Darwin himself …
  • … 1861, an opportunity unexpectedly arose for his oldest son, William Erasmus. Late in May, Darwin’s …
  • … banker in a south of England town who was seeking a partner. William, who was in his final year at …
  • … partnership too good to neglect, despite the prospect of William’s having to leave Cambridge …
  • … 1861] ). The arrangement would entail, however, providing William with a deposit of £10,000 as …
  • … on throughout the summer. While the arrangements for William’s partnership were being …
  • … their other children. Negotiations finally completed, William travelled to Southampton early …
  • … Victorian banker’s life and of the apparent suitability of William’s temperament for it. …
  • … he could suggest any suitable south-coast introductions for William. Through John Bonham Carter, …
  • … 17 [October 1861] ). He also wrote a letter introducing William to the director of the ordnance …
  • … carried with it great social status. On 17 November, William told his father that he had heard he …
  • … he complained, ‘I have had enough of volunteering.’ William held the rank of captain in the …

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: 29 hits

  • … in satisfying female preference in the mating process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, …
  • … of changing the races of man’ (Correspondence vol. 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
  • … book would take the form of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But …
  • … as well say, he would drink a little and not too much’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 15 May [1868] ) …
  • … The index of  Variation  had been entrusted to William Sweetland Dallas, a naturalist with long …
  • … would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to …
  • … of labour to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). …
  • … if I try to read a few pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). …
  • … reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from the Isle of Wight on the formation …
  • … would strike me in the face, but not behind my back’ ( letter to John Murray, 25 February [1868] ) …
  • … ignorant article… . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] …
  • … ‘he is a scamp & I begin to think a veritable ass’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868] …
  • … wrote of the colour of duck claws on 17 April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d  C. …
  • … proved very fruitful. On 1 May , Darwin received a letter from George Cupples, who was encouraged …
  • … with the enthusiastic breeder, who apologised in a letter of 11–13 May 1868 for his ‘voluminuous …
  • … of science On 27 February , Darwin sent a letter of thanks to the naturalist and …
  • … he later added, ‘for it is clear that I have none’ ( letter to J. J. Weir, 30 May [1868] ). …
  • … provided by the poultry expert and editor of the  Field , William Bernhard Tegetmeier, who …
  • … to various classes, a dim ray of light may be gained’ ( letter to H. T. Stainton, 21 February [1868 …
  • … as well as of ‘victorious males getting wives’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 25 February [1868] ). …
  • … of females was remarked upon by other entomologists ( letter from Roland Trimen, 20 February 1868 …
  • … and Coleoptera on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday …
  • … for as sure as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] …
  • … George Robert Crotch, writing to his mother Emma in a letter dated [after 16 October 1868] : ‘I …
  • … box of preparations to papa … I will write a less beetley letter soon.’ Other relations …
  • … present had taken no particular interest in the dyed hen ( letter from Harrison Weir, 28 March 1868 …
  • … to Emma Darwin, 9 February [1868] ). Darwin’s eldest son, William, met on occasion with a …
  • … to August Weismann, 22 October 1868 ). To the physiologist William Preyer Darwin wrote on 31 …
  • … statesmen, poets, and men of science, including Adam Sedgwick, John Stevens Henslow, and William

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: 10 hits

  • … 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]) …
  • … , published anonymously in 1844. His old friend Adam Sedgwick attacked the work vehemently in the  …
  • … and varieties, was Darwin himself: as he told his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of [24 …
  • … Natural selection Perhaps the most interesting letter relating to Darwin’s species theory, …
  • … first he proposed any one of Lyell, Henslow, Edward Forbes, William Lonsdale, Hugh Edwin Strickland, …
  • … South America benefitted from the mathematical expertise of William Hopkins and aroused the interest …
  • … 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] ) …

Who we were

Summary

Many people have contributed to the Darwin Correspondence Project since it was first founded in 1974. Some names are now lost to us, and we would appreciate hearing from anyone who has contributed in the past and is not listed here. The final staff of…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … the public. She also keeps the office running, transcribes letter texts, researches obscure …
  • … the Geologist’ a permanent exhibit commissioned by the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, …
  • … Jean Macqueen Nancy Mautner Anna K. Mayer William Montgomery Eleanor Moore …