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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…

Matches: 23 hits

… The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
… dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
… and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
… intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874 ] ). The death of a Cambridge friend, …
… and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874 ] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to …
… much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874 ] ). I feel very old &amp …
… Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
… old & helpless’ ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874 ] ). Darwin mentioned his poor …
… on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and …
… Erasmus’s house. The event was led by the medium Charles E. Williams, and was attended by George …
… Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874 ] ). Later in the month, …
… Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin …
… he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 ] ). This did …
… sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874 ] ). The …
… I have pounded the enemy into a jelly’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 14 April 1874 ). The technical …
… and never mind where it goes’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 16 April 1874 ). The second …
… conciseness & clearness of your thought’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 20 April 1874 ). …
… the spread of various mental and physical disorders (G. H. Darwin 1873b). In July 1874 , an anonymous …
… over the ‘scurrilous libel’ on his son ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [27 July 1874 ] ). George, …
… artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
… try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
… nephew, the fine-art specialist Henry Parker ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874 ] ). He …
… Julius Victor Carus, and his publisher, Eduard Koch of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, …

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: 23 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
… peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
… garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] Darwin’s …
… officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to Darwin, [after February 1867] …
… birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., [30 January 1868] Darwin …
… Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] …
… Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] Anne Jane Cupples, …
… her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, [1873] Ellen …
… 9426 - Story-Maskelyne , T. M. to Darwin, [23 April 1874 ] Thereza Story-Maskelyne …
… Letter 9616 - Marshall, T. to Darwin, [September 1874 ] Theodosia Marshall sends …
… insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [22 February 1858] …
… patience”. Letter 4242 - Hildebrand, F. H. G. to Darwin, [16 July 1863] …
… New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
… Women: Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] …
… Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Leith Hill Place. Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 April 1868] …
… Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] Amy Ruck reports the …
… 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874 ] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, sends a …
… Letter 9616 - Marshall, T. to Darwin, [September 1874 ] Theodosia Marshall details …
… “eyebrows”. Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] …
… Letter 9485 - Treat, M. to Darwin, [8 June 1874 ] Mary Treat details her experiments …

Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings

Summary

‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…

Matches: 22 hits

… Editions Plants always held an important place in Darwin’s theorising about species, and …
… his periods of severe illness. Yet on 15 January 1875 , Darwin confessed to his close friend …
… way to continuous writing and revision, activities that Darwin found less gratifying: ‘I am slaving …
… bad.’ The process was compounded by the fact that Darwin was also revising another manuscript …
… coloured stamens.’ At intervals during the year, Darwin was diverted from the onerous task of …
… zoologist St George Jackson Mivart. In April and early May, Darwin was occupied with a heated …
… chapter of the controversy involved a slanderous attack upon Darwin’s son George, in an anonymous …
… on 12 January , breaking off all future communication. Darwin had been supported during the affair …
… Society of London, and a secretary of the Linnean Society, Darwin’s friends had to find ways of …
… pp. 16–17). ‘How grandly you have defended me’, Darwin wrote on 6 January , ‘You have also …
… in public. ‘Without cutting him direct’, he advised Darwin on 7 January , ‘I should avoid him, …
… & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January 1875 ). Darwin had also considered taking up …
… , ‘I feel now like a pure forgiving Christian!’ Darwin’s ire was not fully spent, however, …
… in the same Quarterly article that attacked George. Darwin raised the matter at the end of the …
… laid to rest, another controversy was brewing. In December 1874 , Darwin had been asked to sign a …
… botanical research and had visited Down House in April 1874 (see Correspondence vol. 22, letters …
… day That ever you were born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 July] 1875). …
… A scientific friendship had developed between the men in 1874 , and this was enhanced by Romanes’s …
… white’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [before 4 November 1874 ] ). Testing Pangenesis …
… a review of William Dwight Whitney’s work on language (G. H. Darwin 1874c). George had taken the …
… plants (Carus trans. 1876a). The German publisher E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagshandlung began to …
… had learned of Lyell’s failing health from Hooker in 1874 and January 1875. On 22 February, he was …

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

Summary

George Eliot was the pen name of celebrated Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880). She was born on the outskirts of Nuneaton in Warwickshire and was educated at boarding schools from the age of five until she was 16. Her education ended when she…

Matches: 4 hits

… novels, under her pen name, achieved great acclaim. Darwin and his family were keen readers …
… Allen, [26 March 1873], DAR 219.11: 14). A few days later Darwin asked if his daughter and son-in …
… to lunch but there is no evidence that this happened (Emma Darwin to Horace Darwin, [14 October 1873 …
… started ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874 ] ). Darwin took Emma to a Sunday afternoon at …

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: 11 hits

… Darwin provided advice, encouragement and praise to his fellow scientific …
… Selected letters Letter 2234 - Darwin to Unidentified, [5 March 1858] Darwin …
… on insufficient grounds. Letter 3934 - Darwin to Scott, J., [21 January 1863] …
… material worthy of publication. Letter 4185 - Darwin to Scott, J., [25 & 28 May …
… worker you are!”. Letter 7605 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [20 March 1871] …
… “lucid vigorous style”. In consultation with Emma, Darwin offers Henrietta “some little memorial” in …
… so many observations without aid. Letter 8146 - Darwin to Treat, M., [5 January 1872] …
… scientific journal”. Letter 8171 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L., [21 January 1872] …
… stooping over holes for hours which “tried my head”. Darwin notes that Lucy is worth her weight in …
… he had repeated the experiment. Letter 9580 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H. D., [1 August …
… Letter 9613 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [30 August 1874] Darwin comments on a “clever” …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 7 hits

… Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
… a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
… women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
… that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
… and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
… readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] Darwin …
… 9633 - Nevill, D. F. to Darwin, [11 September 1874] Dorothy Nevill tells Darwin …

Animals, ethics, and the progress of science

Summary

Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In Descent, he argued that some animals exhibited moral behaviour and had evolved mental powers analogous to conscience. He gave examples of cooperation, even…

Matches: 24 hits

… Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical …
… a live worm on a hook (‘Recollections’, pp. 358, 388). Darwin’s concern for animals aligned with …
… and an integral part of medical and veterinary training. Darwin was clearly disturbed by the …
… to E. R. Lankester, 22 March [1871] ). In Descent , Darwin described an animal enduring a …
… to the last hour of his life’ ( Descent 1: 40). Darwin’s closest encounter with …
… on rabbits. The investigation was partly aimed at testing Darwin’s ‘hypothesis of pangenesis’, which …
… of different breeds together. Galton reported regularly to Darwin on the results (all negative). He …
… Society, calling into question the theory of pangenesis. Darwin was taken aback, and swiftly replied …
… no longer look after the rabbits (many died from the cold), Darwin offered to give the poor …
… more influenced by experiments on animals than on plants’, Darwin conceded. ‘I think a large number …
… ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 July 1875 ). Darwin was concerned that the method be painless, …
… can be chloroformed (letter to G. J. Romanes, 27 December 1874 ). In the previous sections …
… were analogous to those performed on dogs and other animals. Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants …
… an acquaintance of the Darwins, and had corresponded with Darwin cordially about his moral theory, …
… ( letter to F. B. Cobbe, [14 January 1875] ). Darwin’s involvement in the vivisection …
… in regard to health &c, I look at as puerile. Darwin saw a need for regulation (licensing …
… with costly equipment, a supply of animals, etc.. Darwin was concerned that ‘private men’ would be …
… view I have rejoiced at the present agitation. ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] ) …
… as doomed to death in this country. ( letter To T. H. Huxley, 14 January 1875 ) Legislation …
… the total abolition of the practice. ‘It seems to me’, Darwin remarked to George Romanes, ‘that …
… organised defence. To bring more solidarity to the field, Darwin’s son Francis, and a number of his …
… ( letter from T. L. Brunton, 12 February 1882 ). Darwin declined the offer to be honorary …
… had its first meeting on 20 April 1882, the day after Darwin’s death. While Darwin was …
… freely and repeatedly on plants and ‘lower’ animals (e.g., worms), Darwin was now confronted with …

Cross and self fertilisation

Summary

The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…

Matches: 30 hits

… the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells …
… on plants with two or three different forms of flowers, Darwin had focused on the anatomical and …
… of different forms of pollen. Although many plants that Darwin observed had flowers with adaptations …
… rates, growth, and constitutional vigour. Although Darwin was no stranger to long months and years …
… … is highly remarkable’ In September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist …
… several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, …
… ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin would confirm that this poppy shed its …
… access to flowers was only the tip of the iceberg. Darwin next focused on the California …
… conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s interest was piqued and he described …
… when self-fertilised, although fewer than crossed plants. Darwin sent some of these seeds to Müller, …
… [1868] ). Müller, in turn, sent seeds from his plants to Darwin and both men continued to …
… Müller remarked, on receiving a new batch of seeds from Darwin, ‘that it was ‘curious to see, on …
… ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870, Darwin reported that he was ‘rearing crossed …
… From a fairly early stage in his experimental programme, Darwin began to pay more attention to the …
… the sweet pea ( Lathyrus odoratus ), and in October 1867, Darwin wrote to James Moggridge to ask …
… of the year ( To J. T. Moggridge, 1 October [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the …
… simply did not exist in Britain. During a visit to Darwin in May 1866, Robert Caspary, a …
… by the former ( From Robert Caspary, 18 February 1868 ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both …
… was published on 30 January 1868. In April 1868, Darwin informed George Bentham, ‘I am …
… to elongate when the pollen touches the stigmatic surface. Darwin was able to discern that …
… plant sexual relations, Müller, who sent the publication to Darwin, reported that he was surprised …
… the fertility of the offspring (F. Müller 1868b, p. 629). Darwin urged further experimentation. ‘I …
… the Abutilon sterile with some individuals is remarkable’, Darwin replied, adding that he had sown …
… Abutilon is a new species, & I am honoured by its name’, Darwin told Hooker, ‘It offers an …
… ( To J. D. Hooker, 23 July [1871] ). Darwin also informed Müller of this fact. It had taken only …
… To Fritz Müller, 2 August [1871] ). By late 1871, Darwin was already planning to publish …
… ( To Fritz Müller, 25 September 1873 ). But by March 1874 , some doubts seemed to have arisen when …
… with new & related matter. ( To J. V. Carus, 19 March [1874 ] ). A year later, Darwin still …
… excess of the crossed over the self-fertilised’ ( To G. H. Darwin, 8 January [1876] ). George …
… for the moment that all of equal value.’ ( From G. H. Darwin, [after 8 January 1876] ). It was his …

3.18 Elliott and Fry photos, c.1869-1871

Summary

< Back to Introduction The leading photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several occasions. In November 1869 Darwin told A. B. Meyer, who wanted photographs of both him and Wallace for a German…

Matches: 24 hits

… photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several …
… Payments to the firm on 25 July 1869 and 5 April 1870 in Darwin’s banking account must relate to …
… to Wallace. Elliott and Fry evidently approached Darwin again in the spring of 1871, with a …
… to Down again for a simpler portrayal. On 2 August 1871, Darwin wrote, ‘Many thanks for the …
… which of Elliott and Fry’s widely disseminated images of Darwin were taken in summer 1869, and which …
… view, is not much help. However, two of the group now in the Darwin archive were dated by Darwin’s …
… the later 1870s are clearly wide of the mark. As regards Darwin’s appearance, he does not look older …
… this group of photographs, of which there is a print in the Darwin archive (DAR 225.117), shows a …
… and must therefore have been reissued commemoratively. Darwin’s daughter Henrietta owned this, and …
… to it. In another of Elliott and Fry’s photographs, Darwin sits sternly erect; in yet another he …
… to a profile or nearer to a frontal view. In all of them Darwin is wearing a distinctive waistcoat, …
… the complexities, John van Wyhe, in his ‘Iconography’ of Darwin portraits, identifies some of the …
… 1871, but dates others (still with the spotted waistcoat) to 1874 . Elliott and Fry were …
… the day, which were widely marketed. Thus the photographs of Darwin were frequently reissued in …
… in the National Portrait Gallery. An idealised version of Darwin’s head from one of the Elliott and …
… to the June 1882 issue, which had two obituary articles on Darwin. It had also appeared in another …
… lurid Illustrated Police News, accompanying a notice of Darwin’s death in 1882. A vignette …
… many more such usages of the Elliott and Fry images of Darwin, often at third hand or in reworked …
… Elliott and Fry’s rather unflattering portrayal of Darwin, especially of his blunt nose and untidy …
… Elliott and Fry photographs were mentioned by Francis Darwin in his catalogue of portraits in Life …
… taken in summer 1869 and summer 1871, possible also in 1874 .   computer-readable date c …
… 140.1.9). Wood engraving in The Pictorial World (6 June 1874 ), p. 228 (DAR 140.1.3). Another …
… A further derivative is an intaglio engraving signed ‘E.W. Andrews fecit’ in the Natural History …
… in The Boy’s Own Paper, 15:743 (8 April 1893), p. 443. H. Baden Pritchard, The Photographic …

Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life

Summary

1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…

Matches: 24 hits

… The year 1876 started out sedately enough with Darwin working on the first draft of his book on the …
… games. ‘I have won, hurrah, hurrah, 2795 games’, Darwin boasted; ‘my wife … poor creature, has won …
… regarding the ailments that were so much a feature of Darwin family life. But the calm was not to …
… four days later. ‘I cannot bear to think of the future’, Darwin confessed to William on 11 …
… once, the labour of checking proofs proved a blessing, as Darwin sought solace for the loss of his …
… and his baby son Bernard now part of the household, and Darwin recasting his work on dimorphic and …
… had involved much time and effort the previous year, and Darwin clearly wanted to focus his …
… When Smith, Elder and Company proposed reissuing two of Darwin’s three volumes of the geology of …
… single-volume edition titled Geological observations , Darwin resisted making any revisions at …
… volume, Coral reefs , already in its second edition. Darwin was nevertheless ‘firmly resolved not …
… meticulous correction of errors in the German editions made Darwin less anxious about correcting the …
… Mivart made a slanderous attack on George Darwin in late 1874 in an anonymous article, which …
… Encyclopaedia Britannica the previous year ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [after 4 September 1876] ). …
… ‘all I can say is do not commit suicide’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [4 June 1876] ). By midsummer, …
… a set of sons I have, all doing wonders.’ ( Letter to G. H. Darwin, 13 July [1876]. ) A …
… and eczema, was able to rest his mind ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 2 May [1876] ). Darwin even …
… letter to Andrew Clark, [late June 1876] ; letter to G. H. Darwin, 13 July [1876] ). The irony …
… we have & you are one of the best of all’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 11 September [1876] ). …
… she confided to Henrietta (letter from Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, [31 August 1876] (DAR 219.9: …
… herself & is so tender’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [13 September 1876] (DAR 210.6 …
… completed autobiography (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [13 September 1876] (DAR 210.6: …
… horticulturists and agriculturists in France ( letter from E. M. Heckel, 27 December 1876 ). In …
… been the subject of mere observation’ ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 31 December 1876 ). The Swiss …
… on the method, or remains in utter darkness’ ( letter to H. N. Moseley, 22 November 1876 ). …

Darwin and vivisection

Summary

Darwin played an important role in the controversy over vivisection that broke out in late 1874. Public debate was sparked when the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought an unsuccessful prosecution against a French physiologist who…

Matches: 19 hits

… Darwin played an important role in the controversy over vivisection that broke out in late 1874 . …
… experiments on live animals in Britain. In December 1874 , Darwin was asked to sign a memorial …
… draft legislation that would protect animals from suffering. Darwin was sympathetic to the cause, …
… on Virchow for experimenting on the Trichinae’ (letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] ). …
… physiologists to present their own petition (letter to T. H. Huxley, 14 January 1875 ). In …
… for assistance in preparing a bill for Parliament. Darwin almost never involved himself in …
… recent research on insectivorous plants. Indeed, some of Darwin’s plant experiments, such as …
… and because it failed to mention anaesthetics. Darwin’s indebtedness and allegiance to …
… to put an end to any suffering before his eyes’. Darwin was clearly disturbed by the prospect …
… not sleep to-night’ ( Correspondence vol. 19, letter to E. R. Lankester, 22 March [1871] ). In …
… some animals possessed social sympathies akin to conscience. Darwin even described an animal …
… 1: 40). Vivisection was a sensitive subject within Darwin’s family. In his letter of 14 …
… of a network of reformers and philanthropists that included Darwin’s brother, Erasmus, and his …
… of course) or I might get one or two’ (letter from Emma Darwin to F. P. Cobbe, 14 January [1875] …
… night, prepares and sets instruments of torture’ ( Emma Darwin (1904) 2: 201). Darwin’s …
… (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 12 February 1875 ). Darwin was in London from 31 March to 12 …
… who produced a new sketch for a petition (letter from T. H. Huxley, [4 April 1875] ). This was …
… ‘we wd do whatever else you think best’ (letter to E. H. Stanley, 15 April 1875 ). After further …
… expressed their dismay at this alteration (letter from T. H. Huxley, 19 May 1875 , letter from J. …

Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small

Summary

In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…

Matches: 25 hits

… In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
… for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
… of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
… Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
… to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
… working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
… for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root response and the …
… London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
… letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running interest in such …
… experiments had been conducted to lend support to Darwin’s theory of pangenesis (see …
… He was eager to write up the results on Brazilian cane, with Darwin providing a detailed outline: ‘I …
… at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. Darwin carried on with botanical work in …
… which are asymmetric, thus facilitating cross-fertilisation. Darwin’s aim, he said, was just to …
… 3 April 1882 ). Earthworms and evolution Darwin’s last book, Earthworms , had been …
… Appendix V). The conservative Quarterly Review , owned by Darwin’s publisher John Murray, carried …
… he is a good deal depressed about himself’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March …
… is very calm but she has cried a little’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, [19 April …
… overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 (DAR 219.1: 150)). …
… he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 October 1836] , letter …
… Natural History, that I went as Naturalist on the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the World & …
… I cannot tell how or where to begin’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 21 [January 1860] ). Darwin’s …
… father confessor. ( Letter from Charles Lyell, 1 September 1874 .) Darwin’s fame continued …
… of Darwinian theory to flowers and flower-visiting insects; H. Müller 1869)). Darwin was full of …
… at least be a valid ground for divorce’ ( letter to H. K. Rusden, [before 27 March 1875] ). In …

Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep

Summary

In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…

Matches: 30 hits

… lessen injury to leaves from radiation In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to …
… in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of experiments to …
… plant laboratories in Europe. While Francis was away, Darwin delighted in his role as …
… from botanical research was provided by potatoes, as Darwin took up the cause of an Irish …
… would rid Ireland of famine. Several correspondents pressed Darwin for his views on religion, …
… closed with remarkable news of a large legacy bequeathed to Darwin by a stranger as a reward for his …
… birthday ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 12 February [1878] ), Darwin reflected that it was ‘more …
… Expression ), and the final revision of Origin (1872), Darwin had turned almost exclusively to …
… Movement in plants In the spring of 1878, Darwin started to focus on the first shoots and …
… were enrolled as researchers, as were family members. Darwin asked his niece Sophy to observe …
… ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 24 March [1878–80] ). While Darwin was studying the function of …
… on one side, then another, to produce movement in the stalk. Darwin compared adult and young leaves …
… after growth has ceased or nearly ceased.’ Finally, Darwin turned to plant motion below the …
… precision the lines of least resistance in the ground.’ Darwin would devote a whole chapter to the …
… that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] ). Having …
… moisture, and various chemical and nutritive substances, Darwin next considered sound. He explained …
… instrument to various plants. To confirm the results, Darwin borrowed a siren from Tyndall, who had …
… ill-luck to them, are not sensitive to aerial vibrations’, Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my …
… 8 August. ‘Alas Frank is off tomorrow to Wurzburg,’ Darwin wrote to Thiselton-Dyer on 2 June , ‘ …
… Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June [1878] ). While Francis was away, Darwin sent regular reports about their …
… to, about my work, I scribble to you ( letter to Francis Darwin, 7 [July 1878] ). Two weeks later …
… not having you to discuss it with’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 20 [July 1878] ). It is …
… had chlorophyll, Francis reported ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ): ‘The oats …
… god with the ‘eternity of matter’ ( letter from H. N. Ridley, [before 28 November 1878] ). Darwin …
… myself about such insoluble questions’ ( letter to H. N. Ridley, 28 November 1878 ). Darwin …
… without utterly demolishing it’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 28 January 1878 ). The matter was …
… and an earlier effort to promote his scheme at the 1874 meeting of the British Association in …
… seminal generations’ ( enclosure to letter to T. H. Farrer, 7 March 1878 ). In the end, the …
… vanish like the chaos before the wind’ ( letter from T. H. Noyes, 19 November 1878 ). A …
… him of the soundness of London property ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 13 December [1878] ). ‘This is …

Moral Nature

Summary

In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…

Matches: 13 hits

… | Selected Readings In Descent of Man , Darwin argued that human morality had …
… (Barrett et al. eds. 1987, p. 619) Darwin gathered observations over many decades on …
… Though rooted in instinctive sympathy, moral behavior for Darwin was not purely automatic or …
… the social instincts that humans shared with animals. Darwin's moral theory was the most …
… obligation, compassion, guilt, and the pangs of conscience. Darwin's theory was condemned by …
… female members of their hive in order to protect the queen. Darwin engaged with his critics in …
… of ideas, rather than as evolving from animal instinct. Darwin got clarification on this point from …
… Descent of Man in the Pall Mall Gazette (Morley 1871). Darwin admired the review, and …
… from generation to generation." Letter 7685 : Darwin to Morley, John, 14 April …
… at a time when Paris is aflame". Letter 7145 : Darwin to Cobbe, F. P. 23 March …
… that he read Immanuel Kant's Metaphysics of ethics . Darwin thanked her for the book, which …
… Letter 7470 : Wedgwood, Hensleigh to Darwin, [before 3 March 1871] Darwin exchanged long …
… Letter 9377 : Darwin, C. R. to Abbott, F. E. A., 30 March 1874 Writing to the American …

Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?

Summary

'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…

Matches: 29 hits

… ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little …
… of On the origin of species , intended to be Darwin’s last, and of Expression of the …
… books brought a strong if deceptive sense of a job now done: Darwin intended, he declared to Alfred …
… 27 July [1872] ). By the end of the year Darwin was immersed in two of the studies that …
… of books and papers, and the latter formed the subject of Darwin’s last book, The formation of …
… worms , published in the year before his death. Despite Darwin’s declared intention to take up new …
… begun many years before. In his private life also, Darwin was in a nostalgic frame of mind, …
… The last word on Origin The year opened with Darwin, helped by his eldest son William, …
… on 30 January , shortly after correcting the proofs, and Darwin’s concern for the consolidation of …
… and sixth editions were costly to incorporate, and despite Darwin’s best efforts, set the final …
… closely involved in every stage of publication of his books, Darwin was keen to ensure that this …
… to bring out the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it …
… had to be reset. The investment in stereotype reinforced Darwin’s intention to make no further …
… A worsening breach The criticisms against which Darwin had taken the greatest trouble to …
… objections to the theory of natural selection’, Darwin refuted point by point assertions published …
… Although Mivart was among those who wrote in January to wish Darwin a happy new year, before the …
… critical and anonymously published review of Descent . Darwin’s supporters had rallied to his …
… The republication of Wright’s paper had been arranged by Darwin himself (see Correspondence vol. …
… so bigotted a person as I am made to appear’, complained Darwin ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 5 …
… selection is somewhat under a cloud’, he wrote to J. E. Taylor on 13 January , and he complained …
… the theories of natural and sexual selection to bees (H. Müller 1872), and with his reply Darwin …
… for myself it is dreadful doing nothing’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 October [1872] ). He was far …
… by her husband, Richard Buckley Litchfield ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 13 May 1872 ). Delivery …
… 'I know that I am half-killed myself’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 25 July 1872 ). A …
… a week later ( enclosure to letter from John Lubbock to W. E. Gladstone, 20 June 1872 ). Darwin …
… Charlton Bastian’s recent book on the origin of life (H. C. Bastian 1872; Wallace 1872d) left him …
… Ruck, the sister of an old schoolfriend; he married Amy in 1874 . Francis, still a medical student …
… pleasant letters & never answer them’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 October [1872] ). But not …
… than usual. One such old friend was Sarah Haliburton, né e Owen, to whose sister, Fanny, Darwin had …

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: 28 hits

… In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
… used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
… *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
… book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
… a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
… of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
… own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
… the second reading notebook. Readers primarily interested in Darwin’s scientific reading, therefore, …
… editors’ identification of the book or article to which Darwin refers. A full list of these works is …
… 1819]. see p. 17 Note Book C. for reference to authors about E. Indian Islands 8 consult D r …
… of variation in animals in the different isl ds of E Indian Archipelago— [DAR *119: 6v.] …
… & Rev. W. Herbert.— notes to White Nat. Hist of Selbourne [E. T. Bennett ed. 1837 and [J. Rennie …
… 2 vols. 8vo. avec 2 atlas 4to. ibid, 1818–23. £1 2 s [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818–23] …
… said to be Poor Sir. J. Edwards Botanical Tour [?J. E. Smith 1793] Fabricius (very old …
… at Maer.— Lives of Kepler & Galileo. Drinkwater [J. E. Drinkwater] 1833]— Prof. …
… on Aurochs [Weissenborn 1838] Smiths grammar [J. E. Smith 1821] & introduct of Botany [J. …
… (read) G. St. Hilaire Progress de un Naturalist [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1835] (Gerard …
… 8] 1854 Jan 15. Seeman’s Narrative of H.M.S. Herald [Seeman 1853]. Feb 6. …
… Belcher, Edward. 1848. Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang during the years 1843–46; …
… design . (Bridgewater Treatise no. 4.) London. [9th ed. (1874 ) in Darwin Library.] 119: 5a …
… Narrative of a voyage round the world, performed in H.M.S. Sulphur, 1836–42 . 2 vols. …
… . Pt 1 of The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in …
… Beete. 1847. Narrative of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Fly … in the Torres Strait, New …
… Keppel, Henry. 1846. The expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the suppression of piracy; …
… ——. 1853. A visit to the Indian Archipelago, in H.M.S. Mæander, with portions of the private …
… Macgillivray, John. 1852. Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, commanded by the late …
… … Together with a narrative of the operations of H.M.S. Iris. 2 vols. London. *119: 22 …
… shores of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar; performed in H.M. Ships Leven and Barracouta . Edited …

People featured in the German and Austrian photograph album

Summary

Biographical details of people from the Habsburg Empire that appeared in the album of German and Austrian scientists sent to Darwin on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Johannes Mattes for providing these details and for permission to make his…

Matches: 8 hits

… in the album of German and Austrian scientists sent to Darwin on 12 February 1877. We are …
… Society in Vienna, served there as librarian (1874 –95) and built up a private collection of plants …
… p. 9. N.N.: Die Spielhölle in der Kärntnerstraße. In: Neues Wiener Blatt 270 (2 nd …
… official ( Oberhüttenverwalter ) in Idrija. E. Tietze: Jahresbericht für 1912. In: …
… Akademie in Vienna and published the books “Darwin und der Darwinismus” (1869) and “Leitfaden der …
… See name register . Jeitteles, L. H. See name register . …
… Tagblatt 335 (6 th December) 1924. p. 9. H. Leitner: Bericht des Generalsekretärs in …
… der Naturhistoriker in Wien. Wien: Braumüller & Sohn 1874 . Pablasek, M. …

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Darwin Correspondence Project

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