From Richard Brinsley Hinds 21 April 1843
Summary
Replies to queries by CD. Describes Clipperton Rock [SW. of Mexico] and Cocos Island. Mentions possible species of Cactornis. Discusses depth of water at Bow Island [Hao, Tuamotu Archipelago], and occurrence of coral formations at various islands.
| Author: | Richard Brinsley Hinds |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 21 Apr 1843 |
| Classmark: | DAR 166: 219 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-671 |
Matches: 13 hits
- … Island [Hao, Tuamotu Archipelago], and occurrence of coral formations at various islands. …
- … of it. It is a sharp, ragged rock, projecting through the coral belt. 2. Cocos Island. …
- … attempted unsuccessfully to bore into the coral at Bow Island, now Hao in the Tuamotu …
- … entirely volcanic. About the existence of coral in its neighbourhood, I speak in some …
- … the boats, and I think that masses of dead coral were strewed about the beach. 3. I never …
- … opinion that channels do deepen among coral formations, and his opinion is particularly …
- … circumstance that the lagoon abounds in the coral knolls, so well described in Beechey, …
- … of which are awash— 5. The occurrance of coral elsewhere — The Marquesas closely resemble …
- … the Society Islands, but are without their coral formations. Our experience only extended …
- … and a few miles of the neighbouring shores. A small coral reef exists near the anchorage, …
- … which was the only thing like coral we saw on its shores; nor was it noticed in the …
- … highlands as at the Sandwich Islands. At Vavao we saw no coral. At …
- … Amboco, Feejee Islands, a reef of coral. At New Hebrides I do not remember the least …
To J. E. Gray 25 January [1843]
Summary
Requests that Charles Lyell be permitted to borrow the coral reef specimens he presented to the British Museum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Edward Gray |
| Date: | 25 Jan [1843] |
| Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (Archives DF/ZOO/205/4/144) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-660F |
Matches: 8 hits
- … Charles Lyell be permitted to borrow the coral reef specimens he presented to the British …
- … collections, with a case study of his coral reef specimen list in the Natural History …
- … series (see n. 3, below). CD donated twenty-nine coral specimens to the British Museum …
- … 1841 (www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/charles-darwin-coral-conundrum.html, accessed 28 July 2021). …
- … of specimens illustrating the Structure of Coral reefs. M r Lyell is going to give as …
- … on Geology one of which will be devoted to coral reefs & to my theory of their origin. I …
- … 7 and 31 March 1843. The second lecture was on coral reefs; a brief summary of the lecture …
- … Lyell’s discussion of the manner in which coral reefs were raised and of the zoophytes …
To Charles Maclaren [c. February 1843]
Summary
[Written on CD’s annotated copy of a pamphlet reprint of CM’s review of Coral reefs.] CD asks CM to return the pamphlet to him.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Maclaren |
| Date: | [c. Feb 1843] |
| Classmark: | DAR 69: A94v |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-661 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … of a pamphlet reprint of CM’s review of Coral reefs . ] CD asks CM to return the pamphlet …
- … 2 vols. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 1977. Coral reefs : The structure …
- … and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the …
- … a pamphlet reprint of Maclaren’s review of Coral reefs in the Scotsman ( Maclaren 1842 ). …
- … CD has written ‘No! inhabitants of the coral-islands in the [’middle of the‘ del ] Indian …
- … Elder & Co. 1842. Maclaren, Charles. 1842. Coral islands. (From the Scotsman of 29 October …
- … Edinburgh. ] Maclaren, Charles. 1843. On coral islands and reefs, as described by Mr …
To Smith, Elder & Co. 21 January [1843]
Summary
Discusses his account.
Sends addresses [for subscribers to Zoology].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Smith, Elder & Co |
| Date: | 21 Jan [1843] |
| Classmark: | The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. The Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature. |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-659 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … Bibliography Coral reefs : The structure …
- … and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the …
- … sum to cover the expenses of publishing Coral reefs ; by this time it was clear that the …
- … Athenæum from 1830 to 1846. No notice of Coral reefs appeared in the Athenæum. This refers …
- … call. — I pretty well satisfied with sale of Coral Volume, for I feel certain, every now & …
- … I am surprised they have not noticed the Coral Volume. — Please to send D r . A. Smiths …
To Ernst Dieffenbach 4 July [1843]
Summary
CD gratified that ED wants to translate his Journal. Will send a copy of Coral reefs, which contains a fuller treatment of topic. Perhaps ED would insert a note to this effect. Can lend woodcuts from Coral reefs if ED wants. CD will send a few corrections; he wants to amend way he criticised Agassiz’s glacier theory.
He is also enclosing a questionnaire concerning differences between races or varieties and species, about which he intends to publish sometime.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Ernst Dieffenbach |
| Date: | 4 July [1843] |
| Classmark: | Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt (Nachlass Künzel Br./3/VII/1) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-680A |
Matches: 6 hits
- … his Journal . Will send a copy of Coral reefs , which contains a fuller treatment of …
- … a note to this effect. Can lend woodcuts from Coral reefs if ED wants. CD will send a few …
- … were incorporated into the German edition. Coral reefs had been published by Smith, Elder, …
- … your acceptance a copy of a small work on Coral-Reefs; perhaps you will be good enough to …
- … to have the use of the woodcuts, from my Coral-volume to illustrate that chapter; I could …
- … would like some of the woodcuts out of my coral-volume— & whether you intend to print any …
To Ernst Dieffenbach 2 October 1843
Summary
On ED’s planned edition [German] of CD’s Journal of researches.
Informs him of his forthcoming volume, Volcanic islands.
"I am well acquainted with your paper on Chatham Island ["An account of the Chatham Islands", J. R. Geogr. Soc. 11: 195–215], & … those passages on the very curious fact of the apparent specific differences of the birds there & at New Zealand".
Thanks ED for recognition of his "small labours in Natural History… . praise from men, like yourself, is the only, though quite sufficient, reward I ever expect or wish to obtain for my works. – I have lately had the extreme satisfaction of hearing that Hooker speaks highly of the accuracy … of my statements". Refers to Humboldt and Owen.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Ernst Dieffenbach |
| Date: | 2 Oct 1843 |
| Classmark: | J. A. Stargardt (dealers) (Catalogue 574 11–13 November 1965) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-698 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … published in 1844. No German translation of Coral reefs was published until 1876 ( Freeman …
- … Bibliography Coral reefs : The structure …
- … and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the …
- … work on The structure and distribution of coral reefs , for which he wished to borrow the …
From Charles Lyell [9 April 1843]
Summary
Spoke to Henry Warburton, W. H. Fitton, and E. B. Greenough on CD’s idea of a Government grant for publication [not identified].
Will read at next meeting his paper on erect Nova Scotia fossil trees [Proc. Geol. Soc. Lond. 4 (1843–5): 176–8].
E. P. Halstead reports on shores rising off Burma and Bay of Bengal.
Unpacking his U. S. fossils.
Phillips looked at beds below coal in Pennsylvania. Result is the usual different species found but with complete representation of forms.
| Author: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [9 Apr 1843] |
| Classmark: | DAR 170: 81, 205.9: 393 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-670 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … the Bay of Bengal were rising. CD’s map in Coral reefs locates two fringing reefs in the …
- … Bibliography Coral reefs : The structure …
- … and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the …
- … everywhere —oyster beds of recent species corals & old beaches inland & the same all along …
To Smith, Elder & Co. [9 October 1843]
Summary
Says he is forwarding the Smith, Elder & Co. account to the Treasury. Discusses advertisements of Zoology and Coral reefs. Volcanic islands "is almost ready for press".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Smith, Elder & Co |
| Date: | [9 Oct 1843] |
| Classmark: | Sotheby’s (dealers) (23–4 July 1979) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-702 |
To Charles Lyell [15 or 22 September 1843]
Summary
Mentions expected birth of child [Henrietta Emma].
BAAS meeting.
Comments on letters from G. R. Waterhouse and William Lonsdale.
Describes survival of apparently "fossil" seeds sent by W. Kemp.
Is at work on MS [of Volcanic islands].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | [15 or 22] Sept 1843 |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.32) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-696 |
To Smith, Elder & Co. [14 January 1843]
Summary
Asks for account.
Discusses delay of Reptiles by Thomas Bell. Asks them to inform R. B. Hinds of delay.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Smith, Elder & Co |
| Date: | [14 Jan 1843] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-658 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … very faithfully | C. Darwin P.S. I sh d like to know amount of sale of the Coral Volume …
To S. P. Woodward 29 [September 1843]
Summary
Says he will call tomorrow to examine indicated specimens and books at Geological Society.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Samuel Pickworth Woodward |
| Date: | 29 [Sept 1843] |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Add MS 42579: 228–9) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-697 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Sowerby (shells) and William Lonsdale (corals) in Volcanic islands, p. 138 and Appendix. …
To Syms Covington 7 October 1843
Summary
A new ear trumpet has been sent to SC as a present.
Sends news of his publications, health, and other developments since SC left for Australia.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Syms Covington |
| Date: | 7 Oct 1843 |
| Classmark: | Sydney Mail, 9 August 1884, p. 254 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-700 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … materials collected during the voyage. My coral-reef little book has been published for a …
To J. S. Henslow [22 January 1843]
Summary
Comments on JSH’s botanical work with his parishioners. Lyell will be pleased that he has done some fossil botanical work.
Describes a Geological Society meeting about Edward Charlesworth’s complaints.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | [22 Jan 1843] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-660 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … very thin part on “Volcanic Isl ds ”. — My coral-volume has sold tolerably according to my …
| letter | (13) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (11) |
| Hinds, R. B. | (1) |
| Lyell, Charles | (1) |
| Smith, Elder & Co | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| Dieffenbach, Ernst | (2) |
| Covington, Syms | (1) |
| Gray, J. E. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (13) |
| Smith, Elder & Co | (3) |
| Dieffenbach, Ernst | (2) |
| Lyell, Charles | (2) |
| Covington, Syms | (1) |
Darwin & coral reefs
Summary
The central idea of Darwin's theory of coral reef formation, as it was later formulated, was that the islands were formed by the upward growth of coral as the Pacific Ocean floor gradually subsided. It overturned previous ideas and would in itself…
Matches: 24 hits
- … out on the west coast of S. America before I had seen a true coral reef. I had therefore only to …
- … the continued deposition of sediment by the upward growth of coral. To do this was to form my theory …
- … Charles Darwin describing how he arrived at his coral reef theory. Autobiography , pp. 98-9 …
- … was that the islands were formed by the upward growth of coral as the Pacific Ocean floor gradually …
- … early in September, Darwin jotted down some notes about coral formations in the field notebook …
- … both European and Chilean formations as well as the Pacific coral reefs. Coral formations are …
- … crustal changes strongly suggests that Darwin’s theory of coral reef formation originated as a …
- … hypothesised a corresponding subsidence in the Pacific. The coral islands would thus furnish proof …
- … own view of the geology of the Pacific. In his chapter on coral reefs in the second volume of the …
- … who had just published the results of his survey of 32 coral islands, and the Frenchmen Quoy and …
- … aware that his view of the relationship of subsidence and coral building, if verified, would be an …
- … he wrote out a draft of his theory in a memorandum headed ‘Coral islands 1835.’ It is the first …
- … The impact of Darwin’s first sighting of a coral island is confirmed by a letter to his sister …
- … at Mauritius, in which he states that ‘The subject of Coral formation has for the last half year, …
- … mountain; to how great a depth or thickness the work of the Coral animal extends is quite uncertain. …
- … gradually subsides, is granted to be true; then probably the Coral limestone must be of great …
- … & Eimeo, mentioned in this journal, which are encircled by a Coral reef separated from the shore …
- … with a movement opposite to the continent of S. America; the coral would be continued upwards, …
- … would sink beneath the level of the sea & disappear, but the coral would have completed its …
- … bottom . . . Let any mountain be submerged gradually & coral grow in the sea in which it is …
- … of the theory, The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs (1842) was based on intensive …
- … The first evidence of ideas that led to Darwin’s theory of coral reef formation: A geological friend …
- … cores of [his] heart’ to have finished writing his book on coral reefs: letter to Leonard Jenyns …
- … R. 1976. Darwin, Lyell, and the geological significance of coral reefs. British Journal for the …
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: 8 hits
- … He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man ; the …
- … ). Back over old ground New editions of Coral reefs and Descent consumed the …
- … enterprises in the 1870s, were family affairs. Coral reefs His son Horace had …
- … with the later chapters on the formation and distribution of coral-reefs substantially revised, and …
- … been increased by the publication in 1872 of Corals and coral islands , by James Dwight Dana, an …
- … or volcanic activity in accounting for the absence of coral-reefs in certain locations. Darwin …
- … also indicate that the land had long remained stationary ( Coral reefs , p. vi). On receiving a …
- … 274). Descent Alongside his revision of Coral reefs, Darwin went to work on a …
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
- … 1853] Darwin praises Dana’s latest work, On Coral Reefs and Islands . The size of …
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: 3 hits
Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications
Summary
This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…
Matches: 4 hits
- … the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as deduced from the study of coral formations. Proceedings of the …
- … F1661.] — The structure and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology …
- … F1724.] — The structure and distribution of coral reefs . By Charles Darwin. Revised …
- … R. 1976. Darwin, Lyell, and the geological significance of coral reefs. British Journal for the …
Volume appendices
Summary
Here is a list of the appendices from the print volumes of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin with links to adapted online versions where they are available. Appendix I in each volume contains translations of letters in foreign languages and these can…
Satire of FitzRoy's Narrative of the Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle, by John Clunies Ross. Transcription by Katharine Anderson
Summary
[f.146r Title page] Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle Supplement / to the 2nd 3rd and Appendix Volumes of the First / Edition Written / for and in the name of the Author of those / Volumes By J.C. Ross. / Sometime Master of a…
Matches: 28 hits
- … of the origin of low and lagoon encircling Islands of the Coral formation.” For – altho’ I have …
- … safely say is very little if at all inferior to his – of Coral Island formations – in any one …
- … down that “Their lagoon is nearly filled up with growing coral and sand” – but – here is the word – …
- … out their mistake, only when run aground on some one of the Coral patches lying to the Southward of …
- … that passage but the Sun being then to the Eastward – the coral was visible and she put about – just …
- … only harbour – passing cautiously between the patches of coral rock clearly visible to an eye at the …
- … (whilst in the Pacific Ocean) some of the circularly formed coral Islands having accessible Lagoons …
- … is shallow – almost filled with branching corals and coral sand.” Hey presto! Why stop to notice it …
- … as mentioned and is placed on the S.E. rn end of a Coral Bank which extends from the Island to S …
- … six wide. The Islets are mere skeletons little better than coral reefs – on which broken coral and …
- … – the lagoon is shallow – almost filled with branching coral and coral sand. The small Northern …
- … it's circumference – There are many extensive patches of Coral in it but room enough and water …
- … of the class – peculiarly adapted to the soils of the coral formation. Nevertheless Mr Darwin …
- … or five fathoms of water upon them) dark bands of living coral appear through the emerald green …
- … with green bushes and tall coconut trees – in the flat of coral rock nearly dry at low water between …
- … undermining and overwhelming force. Yet these low strips of Coral Islets, almost victoriously …
- … (being unusually smooth) as far as the living mound of the coral wall on which the swell of the open …
- … Island there is a large bay composed of the finest white coral sand – quite level and so much …
- … proposed the name of Keeling instead of “the Borneo’s Coral Isles” which he adopted. Of course the …
- … been [ f.169r p.45 ] dropped – and that of the “Coral Isles” descriptive of their Geological …
- … seemed steep to, with a beautiful beach of sand or white coral – a reef projects near a 1/4 of a …
- … Direction Island (from above high water reach) the solid coral stone (which has been hardened …
- … for want of time, and partly from seeing that all the coral obstructions within it would be …
- … footed travellers by the extensive bed of sharp (growing) coral by which it is surrounded – but Mr H …
- … but by vessels bringing it to exchange for (most probably) coral – of course, to have made any …
- … of the origin and progress of low and lagoon islands of the coral formation – in the 2 nd that …
- … only ^at first^ getting raised above the level at which the coral builders can work upwards – namely …
- … – “Theory of the origin of low and lagoon islands of the Coral formation” – into a shape, which …
The geology of the Beagle voyage
Summary
The primary concern that linked much of Darwin’s geological work in the Beagle years was to understand the changing relation between the levels of land and sea. As he studied the shores of South America, and discovered shells inland at thousands of feet…
Matches: 3 hits
John Lort Stokes
Summary
John Lort Stokes, naval officer, was Charles Darwin’s cabinmate on the Beagle voyage – not always an enviable position. After Darwin’s death, Stokes penned a description of their evenings spent working at the large table at the centre, Stokes at his…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin's 1874 letters go online
Summary
The full transcripts and footnotes of over 600 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1874 are published online for the first time. You can read about Darwin's life in 1874 through his letters and see a full list of the letters. The 1874 letters…
Matches: 1 hits
- … During the year he published second editions of Coral reefs and Descent , assisted with the …
Introduction to the Satire of FitzRoy's Narrative of the Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle
Summary
'a humble toadyish follower…': Not all pictures of Darwin during the Beagle voyage are flattering. Published here for the first time is a complete transcript of a satirical account of the Beagle’s brief visit in 1836 to the Cocos Keeling islands…
Matches: 7 hits
- … brief visit in 1836 to the Cocos Keeling islands, the only coral atoll Darwin observed first-hand. …
- … FitzRoy and Belcher; and, last but by no means least, the coral reef theories of Charles Darwin. …
- … in Anderson (2018) and Ross’ posthumous publication on coral formation in 1855). The Cocos …
- … Cocos-Keeling visit was designed to gather information on coral islands as indicated in FitzRoy’s …
- … Keeling, Darwin was keenly interested in the questions of coral formation, and a much more careful …
- … polypii.” Ross promised a further discussion of Darwin’s coral theories, which seems to refer to a …
- … 2018. Ross, John Clunies. “Review of the Theory of Coral-Formation Set Forth by Ch. Darwin in …
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: 1 hits
- … pointed out several errors in the companion volume, Coral reefs , already in its second edition. …
Darwin’s study of the Cirripedia
Summary
Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed problems for historians. Coming between his transmutation notebooks and the Origin of species, it has frequently been interpreted as a digression from Darwin’s species work. Yet…
Darwin & Geology
Summary
The lessons Darwin learned from Adam Sedgwick at Cambridge, and in the field in North Wales, stood him in good stead during the Beagle voyage. While he was attached to the Beagle from 1831 to 1835, Darwin actually spent about two-thirds of his time ashore,…
Port Lewis, Mauritius
Summary
First coral lagoons
Matches: 1 hits
- … Describes his work on coral formation and the Beagle 's visit to the low lagoons of the …
Charles Lyell
Summary
As an author, friend and correspondent, Charles Lyell played a crucial role in shaping Darwin's scientific life. Born to a wealthy gentry family in Scotland in 1797, Lyell had a classical and legal education but by the 1820s had become entranced by…
Matches: 1 hits
- … is clear in Darwin's innovative explanation of the origin of coral reefs: although thousands of …
Race, Civilization, and Progress
Summary
Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … notebooks, he modeled evolution after a tree of life or coral that was " irregularly branched …
Charles Darwin’s letters: a selection 1825-1859
Summary
The letters in this volume span the years from 1825, when Darwin was a student at the University of Edinburgh, to the end of 1859, when the Origin of Species was published. The early letters portray Darwin as a lively sixteen-year-old medical student. Two…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of which he proposed a new explanation of the formation of coral reefs that won the support of …
2.7 Joseph Moore, Midland Union medal
Summary
< Back to Introduction The Midland Union was an association of natural history societies and field clubs across the Midland counties, intended to facilitate – especially through its journal The Midland Naturalist – ‘the interchange of ideas’ and…
Matches: 1 hits
- … the name is a decorative design, appropriately representing coral. As an example, one surviving but …
About Darwin
Summary
To many of us, Darwin’s name is synonymous with his theory of evolution by natural selection. But even before the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, he was publicly known through his popular book about the voyage of the Beagle, and he was…
Matches: 1 hits
- … America, developed a new explanation for the formation of coral reefs, and witnessed the lifestyles …
