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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: 17 hits

  • … on the California poppy ( Eschscholzia californica ). Fritz Müller, writing from Brazil in …
  • … cultivation in divergent climatic conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s …
  • … several uncovered plants to produce capsules’ ( To Fritz Müller, 30 January [1868] ). Müller, in …
  • … of self-fertility over subsequent generations. In June 1869, Müller remarked, on receiving a new …
  • … circumstances fertility sometimes depends’ ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870, …
  • … that of the offspring of English fertile plants’ ( To Fritz Müller, 12 May 1870 ). From a …
  • … 17 March [1867] ). He noted another factor in a letter to Gray, remarking, ‘I am going on with my …
  • … relationship had lessened the fertility of the offspring (F. Müller 1868b, p. 629). Darwin urged …
  • … great step in the essence of sexual reproduction’, he told Müller ( To Fritz Müller, 28 November …
  • … from seeds from the same pod were mutually sterile ( From Fritz Müller, 14 March 1869 ). ‘The case …
  • … that he had sown seeds of this plant sent by Müller ( To Fritz Müller, 18 July [1869] ). Darwin …
  • … setting to moderate self-fertility in his hothouse ( To Fritz Müller, 2 August [1871] ). By …
  • … [1873] ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly …
  • … optimistic regarding the publication of his results, telling Fritz Müller that he hoped to publish …
  • … to seedling plants by the crossing of their parents’ ( To Fritz Müller, 25 September 1873 ). But …
  • … with new & related matter. ( To J. V. Carus, 19 March [1874] ). A year later, Darwin still …
  • … A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this letter has been found, but Darwin had long …

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: 21 hits

  • … ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
  • … with an exchange with one of his favourite correspondents, Fritz Müller. The men discussed the …
  • … fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
  • … François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
  • … quite untirable & I am glad to shirk any extra labour’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 6 January …
  • … probably intending to test its effects on chlorophyll ( letter to Joseph Fayrer, 30 March 1882 ). …
  • … we know about the life of any one plant or animal!’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). He …
  • … of seeing the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). …
  • … find stooping over the microscope affects my heart’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). …
  • … sooner or later write differently about evolution’ ( letter to John Murray, 21 January 1882 ). The …
  • … leaves into their burrows ( Correspondence vol. 29, letter from J. F. Simpson, 8 November 1881 …
  • … on the summit, whence it rolls down the sides’ ( letter from J. F. Simpson, 7 January 1882 ). The …
  • … light on it, which would have pleased me greatly’ ( letter from J. H. Gilbert, 9 January 1882, …
  • … annelid seemed to have rather the best of the fight’ ( letter from G. F. Crawte, 11 March 1882 ). …
  • … by the American educator Emily Talbot (Talbot ed. 1882). His letter to Talbot written the previous …
  • … by the flippant witlings of the newspaper press’ ( letter from A. T. Rice, 4 February 1882 ). Rice …
  • … men, and their role as providers for the family. In his letter, he conceded that there was ‘some …
  • … of our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). …
  • … she be fairly judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January …
  • … father confessor. ( Letter from Charles Lyell, 1 September 1874 .) Darwin’s fame continued …
  • … of whom drew substantially on his theory. In 1869, Hermann Müller (brother to Fritz) sent Darwin his …

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: 26 hits

  • … ‘my wife … poor creature, has won only 2490 games’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876 ). …
  • … quantity of work’ left in him for ‘new matter’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). The …
  • … to a reprint of the second edition of Climbing plants ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 23 February …
  • … & I for blundering’, he cheerfully observed to Carus. ( Letter to J. V. Carus, 24 April 1876. …
  • … provided evidence for the ‘advantages of crossing’ (letter to Asa Gray, 28 January 1876). Revising …
  • … year to write about his life ( Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, 20 …
  • … nowadays is evolution and it is the correct one’ ( letter from Nemo, [1876?] ). …
  • … him ‘basely’ and who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). …
  • … Mivart made a slanderous attack on George Darwin in late 1874 in an anonymous article, which …
  • … disgrace’ of blackballing so distinguished a zoologist ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 29 January 1876 ) …
  • … must have been cast by the ‘poorest curs in London’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [4 February …
  • … her questions were ‘too silly to deserve an answer’ ( letter from S. B. Herrick, 12 February 1876 …
  • … on Dionaea ‘to test the insect eating theory’ ( letter from Peter Henderson, 15 November 1876 …
  • … sending Darwin small amendments to his results ( letter from Moritz Schiff, 8 May 1876 ). …
  • … to get positive results in this year’s experiments’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [ c . 19 March …
  • … in the Encyclopaedia Britannica the previous year ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [after 4 September …
  • … and to promote work he admired. He was so interested in a letter from Fritz Müller in Brazil …
  • … with the ants that inhabited the trunk that he sent the letter to Nature for publication. ‘It …
  • … communicated this information in an article in Nature ( letter from Johann von Fischer, [before …
  • … phyllotaxis by the mutual pressure of very young buds’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 21 June [1876] ). …
  • … Scottish shoemaker and ardent naturalist Thomas Edward ( letter from F. M. Balfour, 11 December …
  • … live blood-hound which shall hunt it to the death’ ( letter from James Torbitt, 19 April 1876 …
  • … the public to consider Torbitt an untrustworthy fanatic ( letter to James Torbitt, 21 April 1876 ) …
  • … request, with the ‘awful job’ of informing the author ( letter to G. G. Stokes, 21 April [1876] ). …
  • … thought the paper was ‘not worthy of being read ever’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 28 January 1876 …
  • … of the sick body to the natural laws’ ( letter from Fritz Hoddick, 23 November 1876 ). In late May …

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: 24 hits

  • attack upon Darwins son George, in an anonymous review in 1874 (see Correspondence vol. 22, …
  • On 8 January , he told Hooker: ‘I will write a savage letter & that will do me some good, if I
  • to the EditorPoor Murray shuddered again & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January
  • 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
  • offered to pay the costs for printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). …
  • … & bless the day That ever you were born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2
  • A scientific friendship had developed between the men in 1874, and this was enhanced by Romaness
  • that the originally red half has become wholly white’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [before 4
  • pp. 18890). He drew attention to this discussion in a letter to George Rolleston, remarking on 2
  • Darwin wrote, ‘I beg ten thousand pardon & more’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [ c . February
  • signed himself, ‘Your affect sonthe proofmaniac’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, 1 and 2 May [1875
  • the Oxford professor of oriental languages, Friedrich Max Müller. Georges article also rehearsed
  • which had become a debating point between Whitney and Max Müller. In Descent 2d ed., pp. 868, …
  • through unconscious processes, and had criticised Max Müllers insistence that language was an
  • Darwin 1874c, p. 894).   On previous occasions, Max Müller and Darwin had aired their
  • vol. 21), and Georges review prompted Max Müller to write to Darwin affirming that his convictions
  • I find it in language & what is implied by language.’ Max Müller also published an article in
  • offer on astronomy, or the Duke of Wellington on art (Max Müller 1875, pp. 3057). The debate
  • both critical and reverential. On 16 July he received a letter from an advocate of womens
  • included long-term correspondents such as Ernst Haeckel, Fritz and Hermann Müller, and Anton Dohrn. …
  • many German philosophers toDarwinism”!’ The author, Fritz Schultze, contacted Darwin himself on
  • her presentation copy of Insectivorous plants ( letter to D. F. Nevill, 15 July [1875] ). Such
  • had learned of Lyells failing health from Hooker in 1874 and January 1875. On 22 February, he was

John Murray

Summary

Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, particularly politics, travel and science, and had published…

Matches: 19 hits

  • end of 1845, Darwin was not happy with Colburns terms ( Letter 856 ). Instead he asked his friend
  • John Murray, to open negotiations with his own publisher ( Letter 824 ). Lyells talk with Murray
  • have transacted the business with me’ (27 August [1845] Letter 908 ). Thus began the business
  • copies some pages in Darwins chapter were transposed ( Letter 1244 ). Darwin was anxious lest an
  • … & make the poor workman some present’ (12 June [1849] Letter 1245 ). Darwins next
  • hisbig species book’; on 18 June 1858, he received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace with the
  • asked Lyell to act as his intermediary with John Murray ( Letter 2437 ), who, without even reading
  • not repent of having undertaken it’ (15 October [1859] Letter 2506 ). Murray decided on a retail
  • proud at the appearance of my child’ ([3 November 1859] Letter 2514 ). In the event, all Murrays
  • … – and a second edition was immediately called for ( Letter 2549 ). In the end Murray paid Darwin
  • … (Variation ), but work progressed slowly ( Letter 3078 ); meanwhile in 1862 Murray published  On
  • Murray only offered Darwin half profits for this title ( Letter 3261 ); it was never a best-seller
  • … ‘I fear it can never pay’ (3 January [1867] Letter 5346 ). In the end Murray decided to print
  • to Brazil, the beginning of a life-long correspondence ( Letter 4881 ). Subsequently Darwin
  • the risk himself. Murray suggested printing 750 copies ( Letter 6597 ), but Darwin decided on 1000
  • fail, I think, to be much read’ (28 September [1870] Letter 7329 ). Murray decided to print 2500
  • hope to Heaven book will sell well’ (12 January [1871] Letter 7438 ). A second printing was
  • America, of St George Mivarts Genesis of species  ( Letter 7907 ) ;  this was Darwins
  • proved very slow ( Letter 9071 ). At the end of 1874, Darwin offered Murray a new book,  …

Photograph album of Dutch admirers

Summary

Darwin received the photograph album for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from his scientific admirers in the Netherlands. He wrote to the Dutch zoologist Pieter Harting, An account of your countrymen’s generous sympathy in having sent me on my…

Matches: 10 hits

  • the present has given me & my family lasting pleasure. ( Letter to Pieter Harting, 19 March
  • Society) was chosen to co-ordinate the initiative, and a letter was circulated to potential
  • have also fallen on fertile soil in the Netherlands. ( Letter from AAvan Bemmelen and HJ.  …
  • of Natural Filosofy ’. Darwin welcomed the letter, replying: It is the highest
  • to interest other students, especially the younger ones. ( Letter to JCCosterus and ND. …
  • sent him a photograph of the two of them with Darwins letter . Another young man, Theodor Wilhelm
  • with the woodcuts he needed for an English translation of Fritz Müllers work before he became
  • sees them for some are about 2 feet across!—  ( Letter from CWThomson, 30 June 1877 ) …
  • edition which has been any where published ( Letter to Hermanus Hartogh Heijs van Zouteveen, …
  • Your loss is irreparable, & I feel deeply for you. ( Letter to F. C. Donders, 19 May 1870 ) …

Movement in Plants

Summary

The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…

Matches: 25 hits

  • … had considered combining the works in a single volume ( letter to J. V. Carus, 7 February 1875 ). …
  • … between 45 o  & 90 o  to the horizon ’. By May 1874, Thiselton-Dyer had observed some …
  • … 1877, Darwin asked one of his most trusted correspondents, Fritz Müller, to ‘ observe whether any …
  • … , a plant that exhibited all three types of movement ( letter from R. I. Lynch, [before 28 July …
  • … the woodblock using photography for scientific accuracy ( letter from J. D. Cooper, 13 December …
  • … lost colour, withered, and died within a couple of days ( letter from A. F. Batalin, 28 February …
  • … how their observations could have been so much at odds ( letter to Hugo de Vries 13 February 1879 …
  • … the botanist Gaetano Durando, to find plants and seeds ( letter to Francis Darwin, [4 February – 8 …
  • … into March 1879, and Darwin seemed weary when he told Fritz Müller, ‘ I have little or nothing to …
  • … only the regulator & not cause of movement ’. In the same letter, Darwin discussed terminology, …
  • … to replace Frank’s ‘Transversal-Heliotropismus’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 10 February [1880] ). …
  • … experiments and devised a new test, which he described in a letter to his mother, ‘ I did some …
  • … and it appeared in 1880 (F. Darwin 1880b). In the same letter, Francis revealed the frustration of …
  • … on holiday in the Lake District, Darwin received a long letter from De Vries detailing his latest …
  • … described as ‘little discs’ and ‘greenish bodies’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 29 October 1879 …
  • … of cotton that he had not been able to observe earlier ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 20 …
  • … might have been too weak to lift the weight of the seed ( letter from Asa Gray, 3 February 1880 ). …
  • … germination occurred, the plant would be killed by frost ( letter from Asa Gray, 4 April 1880 ). …
  • … Plants’ or ‘The Nature of the Movements of Plants’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 23 April [1880] ). …
  • … Phytographie  (A. de Candolle 1880). In his letter of thanks for the book, Darwin promised to send …
  • … for advice about the number of copies they should print ( letter to John Murray, 10 July 1880 ). …
  • … works, Murray was willing to publish on the usual terms ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 15 July 1880 ). …
  • … only suggest printing more copies or raising the price ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 20 July 1880 ). …
  • … Stahl’s paper with him, for the relevant page numbers ( letter to Francis Darwin, 5 August [1880] …
  • … publisher, Eduard Koch had already agreed to publish it ( letter from J. V. Carus, 18 September …

Descent

Summary

There are more than five hundred letters associated with the research and writing of Darwin’s book, Descent of man and selection in relation to sex (Descent). They trace not only the tortuous route to eventual publication, but the development of Darwin’s…

Matches: 3 hits

  • … new importance, so he went back to correspondents like Fritz Müller and Henry Bates. While he was at …
  • … to us should so much resemble one ’. Darwin saved the letter to show Henrietta . *** ‘ …
  • … enemy into a jelly ’. By the beginning of April 1874 the corrected edition was ready to go …