From Francis Darwin [12 May 1878]
Summary
Thanks for sending Nature; plans to leave on 22 May; anecdote about Bernard.
| Author: | Francis Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [12 May 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 47 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11504F |
Matches: 5 hits
- … roots, Sachs 1873–4 ; see letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] and n. 4). Fortnightly …
- … between this letter and the letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] , and by the reference …
- … In 1878, 12 May was a Sunday. See letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] and nn. 2 and 4. …
- … radicle or embryonic root. See letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] and n. 3. Francis …
- … Wallis Nash, 29 May 1878 ). See letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] and n. 6. CD had …
From James Torbitt 14 March 1878
Summary
Talk of a subscription to help JT’s experiments. Progress of experiment; loss of fungus-resistance in varieties as they age.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 139 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11424 |
To Raphael Meldola 14 December [1878]
Summary
Is glad book progresses; answers translation query.
Francis Darwin does not have time to lecture.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Raphael Meldola |
| Date: | 14 Dec [1878] |
| Classmark: | Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Hope Entomological Collections 1350: Hope/Westwood Archive, Darwin folder) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11793 |
From James Grant 16 March 1878
Summary
Thanks CD for his kind reply. JG does not feel he can rely on instinct or "intuition" in relation to existence of God. Is there no analogy between natural organisations and mechanical constructions to justify an intelligent first cause?
| Author: | James Miller (James) Grant |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 165: 90 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11428 |
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 19 [May 1878]
Summary
Germination of Cactaceae; CD wants seeds. Site of action of growth-stimuli.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 19 [May 1878] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Thiselton-Dyer, W. T., Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 116–18) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11479 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Insectivorous plants , pp. 256–9). In his letter of 11 May 1878 , Thiselton-Dyer mentioned …
- … Dyer, 9 May [1878] , and the letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 11 May 1878 . CD evidently …
- … which was caused by light ( letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 11 May 1878 and n. 3). CD …
- … 14 May 1878 and n. 5. See letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 11 May 1878 . Sydney Howard …
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 14 May 1878
Summary
Heliotropism. Requires some plants for experiments.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 14 May 1878 |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Thiselton-Dyer, W. T., Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 122–3) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11508 |
Matches: 3 hits
- … May [1878] and n. 7. In his letter of 11 May 1878 , Thiselton-Dyer sought to correct the …
- … Letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 11 May 1878 . See letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 9 …
- … letter from J. D. Hooker, 22 July 1874 ). CD did not refer to this species in Insectivorous plants . Colchicum autumnale is the autumn crocus, a member of the family Colchicaceae, and unrelated to true crocuses. Its leaves appear in spring and die back in summer, and flowers appear in autumn. A report in the Athenaeum , 11 …
To G. H. Darwin 14 [July 1878]
Summary
Writes to say that the point on which he thought GHD’s drawings were mistaken proves to be an error in his own observation.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Howard Darwin |
| Date: | 14 [July 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.1: 72 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11606 |
To A. S. Wilson 29 April [1878]
Summary
Thanks for specimen.
Always was sceptical of James Buckman’s experiment; heard afterwards that cruel trick was played on him.
Glad ASW is willing to look into Russian wheat case.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Alexander Stephen Wilson |
| Date: | 29 Apr [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 365 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11489 |
From Édouard van Beneden 29 April 1878
Summary
Asks for CD’s autograph and photograph.
| Author: | Édouard Joseph Louis Marie (Édouard) van Beneden |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 29 Apr 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 160: 135 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11490 |
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 16 February [1878]
Summary
Wants Trifolium resupinatum for "bloom" experiment.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 16 Feb [1878] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Thiselton-Dyer, W. T., Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 110–11) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11362 |
To Francis Darwin 25 July [1878]
Summary
Is forwarding the writing machine to Carl Semper.
Is glad FD has taken up his old friends, the twiners.
Hopes to get heliotropic aerial roots from J. D. Hooker. Asks FD to find out whether any moulds or roots are apheliotropic. Is puzzled by heliotropism in subterranean roots.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
| Date: | 25 July [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 211: 40 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11631 |
To T. H. Farrer 26 March [1878]
Summary
James Caird does not think Torbitt’s success justifies application to Government. Torbitt has four acres planted with seedlings. Has sent back CD’s £100. Shall CD insist that he keep it?
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Thomas Henry Farrer, 1st baronet and 1st Baron Farrer |
| Date: | 26 Mar [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 144: 95 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11447 |
To Francis Darwin [13–26 May 1878]
Summary
Has had conflicting information on the movement of radicles; wants FD to experiment with them.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
| Date: | [13–26 May 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 211: 26 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11538 |
To M. L. Pennington 24 October 1878
Summary
Sends his autograph.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Margaret Landell Sharpe; Margaret Landell Pennington |
| Date: | 24 Oct 1878 |
| Classmark: | Sotheby’s, New York (dealers) (25 January 2022, lot 132) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11727F |
From Raphael Meldola 26 January 1878
Summary
Returns Kosmos.
Thanks CD for permission to use Fritz Müller’s last letter, which contains new observations.
| Author: | Raphael Meldola |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 26 Jan 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 171: 125 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11332 |
From James Torbitt 15 March 1878
Summary
Potato crossing experiments. Encloses printed copies of letters from people who have grown his potato seed.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 15 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 140 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11426 |
To James Torbitt 11 March [1878]
Summary
T. H. Farrer and James Caird think it would be less trouble to get subscription from rich agriculturists than from Government. CD thinks it utopian to hope to raise variety of potatoes from seed; must be propagated from tubers.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Torbitt |
| Date: | 11 Mar [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 100 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11413 |
From Francis Darwin [after 14 July 1878]
Summary
Thinks it would be a good idea to give the typing machine to Karl Semper.
| Author: | Francis Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [after 14 July 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 48 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11553F |
From G. H. Darwin 28 January 1878
Summary
Has been reading Samuel Haughton on geological time ["Notes on physical geology, no. III", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 26 (1877): 534–46]. It is utter rubbish. Asks whether CD thinks GHD should write a critical note on the subject [see Nature 17 (1878): 509–10].
| Author: | George Howard Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 28 Jan 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.2: 65 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11336 |
To Raphael Meldola 11 January [1878]
Summary
Thinks there can be no objection to RM’s using a Fritz Müller letter [see 11319].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Raphael Meldola |
| Date: | 11 Jan [1878] |
| Classmark: | Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Hope Entomological Collections 1350: Hope/Westwood Archive, Darwin folder) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11318 |
| letter | (67) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (34) |
| Darwin, Francis | (6) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (3) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (2) |
| Dodel-Port, Arnold | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (31) |
| Darwin, Francis | (8) |
| Thiselton-Dyer, W. T. | (7) |
| Farrer, T. H. | (4) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (65) |
| Darwin, Francis | (14) |
| Thiselton-Dyer, W. T. | (7) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (6) |
| Farrer, T. H. | (6) |
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book …
Origin: the lost changes for the second German edition
Summary
Darwin sent a list of changes made uniquely to the second German edition of Origin to its translator, Heinrich Georg Bronn. That lost list is recreated here.
Matches: 1 hits
- … In March 1862, Heinrich Georg Bronn wrote to Darwin stating his intention to prepare a second …
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: 1 hits
- … The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments
Summary
1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…
Matches: 1 hits
- … As the sheer volume of his correspondence indicates, 1862 was a particularly productive year for …
Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…
Matches: 1 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
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
- … The full transcripts and footnotes of over 600 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1874 …
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: 1 hits
- … ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little more I …
Darwin’s queries on expression
Summary
When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…
Matches: 1 hits
- … When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations …
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
- … Letters | Selected Readings Darwin's first reflections on human progress were …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants …
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
- … I cannot bear to think of the future The year 1876 started out sedately enough with …
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: 1 hits
- … no little discovery of mine ever gave me so much pleasure as the making out the …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July …
Charles Harrison Blackley
Summary
You may not have heard of Charles Harrison Blackley (1820–1900), but if you are one of the 15 million people in the UK who suffer from hay fever, you are indebted to him. For it was he who identified pollen as the cause of the allergy. Darwin was…
Matches: 1 hits
- … You may not have heard of Charles Harrison Blackley (1820–1900), but if you are one of the 15 …
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: 1 hits
- … Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's …
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
Matches: 1 hits
- … Re: Design – performance version – 25 March 2007 – 1 Re: Design – Adaptation of the …
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: 1 hits
- … I think we have proved that the sleep of plants is to lessen injury to leaves from radiation …
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: 1 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and …
Darwin on race and gender
Summary
Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and …
