From W. W. Baxter 13 November 1871
Bromley Kent
Nov 13. 71
Sir
I herewith beg to send you a measure which is the best I have—20 ounces of which contain of Cubic inches 34.65925 each ounce therefore representing 1.7329625 cubic inches.1
I remain | Sir | Yrs obedly. | Wm. W. Baxter
C. Darwin Esqre
CD note:
On Comm⟨on⟩
| 114 ounces | ||
| lb | oz | |
| 7· | 7 | |
| Terrace | ||
| 72 | ounces | |
| lb | oz | |
| 3 | 8 | |
See proportion of bulk to weight as test
Footnotes
The measure was probably for CD’s research on the formation of vegetable mould by earthworms, which involved calculating the amount of earth brought up by worms from beneath the surface over a given time. Worm castings were collected from two separate square yards near Leith Hill Place in Surrey by CD’s niece Lucy Wedgwood between October 1870 and October 1871 (see Earthworms, pp. 167–8). See also letter from Lucy Wedgwood, 20 November [1871].
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Summary
Sends CD a measure with capacity of 20 oz or 34.65925 cubic inches.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8065
- From
- William Walmisley Baxter
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Bromley
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 98
- Physical description
- ALS 1p †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8065,” accessed on 16 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8065.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19
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