To Francis Darwin [17 September 1874]
Summary
Asks FD to come early to write from dictation.
Thanks Amy for her drawing of Utricularia montana.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
| Date: | [17 Sept 1874] |
| Classmark: | DAR 271.3: 12 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9218 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … DAR 271.3: 12 Charles Robert Darwin Down [17 Sept 1874] Francis Darwin …
From George Cupples 12 March 1874
Summary
Promises answers to CD queries on dogs.
Enclosure 1: G. A. Graham responds to CD’s questions (transmitted by GC) on greyhound breeding and proportion of sexes reared.
Enclosure 2: J. W. Robertson’s general rule has been to preserve male deerhound puppies in preference to females.
Enclosure 3: Proportion of sexes in dog litters [for Descent, 2d ed.] from W. Forbes.
| Author: | George Cupples |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Mar 1874 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 302; DAR 90: 114–16, 119–26 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9356 |
From John Murray Jr 15 September 1874
Summary
Sends CD a statement of number of thousands of copies printed thus far [by Murray’s] of: Journal of researches (12), Origin (13), Descent (10), and Expression (9).
| Author: | John Murray, Jr; John Murray |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 15 Sept 1874 |
| Classmark: | DAR 171: 440 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9639 |
To William Bowman 9 March [1874]
Summary
Urges WB to give his vote "and exert any influence which you properly can" in favour of CD’s nephew, Henry Parker, a fellow of Oriel, at the next balloting at the Athenaeum.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bowman, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 9 Mar [1874] |
| Classmark: | Heritage Auctions (dealers) (12 November 2020, lot 47256) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9346 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Heritage Auctions (dealers) (12 November 2020, lot 47256) Charles Robert Darwin 9 Mar [ …
To Albert Wigand 31 March 1874
Summary
Confirms receipt of a book that had been lost by the Post Office (Vol. 1 Der Darwinismus und die Naturforschung Newtons und Cuviers (Darwinism and the natural researches of Newton and Cuvier; Wigand 1874–7).
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Julius Wilhelm Albert (Albert) Wigand |
| Date: | 31 Mar 1874 |
| Classmark: | Christie’s, London (dealers) (12 July 2017) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9381F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Christie’s, London (dealers) (12 July 2017) Charles Robert Darwin Down 31 Mar 1874 Julius …
To Leonard Rudd 18 April [1874]
Summary
Discusses LR’s communication concerning supernumerary mammae.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Leonard Rudd |
| Date: | 18 Apr [1874] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.441) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9416 |
To W. H. M. Christie 13 October [1874]
Summary
Thanks WHMC and the Astronomer Royal for informing him of the safe arrival of the Merope [Leonard Darwin’s ship] at New Zealand. [See 9677.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Henry Mahoney Christie |
| Date: | 13 Oct [1874] |
| Classmark: | CUL-RGO 6/273 (section 3-4: 381) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9678A |
To J. D. Hooker 18 January [1874]
Summary
Reports on a séance. "The Lord have mercy on us all if we have to believe in such rubbish."
Asks JDH to vote for his nephew, Henry Parker, for Athenaeum membership.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 18 Jan [1874] |
| Classmark: | DAR 95: 311–12 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9247 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … DAR 95: 311–12 Charles Robert Darwin Down 18 Jan [1874] Joseph Dalton Hooker …
To W. D. Whitney 5 August 1874
Summary
Praises WDW’s essay on language [North Am. Rev. 119 (1874): 61–88] which argues against Max Müller’s views and is a good defence against an attack made in Quarterly Review on CD’s short discussion of language.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Dwight Whitney |
| Date: | 5 Aug 1874 |
| Classmark: | Yale University Library: Manuscripts and Archives (William Dwight Whitney Family Papers (MS 555) Box 21, folder 556 1874 Aug 1–12) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9583 |
From D. F. Nevill 16 [September 1874]
Summary
CD should remove packing moss, and he will find bladders in foot-stalks of Utricularia DN sent.
Experimenting on insectivorous plants.
Implores CD to visit.
Thanks for photograph.
| Author: | Dorothy Fanny Walpole; Dorothy Fanny Nevill |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 [Sept 1874] |
| Classmark: | DAR 172: 21 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9642 |
From William Waring 13 April 1874
Summary
On proportion of sexes in litters of greyhounds.
| Author: | William Waring |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 13 Apr 1874 |
| Classmark: | DAR 90: 44–5 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9407 |
To Albert Günther 25 February 1874
Summary
Has given in Descent 2: 12, an account from AG of the brushes on the sides of Monacanthus; has now learned of brush-like scales on the males of Mallotus. Asks whether the two genera are related.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Albrecht Carl Ludwig Gotthilf (Albert) Günther |
| Date: | 25 Feb 1874 |
| Classmark: | Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library (38) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9315 |
From ? [after 14 January 1874]
Summary
Extract from the Honolulu Gazette on the decreasing population of the Sandwich Islands.
| Author: | Unidentified |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [after 14 Jan 1874] |
| Classmark: | DAR 89: 120 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8794 |
To Daniel Oliver 19 October [1874]
Summary
Returns insectivorous plants to Kew, with questions about their range. Most species seem to have remarkably confined ranges.
Asks for a Bengal Aldrovanda leaf so that he can see whether it differs from the German species.
Roridula interested him extremely.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Daniel Oliver |
| Date: | 19 Oct [1874] |
| Classmark: | John Hay Library, Brown University (Albert E. Lownes Manuscript Collection, MS.84.2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9686 |
To John Lubbock 15 December [1874]
Summary
Asks JL to send ten shillings for the Down Friendly Club.
Has just read JL’s paper on bees and wasps [J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Zool.) 12 (1876): 110–39]. Is astonished by their stupidity. The experiments on colour are especially good. Suggests JL examine their retinas; sends enclosure [missing] on eyes of reptiles and birds.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Date: | 15 Dec [1874] |
| Classmark: | University of Liverpool Library (Rathbone XXI.12.3: 4) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9760 |
To Nature 11 February [1874]
Summary
Prefaces Fritz Müller’s observations on termites and stingless bees [see 9281].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Nature |
| Date: | 11 Feb [1874] |
| Classmark: | Nature, 19 February 1874, pp. 308–9 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9283 |
From R. F. Cooke 16 June 1874
Summary
In doubt about size of printing of the 2d edition of Descent. Profit on 2000 at 12s would be only £250.
| Author: | Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 June 1874 |
| Classmark: | DAR 171: 439 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9493 |
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 23 June 1874
Summary
Has found Pinguicula excited by bits of leaves; appears to digest leaves and seeds. Plant not only insectivorous but graminivorous. Asks WTT-D to identify seeds.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 23 June 1874 |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Thiselton-Dyer, W. T., Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 12–13) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9508 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … T. , Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 12–13) Charles Robert Darwin Down 23 June 1874 …
From Alfred Newton 13 March 1874
Summary
Wishes CD could publish Origin with footnotes.
Increases in bird populations: starlings are increasing, but AN cannot give reason; mistletoe-thrush increasing but not ousting song-thrush. Doubts trustworthiness of [George?] Edwards, CD’s authority in Origin on this matter [see Origin, 6th ed., p. 59].
AN opposed to bird protection legislation to prohibit egging. Argues egging does not decrease number of birds.
| Author: | Alfred Newton |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 13 Mar 1874 |
| Classmark: | DAR 172: 50 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9358 |
To J. S. Burdon Sanderson 9 October 1874
Summary
Has been testing the digestive powers of Drosera; wants to know whether a group of substances that elicit similar responses are related.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Scott Burdon Sanderson, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 9 Oct 1874 |
| Classmark: | University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections (Darwin - Burdon Sanderson letters RBSC-ARC-1731-1-19) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9669 |
| Darwin, C. R. | (79) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (9) |
| John Murray | (4) |
| Cooke, R. F. | (3) |
| Burdon Sanderson, J. S. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (152) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (17) |
| Burdon Sanderson, J. S. | (7) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (6) |
| John Murray | (6) |
Lost in translation: From Auguste Forel, 12 November 1874
Summary
You receive a gift from your scientific hero Charles Darwin. It is a book that contains sections on your favourite topic—ants. If only you had paid attention when your mother tried to teach you English you might be able to read it. But you didn’t, and you…
Matches: 1 hits
- … barely understand a word. Writing in French on 12 November 1874 to thank Darwin for the …
Darwin’s hothouse and lists of hothouse plants
Summary
Darwin became increasingly involved in botanical experiments in the years after the publication of Origin. The building of a small hothouse - a heated greenhouse - early in 1863 greatly increased the range of plants that he could keep for scientific…
Matches: 9 hits
- … Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] and n. 13). Initially, …
- … Stove [that is, cool hothouse]’ ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26[–7] March …
- … of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869] , Calendar no. 6661) …
- … 100 yards’ to the greenhouses ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, [25 January …
- … in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). The second list is …
- … Anoectochilus argenteus 12 5 s . …
- … punctatum. 11. Mormodes aurantiaca 12. ‘Anoectochilus argenteus 5 s .’ deleted in …
- … Bolbophyllum barbigerum 12 major …
- … Ampelidae. 11. Alloplectus chrysanthus. 12. Bulbophyllum barbigerum. 13. …
Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots
Summary
Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…
Matches: 12 hits
- … Seventy years old Darwin’s seventieth birthday on 12 February was a cause for international …
- … and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ). The masters of …
- … ). The botanist and schoolteacher Hermann Müller wrote on 12 February to wish Darwin a ‘long and …
- … well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard …
- … ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). It was little …
- … Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 ). Darwin’s final task …
- … inn ‘ very comfortable’, but told Leonard Darwin on 12 August that there were ‘too many human …
- … not to have come up when the Darwins lunched with him on 12 August (Darwin’s ‘Journal’). Nor did …
- … the world. At the end of the year he was awarded a prize of 12,000 francs by the Turin Academy of …
- … which greatly pleased Darwin ( letter from Grant Allen, 12 February 1879 ). One of Allen’s targets …
- … engagement being made public ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 12 October 1879 ). Darwin’s response not …
- … accurate in its treatment’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 12 November 1879 ). The comment that …
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: 11 hits
- … (letters from George Cupples, 21 February 1874 and 12 March 1874 ); the material was …
- … the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii; letters from T. N. Staley, 12 February 1874 and 20 February 1874 …
- … was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though containing …
- … print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Darwin's …
- … Review & in the same type’ ( letter from John Murray, 12 August 1874 ). George’s letter …
- … he finally wrote a polite, very formal letter to Mivart on 12 January 1875 , refusing to hold any …
- … & snugness’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ). More …
- … vicar of Deptford ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ), but to her …
- … mechanism that Darwin agreed with ( letter to F. J. Cohn, 12 October 1874 ). Darwin’s American …
- … bank with enormous tips to his ears ( letter from Asa Gray, 12 May 1874 ). The Manchester …
- … excellent, & as clear as light’ ( letter to John Tyndall, 12 August [1874] ). Hooker …
1.2 George Richmond, marriage portrait
Summary
< Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more may once have existed. In a letter of 1873 an old Shrewsbury friend, Arthur Mostyn Owen, offered to send Darwin a watercolour sketch of him, painted many years…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more …
Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers
Summary
In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…
Matches: 6 hits
- … made a small omission ’. Stephen’s reply on 12 January was flattering, reassuring, and …
- … books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May he described …
- … Darwin had difficulty in obtaining mature plants. On 12 April, he reported to Müller , ‘I have …
- … to make me happy & contented,’ he told Wallace on 12 July , ‘but life has become very …
- … fight’ (letters to J. D. Hooker, 6 August 1881 and 12 August 1881 ). Darwin may have …
- … else’s judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). However, some requests …
Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?
Summary
Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…
Matches: 3 hits
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: 6 hits
- … Hooker: ‘he is no common man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ). Two sexual …
- … of the year, he wrote to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ): ‘my notions on …
- … least 3 classes of dimorphism’ ( letter to Daniel Oliver, 12 [April 1862] ), and experimenting to …
- … passed so miserable a nine months’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 12 September [1862] ). A family …
- … ‘Botany is a new subject to me’ ( letter to John Scott, 12 November [1862] ), but, impressed by …
- … into Tyndall’s ears’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10–12 November [1862] ). Another of Darwin’s …
German and Dutch photograph albums
Summary
Darwin Day 2018: To celebrate Darwin's 209th birthday, we present two lavishly produced albums of portrait photographs which Darwin received from continental admirers 141 years ago. These unusual gifts from Germany and the Netherlands are made…
Matches: 1 hits
- … their generous sympathy. ( Letter to A. A. van Bemmelen, 12 February 1877 ) View the …
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: 5 hits
- … than insectivorous plants. As he confessed to Hooker on 12 December , ‘I have not felt so angry …
- … from his family, he sent a curt note to Mivart on 12 January , breaking off all future …
- … of a bill that was presented to the House of Commons on 12 May, one week after a rival bill based on …
- … The author, Fritz Schultze, contacted Darwin himself on 12 June , describing the aims of his book …
- … scientific Socy. has done in my time,’ he told Hooker on 12 December . ‘I wish that I knew what …
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: 3 hits
Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Rubiaceae with enclosures containing bud samples, 12 May 1878 G. H. Darwin's …
Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…
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…
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…
Darwin in letters, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles
Summary
Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…
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: 3 hits
Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin & Glen Roy
Summary
Although Darwin was best known for his geological work in South America and other remote Beagle destinations, he made one noteworthy attempt to explain a puzzling feature of British geology. In 1838, two years after returning from the voyage, he travelled…
