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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: 20 hits

… There are summaries of all Darwin's letters from the year 1879 on this website. The full texts …
… 27 of the print edition of The correspondence of Charles Darwin , published by Cambridge …
… to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an …
… the sensitivity of the tips. Despite this breakthrough, when Darwin first mentioned the book to his …
… a holiday in the Lake District in August did little to raise Darwin’s spirits. ‘I wish that my …
… W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26] July [1879] ). From July, Darwin had an additional worry: the …
… that his grandfather had felt the same way. In 1792, Erasmus Darwin had written: ‘The worst thing I …
… all over like a baked pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 ). The year …
… contained a warmer note and the promise of future happiness: Darwin learned he was to be visited by …
… Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). Seventy years old Darwin’s seventieth birthday on 12 …
… nice 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 …
… of the Admiralty described the unknown young man as ‘A M r Darwin grandson of the well known …
… him on 9 June not to ‘expend much powder & shot on M r Butler’, for he really was not worth …
… well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard …
… leaving Darwin ‘more perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 …
… the highest point, for his “why”—“what for” &c are incessant’, Darwin joked on 2 July (first …
… which is his profession tho’ not a profitable one; also D r C[lark]’s opinion that he was so …
… greatly amused Darwin, who felt it was ‘very acute of M r Ruskin to know that I feel a deep & …
… and prevent ‘Cattle diseases, Potato diseases &c’, probably did not know that Darwin had already …

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: 26 hits

… Towards the end of 1862, Darwin resolved to build a small hothouse at Down House, for ‘experimental …
… hothouse early in 1863 marked something of a milestone in Darwin’s botanical work, since it greatly …
… vol. 5, letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 April [1855] ). Darwin became increasingly involved in …
… Though his greenhouse was probably heated to some extent, Darwin found himself on several occasions …
… make observations and even experiments on his behalf. Darwin’s decision to build a hothouse …
… Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] and n. 13). Initially, …
… of 24 December [1862] ( Correspondence vol. 10) Darwin told Hooker: I have …
… Encyclopedia of gardening (Loudon 1835), a copy of which Darwin signed in 1841 (see the copy in …
… of heat’ (p. 1100). The latter was the sense in which Darwin used the word. The building of …
… accounts (Down House MS)). When it was completed, Darwin told Turnbull that without Horwood’s aid he …
… ). Even before work on the hothouse started, however, Darwin began making preparations to …
… plants’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January [1863] ). Darwin apparently refers to the catalogues …
… whom he had dealt over many years. In his letter to Hooker, Darwin mentioned that he hoped to be …
… (letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 January 1863] ). Darwin agreed to send Hooker his list of …
… (letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 January [1863] ). Darwin probably gave his list of plants to …
… continuing: ‘Do you not think you ought to be sent with M r Gower to the Police Court?’ (William …
… Stove [that is, cool hothouse]’ ( Correspondence vol. 12 , letter to J. D. Hooker, 26[–7] March …
… had ‘4 houses of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869] , …
… 100 yards’ to the greenhouses ( Correspondence vol. 12 , letter to J. D. Hooker, [25 January …
… which he received in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). …
… Anoectochilus argenteus 12 5 s . …
… punctatum. 11. Mormodes aurantiaca 12 . ‘Anoectochilus argenteus 5 s .’ deleted in …
… The reference is to James Bateman, an orchid specialist (R. Desmond 1994). 17. Stylidium …
… Bolbophyllum barbigerum 12 major …
… C. hæmatostigma. …
… Cyanophyllum magnificum M r Low 29 | of Melastomaceæ …

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: 23 hits

… 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
… dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
… and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
… during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874] ). The death of a …
… from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to the self-assessment, ‘as for one …
… I feel very old & helpless The year started for Darwin with a week’s visit to …
… Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
… ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
… 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
… by George Henry Lewes and Marian Evans (George Eliot), but Darwin excused himself, finding it too …
… the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
… (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 …
… Descent was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though …
… on subsequent print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). …
… 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 …
… in a few hours dissolve the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. …
… whether at the ‘close of the putrefaction of flesh, skin &c, any substance is produced before …
… details of an Australian variety of sundew ( letter from T. C. Copland, 23 June 1874 ). …
… Sharpe for promotion at the British Museum ( letter to R. B. Sharpe, 24 November [1874] ). He …
… head that M r Spencer’s terms of equilibration &c always bother me & make everything less …

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: 23 hits

… In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began …
… a very old man, who probably will not last much longer.’ Darwin’s biggest fear was not death, but …
… sweetest place on this earth’. From the start of the year, Darwin had his demise on his mind. He …
… provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s gloominess was compounded by the …
… and new admirers got in touch, and, for all his fears, Darwin found several scientific topics to …
… Evolution old and new when revising his essay on Erasmus Darwin’s scientific work, and that Darwin …
… memory in November 1880 and in an abusive letter about Darwin in the St James’s Gazette on 8 …
… made a small omission ’. Stephen’s reply on 12 January was flattering, reassuring, and …
… the sale of books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May …
… 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 …
… he would feel ‘less sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The degree of …
… falls at this late period of the season’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 30 July 1881 ). Darwin gave in …
… with you’, a Swedish teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), while H. M. …
… to possibilities for women, judging from her organization &c’. When Darwin replied the following …
… ‘bread-winners’ ( Correspondence vol. 30, letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). …
… publication & to acknowledge any criticism’ ( letter to C. G. Semper, 19 July 1881 ). He …
… fight’ (letters to J. D. Hooker, 6 August 1881 and 12 August 1881 ). Darwin may have …
… to bear the ‘wear & tear of controversy’ ( letter to G. R. Jesse, 23 April 1881 ). Later in …
… everyone else’s judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). However, some …
… do not be disappointed if the sale is small’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 5 October 1881 ). The …
… proved ‘the greatness of their power’ ( letter from M. C. Stanley, 16 October 1881 ). Hooker …
… men the true methods of investigation’ ( letter from C. V. Riley, 18 December 1881 ). …

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: 27 hits

… evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost …
… (1875) and Cross and self fertilisation (1876). Darwin’s son Francis became increasingly …
… career to become his father’s scientific secretary. Darwin had always relied on assistance from …
… Francis’s decision. A large portion of the letters Darwin received in 1873 were in response …
… the previous year. As was typical, readers wrote to Darwin personally to offer suggestions, …
… some of which were incorporated in a later edition. Darwin also contributed to discussions in the …
… Francis Galton’s work on inherited talent, which prompted Darwin to reflect on the traits and …
… Station at Naples. Plants that eat and feel? Darwin had resumed experiments on the …
… which I ought to have observed” ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 January [1873] ). Drosera was the …
… and alkaloids, and even electrical stimulation. On sending Darwin a specimen of the carnivorous …
… on it—root leaf & branch!” ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ). Darwin found …
… to bend inward, so that the plant closed like a fist. Darwin was fascinated by this transmission of …
… plants , p. 63). The plants secreted a viscid fluid, which Darwin suspected attracted insects by …
… ., p. 17). Through a series of painstaking experiments, Darwin determined that the secretions …
… botanist Mary Treat, who performed experiments suggested by Darwin on the North American species …
… . He began to perform experiments modelled on those of Darwin, feeding the plant egg and raw meat, …
… guide to animal experimentation that Klein had co-authored. Darwin contacted two of the Handbook …
… London, and director of the Brown Institution. Darwin sent an abstract of his preliminary …
… muscle and nerve tissue of animals. Burdon Sanderson visited Darwin at Down in July and was drawn …
… To test whether the plants had a nerve-like structure, Darwin suggested electrical experiments on …
… coil. He was so impressed by the results that he sent Darwin the news by telegraph in September, and …
… the Advancement of Science later that month. Finally, Darwin enlisted the chemist Edward …
… of November 1872 and sold quickly. He wrote to Hooker on 12 January [1873] , “Did I ever boast to …
… without instruction or previously acquired knowledge” (A. R. Wallace 1870, p. 204). Moggridge …
… believes whether or not they are sound” ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 November 1873 ). But no …
… unorthodoxy, troubling and potentially undermining (J. R. Moore 1985, pp. 471–2). A courted …
… a personification of Natural Filosofy” ( letter from J. C. Costerus and N. D. Doedes, 18 March 1873 …

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: 29 hits

… lessen injury to leaves from radiation In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to …
… in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of experiments to …
… plant laboratories in Europe. While Francis was away, Darwin delighted in his role as …
… from botanical research was provided by potatoes, as Darwin took up the cause of an Irish …
… would rid Ireland of famine. Several correspondents pressed Darwin for his views on religion, …
… closed with remarkable news of a large legacy bequeathed to Darwin by a stranger as a reward for his …
… on his sixty-ninth birthday ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 12 February [1878] ), Darwin reflected that …
… Expression ), and the final revision of Origin (1872), Darwin had turned almost exclusively to …
… Movement in plants In the spring of 1878, Darwin started to focus on the first shoots and …
… were enrolled as researchers, as were family members. Darwin asked his niece Sophy to observe …
… ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 24 March [1878–80] ). While Darwin was studying the function of …
… on one side, then another, to produce movement in the stalk. Darwin compared adult and young leaves …
… after growth has ceased or nearly ceased.’ Finally, Darwin turned to plant motion below the …
… precision the lines of least resistance in the ground.’ Darwin would devote a whole chapter to the …
… that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] ). Having …
… moisture, and various chemical and nutritive substances, Darwin next considered sound. He explained …
… instrument to various plants. To confirm the results, Darwin borrowed a siren from Tyndall, who had …
… ill-luck to them, are not sensitive to aerial vibrations’, Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my …
… 8 August. ‘Alas Frank is off tomorrow to Wurzburg,’ Darwin wrote to Thiselton-Dyer on 2 June , ‘ …
… Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June [1878] ). While Francis was away, Darwin sent regular reports about their …
… to, about my work, I scribble to you ( letter to Francis Darwin, 7 [July 1878] ). Two weeks later …
… not having you to discuss it with’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 20 [July 1878] ). It is …
… had chlorophyll, Francis reported ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ): ‘The oats …
… ( letter to Francis Darwin, 17 July [1878] ). On 12 September , Darwin wrote: ‘Bernard is as …
… Record”’ ( letter from Edmund Mojsisovics von Mojsvár, 28 April 1878 ). ‘What a wonderful change …
… The Swiss botanist Arnold Dodel-Port announced on 12 June 1878 the first issue of an atlas with …
… opponent’ ( Correspondence vol. 24, letter to T. C. Eyton, 22 April 1876 ). ‘When I first read …
… secretary, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil ( letter to R. A. T. Gascoyne-Cecil, 18 May 1878 ). …
… to natural science & aids me in my work; a 4th son is in the R. Engineers & is getting on …

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…

Matches: 26 hits

… At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of …
… appeared at the end of 1866 and had told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘My work will have to stop a …
… ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to W. D. Fox, 12 December [1868] ). He may have resented the …
… material on emotional expression. Yet the scope of Darwin’s interests remained extremely broad, and …
… plants, and earthworms, subjects that had exercised Darwin for decades, and that would continue to …
… Carl von Nägeli and perfectibility Darwin’s most substantial addition to Origin was a …
… a Swiss botanist and professor at Munich (Nägeli 1865). Darwin had considered Nägeli’s paper …
… principal engine of change in the development of species. Darwin correctly assessed Nägeli’s theory …
… in most morphological features (Nägeli 1865, p. 29). Darwin sent a manuscript of his response (now …
… are & must be morphological’. The comment highlights Darwin’s apparent confusion about Nägeli’s …
… ‘purely morphological’. The modern reader may well share Darwin’s uncertainty, but Nägeli evidently …
… pp. 28–9). In further letters, Hooker tried to provide Darwin with botanical examples he could use …
… problems of heredity Another important criticism that Darwin sought to address in the fifth …
… prevailing theory of blending inheritance that Jenkin and Darwin both shared, would tend to be lost …
… ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 103–4). The terminology that Darwin and others employed in these matters ( …
… ‘I must have expressed myself atrociously’, Darwin wrote to Alfred Russel Wallace on 2 February , …
… now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869] , and …
… of information which I have sent prove of any service to M r . Darwin I can supply him with much …
… & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). More …
… and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869] ), and …
… an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
… species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February 1869 ). In a …
… genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March 1869 ). This …
… Sweetland Dallas’s edition of Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin (Dallas trans. 1869). The book, an …
… creation, if he is not completely staggered after reading y r essay’. The work received a …
… whole meeting was decidedly Huxley’s answer to D r M c Cann. He literally poured boiling oil …

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: 24 hits

… Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig …
… as the creator of this dramatisation, and that of the Darwin Correspondence Project to be identified …
… correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring …
… Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin Actor 3 – In the dress of a modern day …
… Agassiz, Adam Sedgwick, A Friend of John Stuart Mill, Emma Darwin, Horace Darwin… and acts as a sort …
… the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the audience and …
… this, he sends out copies of his Review of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa …
… friends in England, copies of his ‘Review of the Life of Darwin’… pencilling the address so that it …
… Joseph D Hooker GRAY: 3 Charles Darwin… made his home on the border of the little …
… are kept in check by a constitutional weakness. DARWIN: A plain but comfortable brick …
… by every blessing except that of vigorous health… DARWIN: 4 My confounded stomach …
… pursuits and the simplicity of his character. DARWIN: 5 I am allowed to work now …
… own house, where he was the most charming of hosts. DARWIN: 6 My life goes on …
… being a part of [an unpublished] manuscript. Darwin settles down to write. His tone is …
… THE CONCURRENCE OF BOTANISTS: 1855 In which Darwin initiates a long-running correspondence …
… gossip about difficult colleagues (Agassiz). Gray realizes Darwin is not revealing all of his …
… man, more formally attired and lighter on his feet than Darwin. He has many more demands on his time …
… catches his attention. He opens the letter. DARWIN: 8 April 25 th 1855. My …
… filled up the paper you sent me as well as I could. DARWIN: 10 My dear Dr Gray. I …
… has done my stomach surprising good. GRAY: 12 My dear Mr Darwin, I rejoice in …
… paragraph, in which I quote and differ from you[r] 178 doctrine that each variation has been …
… ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROCEEDINGS XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 …
… 11 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, 5 JUNE 1855 12 A GRAY TO C DARWIN, 30 JUNE 1855 …
… HOOKER, 11 OCTOBER 1858 59 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, 12 OCTOBER 1857 60 A GRAY TO …

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: 20 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
… peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
… in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] …
… Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [8 June 1867 - 72] Darwin …
… Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870] …
… the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
… Letter 8144 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [5 January 1872] Darwin asks his niece, …
… Lychnis diurna. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… lawn. Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. R., [24 February 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… Letter 10390 - Herrick, S. M. B . to Darwin, [12 February 1876] Sophia Herrick …
… garden ”. Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] …
… the future. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12 -13 March 1863] Darwin …
… Letter 7858 - Darwin to Wa llace, A. R., [12 July 1871] Darwin tells Wallace that …
… Letter 3316 - Darwin to Nevill, D. F., [12 November 1861] Darwin requests the …

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: 26 hits

… When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect …
… ease of distribution sometime in late 1867 or early 1868. Darwin went over his questions, refining …
… was the collection of observations on a global scale. Darwin was especially interested in peoples …
… cultural and conventional, or instinctive and universal. Darwin used his existing correspondence …
… and with the mouth a little drawn back at the corners?” Darwin’s questionnaire was an extension of …
… was also carefully devised so as to prevent the feelings of Darwin’s remote observers from colouring …
… and not the susceptibilities of a moral nature.” Darwin did not typically countenance such …
… the collection of information to its display

Darwin Correspondence Project

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