To John Gould [13 April 1838]
Summary
Gives best wishes for Gould’s trip to Australia.
Notes on Synallaxis behaviour.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Gould |
| Date: | [13 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | Dr Daniel C. Devor (private collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-408F |
Notes on marriage [after 7 Apr 1838]
Summary
Published as an appendix to vol. 2 of the Correspondence; see https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/tags/about-darwin/family-life/darwin-marriage. Considers his options for the future. Debates marriage and the best place to live. Feels the need for experiment and direct observation which would be difficult living in London; he "could not go on as Lyell does correcting & adding up new information to old train".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [after 7 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.8 :1, DAR 210.8: 2 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-409 |
From John Gould [13 April] 1838
Summary
Thanks CD for his present of a dram bottle [actually a silver-cased compass]. JG will be reminded daily of their friendship when he is in the wilds [of Australia].
| Author: | John Gould |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [13 Apr] 1838 |
| Classmark: | Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (Tring Museum Correspondence) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-409A |
To Susan Darwin [26 April 1838]
Summary
Thanks for ham and corrections in spelling. Gives account of his social activities in past week.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [26 Apr 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 92: A5–6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-410 |
To Caroline Wedgwood [May 1838]
Summary
His books grow in size. Hopes to bring out work on volcanic islands and coral formations in the autumn or winter. The Journal of researches will not be published until autumn [actually not until 1839]. Whewell and Lyell flatter him about it. Has given up all society.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Darwin; Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Wedgwood |
| Date: | [May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 154: 53 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-411 |
To C. T. Whitley [8 May 1838]
Summary
Treasures recollections of old friends but seldom sees any. Has turned "a complete scribbler".
His scientific activities.
No wife in sight so far.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Thomas Whitley |
| Date: | [8 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-411A |
To William Lonsdale [15 May 1838]
Summary
Returns his paper for publication ["Volcanic phenomena in South America" (1840), Collected papers 1: 53–86].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Lonsdale |
| Date: | [15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-412 |
To Susan Darwin [15 May 1838]
Summary
Recounts dinner at Erasmus’ house with Harriet Martineau and others, and a visit to Cambridge to stay with Henslow and meet old friends again.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 223: 38 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-413 |
From Adam Sedgwick to the Geological Society of London [after 15 May 1838]
Summary
Referee report on CD’s "Volcanic phenomena in South America" [Collected papers 1: 53–86]. Deductions incontrovertible, but theoretical remarks not clearly stated.
| Author: | Adam Sedgwick |
| Addressee: | Geological Society of London |
| Date: | [after 15 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/COM/P/4/2/48) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-414 |
To John Forbes Royle [24 May 1838]
Summary
Would like to attend a lecture by JFR on "geography of plants with relation to the Himalayas".
"A grand battle" at the Geological Society between Sedgwick and G. B. Greenough.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Forbes Royle |
| Date: | [24 May 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 147: 397 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415 |
To Charles Wood 24 May 1838
Summary
Asks for permission to have a copy of the published Admiralty chart of the Island of Ascension. The engraved chart will add value to the geological observations to be published in the natural history of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Wood, Lord Halifax, 1st Viscount Halifax |
| Date: | 24 May 1838 |
| Classmark: | The National Archives (TNA) (ADM 1/4548 PRO D 170) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415A |
From Francis Beaufort 26 May [1838]
Summary
Has been commanded to supply CD with a copy of the plan of Ascension Island to be engraved for the natural history of the Beagle’s voyage. Suggests that a lithographer be sent to the [Hydrographic] office to take a transfer proof.
| Author: | Francis Beaufort |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 26 May [1838] |
| Classmark: | United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Archive (Letter Book no. 8, p. 190) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-415B |
To George Robert Waterhouse [August 1838–40]
Summary
Determined to make GRW a geologist. Sends copy of C. Lyell [?Elements of geology (1838)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Robert Waterhouse |
| Date: | [Aug 1838–40] |
| Classmark: | Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-416 |
To William Lonsdale [c. June 1838]
Summary
Responds to report of the referee [on his paper "The formation of mould"]. Strikes out a paragraph and wants to add a note. Asks WL’s advice about a sentence.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Lonsdale |
| Date: | [c. June 1838] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-417 |
From W. D. Fox [c. November 1838]
Summary
Reports on the effects of inbreeding in dogs and the results of crossing Canada and common geese.
| Author: | William Darwin Fox |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [c. Nov 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 164: 173 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-418 |
To W. D. Fox [15 June 1838]
Summary
Has not been well.
Plans a geological trip to Glen Roy in Scotland.
Thanks WDF for remembering the crossing of animals, CD’s "prime hobby". "I really think some day I shall be able to do something on that most intricate subject species and varieties."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | [15 June 1838] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 54) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-419 |
Notes on marriage [July 1838]
Summary
Published as an appendix to vol. 2 of the Correspondence; see https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/tags/about-darwin/family-life/darwin-marriage. Debates with himself the pros and cons of marriage. Considers plans for future.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [July 1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.8: 2 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-420 |
From Francis Walker 6 July [1838]
Summary
Thanks CD for suggestions for improving his descriptions of species by indicating localities. With few exceptions the Chalcidites of South America and Australia are remarkably like European species.
| Author: | Francis Walker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 6 July [1838] |
| Classmark: | DAR 205.3: 293 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421 |
From J. P. S. de Grateloup 18 July 1838
Summary
Sends to CD, as Secretary of the Geological Society, his work on fossil shells ["Mémoire sur les coquilles fossiles", Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux 10 (1838): 92–152].
| Author: | Jean Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 18 July 1838 |
| Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/L/R/4/5) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421A |
To Thomas Spring Rice [before 7 July 1838]
Summary
Express their concern that the offer for sale to the British Museum, by G. A. Mantell and Thomas Hawkins, of two valuable collections, has been declined.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin; William Buckland; Adam Sedgwick; John Phillips; William Whewell; Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st baronet; Charles Lyell, 1st baronet; Charles Stokes; William John Hamilton; Edward Stanley; Richard Owen; William Clift; Charles Babbage; John Bostock; Peter Mark Roget; John Taylor; Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2d Marquess of Northampton; William John Broderip |
| Addressee: | Thomas Spring Rice |
| Date: | [before 7 July 1838] |
| Classmark: | House of Commons papers; accounts and papers, 1837/38, XXXVI, 307 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-421F |
| letter | (91) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (51) |
| Darwin, Emma | (9) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (9) |
| Buckland, William | (2) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (35) |
| Darwin, Emma | (7) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (7) |
| Lyell, Charles | (5) |
| Darwin, S. E. | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (84) |
| Darwin, Emma | (16) |
| Wedgwood, Emma | (16) |
| Lyell, Charles | (7) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (5) |
Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 11 hits
- … whom his work brought him into close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin …
- … be as they are (Kohn 1980). Between April 1837 and September 1838 he filled several notebooks with …
- … it (in his referee’s report to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a …
- … and Buckland (see the reports by Buckland, 9 March 1838 , and Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). …
- … of his Beagle work, and it too was in geology. In 1838 he set out on a geological tour in …
- … Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle from February 1838 to October 1843. The correspondence …
- … plant distribution and classification (see Henslow 1837a and 1838; W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott …
- … his hypothesis. In a letter to Lyell, [14] September [1838] , he wrote: 'I have lately been …
- … generation, fecundity, and inheritance. After mid-September 1838, when he had his ‘theory to work by …
- … of Comte’s Philosophie positive ([Brewster] 1838; see also Manier 1978, pp. 40–5) which …
- … the task Darwin had set for himself when, in the spring of 1838, he wrote in his notebook: ' …
Darwin’s species notebooks: ‘I think . . .’
Summary
I have lately been sadly tempted to be idle, that is as far as pure geology is concerned, by the delightful number of new views, which have been coming in, thickly & steadily, on the classification & affinities & instincts of animals—bearing…
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…
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 26 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he …
- … arranged alphabetically, of the scientific books read from 1838 through 1846, but it was not kept up …
- … Inside Front Cover] C. Darwin June 1 st . 1838 Stoke’s Library 1 …
- … read L. Jenyns paper on Annals of Nat. Hist. [Jenyns 1838] Prichard; a 3 d . vol …
- … Cavernes d’Ossements 7 th Ed. 10 8 vo . [Serres 1838] good to trace Europ. forms compared …
- … 1827] Paxton on the culture of Dahlias [Paxton 1838] read Paper on consciousness in …
- … [DAR *119: 4v.] Bevan’s work on Bees new Ed. 1838 [Bevan 1838] Harlaam Phys. & …
- … [Anon. 1839b] Rev. on Walker on Intermarriage [A. Walker 1838] M me Necker on Education [A …
- … Torrey have published Botany of N. America [Torrey and Gray 1838–43]. both indigenous & imported …
- … r Yarrell has it?? Walker on Interriage [A. Walker 1838] refers to writings of …
- … has published work on fossil shells of N. America [Conrad 1838] Atlas de la Geographie des …
- … well worth reading. Read Loudon’s Arboretum [Loudon 1838] in Edinburgh Review July 1839 [Anon …
- … worth reading [Beale 1839] Loudons Arboretum [Loudon 1838]. read D r . Moreton’s …
- … with Plates and Woodcuts. Post 8vo., 9 s . 6 d . [Knapp] 1838] Read Gleanings in Natural …
- … Woodcuts. 2 vols. fcap. 8vo., 12 s . 30 [Jesse 1838] Salmonia— Sir. H Davy [H. Davy …
- … 1828] quoted by Weissenborn on Aurochs [Weissenborn 1838] Smiths grammar [J. E. Smith 1821] …
- … Blacklock admirable little Treatise on Sheep [Blacklock 1838]; good quotation in Royle [Royle …
- … War and Peace [J. F. Davis 1852]. read Books Read, 1838–51 [DAR 119: Cover] Books …
- … d'Histoire Naturelle ] Loudon Arboretum [Loudon 1838] Lists at end of Royal Soc …
- … Society of London ]: up to parts published March 1838 Whole of Geographical Journal [ …
- … [Ray 1692].— Reference at end British Aviary [Anon. 1838?]— d[itt]o d[itt]o Lister’s …
- … 1814]— nothing Lyell’s Elements of Geology [Lyell 1838] Gibbon’s Life of himself …
- … are many marginal notes Mitchells Australia [Mitchell 1838] Walter Scott’s life …
- … Abercrombie on the Intellectual Powers [Abercrombie 1838] References at end 59 Hunters …
- … & C Prevost on l’Ile Julie [Prévost 1835]. 1838 Oct 2 Watertons Essays on Nat. …
- … at end Mayo Pathology of Human mind [T. Mayo 1838] Evelyn’s Sylva [Evelyn 1664]— …
Darwin's health
Summary
On 28 March 1849, ten years before Origin was published, Darwin wrote to his good friend Joseph Hooker from Great Malvern in Worcestershire, where Dr James Manby Gully ran a fashionable water-cure establishment. Darwin apologised for his delayed reply to…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Correspondence vol. 2, letter to Caroline Wedgwood, [May 1838] , and letter to Robert FitzRoy, …
Darwin on childhood
Summary
On his engagement to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838, Darwin wrote down his recollections of his early childhood. Life. Written August–– 1838 My earliest recollection, the date of which I can approximately tell, and which must have been before…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On his engagement to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838, Darwin wrote down his recollections of his …
Science: A Man’s World?
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, written shortly before …
Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications
Summary
This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 210-12. —Observations of proofs …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 446-9. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 542-4. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
- … Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2 (1838): 552-4. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
Dining at Down House
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Dining, Digestion, and Darwin's Domestic Life While Darwin is best remembered for his scientific accomplishments, he greatly valued and was strongly influenced by his domestic life. Darwin's…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Wedgwood (Emma Darwin) to Charles Darwin, [30 December 1838] In this letter, written prior to …
Religion
Summary
Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…
Matches: 1 hits
- … 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [21–22 Nov 1838] In this letter, his soon-to-be wife, …
Darwin on marriage
Summary
On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and been accepted; they were married on 29 January 1839. Darwin appears to have written these two notes weighing up the pros and cons of…
Matches: 5 hits
- … On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to …
- … his correspondents. First note [after 7 April 1838][1] Work finished [2] …
- … Library, DAR 210.8:1 Second note [July 1838][12] This is the Question[13] …
- … blank pages of the letter from Leonard Horner, 7 April [1838]. [2] Presumably CD is looking …
- … of writing, but in a letter to Charles Lyell, [12 November 1838], informing Lyell that his cousin …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
Here is a list of people that appeared in the photograph album Darwin received for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from scientific admirers in the Netherlands. Many thanks to Hester Loeff for identifying and researching them. No. …
Charles Darwin’s letters: a selection 1825-1859
Summary
The letters in this volume span the years from 1825, when Darwin was a student at the University of Edinburgh, to the end of 1859, when the Origin of Species was published. The early letters portray Darwin as a lively sixteen-year-old medical student. Two…
Matches: 3 hits
- … on how species might have arisen. In September 1838, reading Thomas Malthus’s Essay on the principle …
- … his species doubts as has been commonly thought. Between 1838 and 1857, he told at least ten of his …
- … the mutability of species. As early as 14 September 1838, before reading Malthus, he wrote to Lyell …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
List of people appearing in the photograph album Darwin received from scientific admirers in the Netherlands for his birthday on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Hester Loeff for providing this list and for permission to make her research available.…
Darwin & Geology
Summary
The lessons Darwin learned from Adam Sedgwick at Cambridge, and in the field in North Wales, stood him in good stead during the Beagle voyage. While he was attached to the Beagle from 1831 to 1835, Darwin actually spent about two-thirds of his time ashore,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Society of London before becoming its secretary in 1838. This job carried significant …
Glen Roy
Summary
Darwin makes a field trip to Glen Roy, Scotland, to observe the geological phenomenon of the 'parallel roads'. He later described his theory of how the roads were created as 'one long gigantic blunder'
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin makes a field trip to Glen Roy, Scotland, to observe the geological phenomenon of the …
Zoology of the Beagle published
Summary
The first part of The Zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle is published. Darwin organised and superintended its publication, and wrote up the locations of the fossils, and the habitats and behaviour of the living species, he had collected.
Matches: 1 hits
- … The first part of The Zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle is published. Darwin organised and …
Asa Gray
Summary
Darwin’s longest running and most significant exchange of correspondence dealing with the subjects of design in nature and religious belief was with the Harvard botanist Asa Gray. Gray was one of Darwin’s leading supporters in America. He was also a…
Matches: 1 hits
- … and study botany. He travelled in England and Europe in 1838 and it was then that he first met …
Engagement to Emma Wedgwood
Summary
Darwin proposes to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and is accepted
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin proposes to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and is accepted …
William Darwin Fox
Summary
Charles Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, was admitted to Christ’s College, Cambridge, in 1824, three years before Darwin; the two men became close friends. They corresponded throughout their lives, exchanging accounts of their growing families…
Matches: 1 hits
- … life at the time. Fox became an Anglican clergyman, and from 1838 to 1873 was Rector of Delamere in …
