From Hensleigh Wedgwood [13–19 March 1859]
Summary
HW has confirmed the report in the Times of a shower of fish (minnows and sticklebacks) that fell on the Wedgwood colliery.
| Author: | Hensleigh Wedgwood |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [13–19 Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 205.2: 262 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13854 |
To John Innes 4 March [1859]
Summary
Much concerned by death of JBI’s mother.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Brodie Innes |
| Date: | 4 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2232 |
To John Lubbock 21 [March 1859]
Summary
Development of aphids; apparent absence of vermiform stage.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Date: | 21 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 263: 30 (EH 88206479) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2419 |
To J. D. Hooker 2 March [1859]
Summary
Has finished geographical distribution chapter and asks JDH to read it.
Is it just to say embryological characters are of high importance in plant classification?
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 2 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 5 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2422 |
To W. B. Tegetmeier 5 March [1859]
Summary
Sends payment for poultry received.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
| Date: | 5 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2423 |
To J. D. Hooker 5 [March 1859]
Summary
Will read JDH’s printers’ slips on variation.
CD has been so ill, he wonders whether he will get his book done, though so nearly completed.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 5 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2424 |
To T. H. Huxley 8 March [1859]
Summary
Sends THH questions about "serial homologies" and "vegetative repetition" in Mollusca and Radiata.
Abstract volume [Origin] nearly completed.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
| Date: | 8 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 61) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2425 |
To John Lubbock 8 March [1859]
Summary
Wants examples of insects (especially Diptera) in which embryo resembles adult, to show that the metamorphic stages may be lost.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Date: | 8 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 263: 29 (EH 88206478) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2426 |
From T. H. Huxley [9–12 March 1859]
Summary
Serial homologies in the Mollusca. Gives instances of repetition of homological parts in Radiata.
| Author: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [9–12 Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 166: 288 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2427 |
From J. D. Hooker [9 March 1859]
Summary
Outlines the basic categories of phanerogams.
Places Gymnospermae in the dicotyledons.
Evaluates the variable utility of embryological characters in plant classification.
| Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [9 Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 100: 152–3 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2428 |
To J. D. Hooker 11 March [1859]
Summary
Sends MS [of Origin] on geographical distribution. Wants JDH to correct facts and say what he most vehemently objects to.
Has received JDH’s note on plant embryology.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 11 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 7 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2429 |
To T. H. Huxley 13 [March 1859]
Summary
Thanks for THH’s examples of serially modified and homologous parts in Radiata. Cannot understand how he forgot such cases.
Agassiz’s Essay on classification [1859] utterly impracticable rubbish.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
| Date: | 13 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 258) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2430 |
To W. E. Darwin 14 [March 1859]
Summary
Writes of events at Down: mostly of playing billiards on their new table.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Date: | 14 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 40 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2431 |
To J. D. Hooker 15 March [1859]
Summary
Will finish last chapter (except recapitulation) tomorrow.
Pleased with JDH’s response to geographical distribution chapter;
CD disagrees with Lyell’s view that glacial epoch is connected with position of continents.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 15 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 115: 8 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2432 |
From John Lubbock 15 March 1859
Summary
Embryology of Diptera. Development of insects; metamorphosis. JL feels all insects go through metamorphosis but that in some of them, part takes place before birth.
| Author: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 15 Mar 1859 |
| Classmark: | DAR 170: 22 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2433 |
To John Lubbock 16 [March 1859]
Summary
Wants JL’s opinion on paper by L. J. M. Dufour ["Études anatomiques sur les insectes diptères de la famille des pupipares", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 19 (1844): 1345–55].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Date: | 16 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | DAR 263: 28 (EH 88206477) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2434 |
To W. D. Fox 24 [March 1859]
Summary
Is correcting chapters [of Origin] for press.
Health has been wretched of late.
He values fame to a certain extent, but "if I know myself, I work from a sort of instinct to try to make out truth".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 24 [Mar 1859] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 120) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2436 |
To Charles Lyell 28 March [1859]
Summary
Has heard that CL has spoken to John Murray about publication [of Origin]. Encloses prospective title-page. Asks whether he ought to tell John Murray about unorthodoxy of the book.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 28 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.163) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2437 |
To J. S. Bowerbank 29 March [1859]
Summary
Requests receipt for payments to Society in 1858–9.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Scott Bowerbank |
| Date: | 29 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology MSS 405 A. Gift of the Burndy Library) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2438 |
To Charles Lyell 30 March [1859]
Summary
CD is grateful to CL for his help in arranging with Murray for publication [of Origin]. Sorry Murray objects to term "abstract" in title, but will defer to him and CL.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 30 Mar [1859] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.164) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2439 |
| letter | (22) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (18) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (1) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
| Lubbock, John | (1) |
| Wedgwood, Hensleigh | (1) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (5) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (4) |
| Lubbock, John | (3) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (2) |
| Lyell, Charles | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (22) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (6) |
| Lubbock, John | (4) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (3) |
| Lyell, Charles | (2) |
List of correspondents
Summary
Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent. "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…
Matches: 24 hits
- … (1) Abney, W. de W. (3) Accademia dei Lincei …
- … (1) Ainslie, O. A. (3) Airy, Hubert …
- … (4) Alberts, Maurice (3) Albrecht, R. F. …
- … (1) Ambrose, J. L. (3) American Academy of …
- … (1) Anderson, James (c) (3) Anderson-Henry, …
- … (1) Badger, E. W. (3) Baer, K. E. von …
- … (1) Balch, C. L. (3) Baldwin, J. D. …
- … (5) Ball, Robert (3) Ball, Valentine …
- … (1) Beal, W. J. (3) Beale, L. S. (2) …
- … (1) Beddoe, John (3) Beger, Karl (2) …
- … (66) Bergson, Edouard (3) Bergstedt, C. F. …
- … (4) Blake, C. C. (3) Blanche (2) …
- … (1) Blewitt, Octavian (3) Blomefield, Leonard …
- … (5) Boole, M. E. (3) Boott, Francis …
- … (1) Bornet, Édouard (3) Bosquet, J. A. H. de …
- … (1) Bouton, Louis (3) Bowerbank, J. S. …
- … (1) Bridgman, W. K. (3) Brigg, John …
- … (1) Brown-Séquard, C. É. (3) Browne, H. G. C. …
- … (2) Burgess, Thomas (3) Burn, Robert …
- … (1) Bush, John (3) Busk, George (18) …
- … (2) Butler, Mary (3) Butler, Samuel (b) …
- … (1) Campbell, G. D. (3) Canby, W. M. …
- … (9) Cattell, John (3) Cecil, Henry …
- … (7) Chance, Frank (3) Chancellor of the …
German poems presented to Darwin
Summary
Experiments in deepest reverence The following poems were enclosed with a photograph album sent as a birthday gift to Charles Darwin by his German and Austrian admirers (see letter from From Emil Rade, [before 16] February 1877). The poems were…
Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…
Matches: 5 hits
- … at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] ). Darwin’s …
- … been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A chronological list of all …
- … and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like François Jules …
- … I gaze at it, makes me sick!’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 April [1860] ). By the end of 1860, …
- … is best thing for subject.—’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). Further details of the …
4.42 'Punch' Sambourne cartoon 3
Summary
< Back to Introduction Linley Sambourne’s last caricature of Darwin, ‘Man is But a Worm’, was published in Punch’s Almanac for 1882 on 6 December 1881, only four months before Darwin’s death. Like Sambourne’s ‘Punch’s Fancy Portraits. No. 54. Charles…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction Linley Sambourne’s last caricature of Darwin, ‘Man is But a …
3.6 William Darwin, photo 3
Summary
< Back to Introduction A photograph of Darwin apparently taken outdoors (he is seated on a chair but swathed in a cloak and rug) is undated and undocumented. It exists only as an unprinted collodion positive in the Darwin archive, strongly suggesting…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction A photograph of Darwin apparently taken outdoors (he is …
I beg a million pardons: To John Lubbock, [3 September 1862]
Summary
Alison Pearn looks at a letter Darwin wrote to his neighbour and friend, John Lubbock, after making a mistake in his research on bees in 1862.
Matches: 1 hits
- … Alison Pearn looks at a letter Darwin wrote to his neighbour and friend, …
4.46 'Puck' cartoon 3
Summary
< Back to Introduction In 1885 Darwin made yet another posthumous appearance in the New York satirical magazine Puck – again in a religious context. ‘SHEOL’ referred to the recently published Revised edition of the Bible, which modified the text of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction In 1885 Darwin made yet another posthumous appearance in the …
Teaching Evolution at Key Stage 3? Join our December workshop
Summary
This free, exciting training and consultation event takes place on Tuesday 12th December at Cambridge University Library, 9.00-4.30. The workshop aims to support KS3 science teachers in delivering informed, dynamic Darwin-based sessions.
Matches: 1 hits
- … This exciting training and consultation event takes place on Tuesday 12th December at Cambridge …
Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 8 hits
- … of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But this work would eventually …
- … pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). But such worries were …
- … kind almost heroic, in you to sacrifice your hair and pay 3 d in the cause of science …
- … canary (letters from J. J. Weir, [26] March 1868 and 3 June 1868 ). ‘It was very kind’, …
- … on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday that contained a …
- … you have communicated to me’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, 3 June 1868 ). it is a fatal …
- … of species through the study of monstrosities, remarked on 3 April , ‘your works are destined to …
- … admirer of your genius’, wrote Frederick Behrens on 3 December , ‘I presume you are much plagued …
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: 6 hits
- … Surgeons [DAR *119: 1] Books to be Read 3 “Traité de la Folie des …
- … on Annals of Nat. Hist. [Jenyns 1838] Prichard; a 3 d . vol [Prichard 1836–47] Lawrence [W. …
- … ou Traité de Tératologie, par I. Geoffroy-Saint Hilaire, 3 vols. 8vo. et atlas de 20 planches. ibid, …
- … of Human wishes. 28 Bacon’s Essays [Bacon 1825–36].— Butler. 3. first sermons …
- … 1826]— (read) Pallas’ Travels [Pallas 1802–3]— Hookker (623 no) read Darby’s Louisiana …
- … Drinkwater] 1833]— Prof. Smyth. French Revolution 3 vols [Smyth 1840] Baber’s …
Darwin in Conversation exhibition
Summary
Meet Charles Darwin as you have never met him before. Come to our exhibition at Cambridge University Library, running from 9 July to 3 December 2022, and discover a fascinating series of interwoven conversations with Darwin's many hundreds of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … 9 July – 3 December 2022 Milstein Exhibition Centre, Cambridge University …
Rewriting Origin - the later editions
Summary
For such an iconic work, the text of Origin was far from static. It was a living thing that Darwin continued to shape for the rest of his life, refining his ‘one long argument’ through a further five English editions. Many of his changes were made in…
Matches: 4 hits
- … ( to Charles Layton, 24 November [1869] ). From the 3 rd edition on, each English …
- … ( Origin 2d ed, p. 481). 2 nd to 3 rd editions; US edition …
- … changes, was doomed to disappointment. 3 rd to 4 th editions …
- … to include at least one change only previously made in the 3 rd German edition . I …
Language: Interview with Gregory Radick
Summary
Darwin made a famous comment about parallels between changes in language and species change. Gregory Radick, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Leeds University, talks about the importance of the development of language to Darwin, what…
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
- … to the subject of cross and self-fertilisation. On 3 October , he wrote with fresh enthusiasm to …
- … other interested parties. Darwin was summoned to testify on 3 November. It caused him much anxiety, …
- … for printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). In the event, the …
- … weekly publications of Natural History’, he explained on 3 June , ‘are not sufficiently …
- … time I can talk to anyone’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 3 May [1875] ). Finally it was arranged for …
Dates of composition of Darwin's manuscript on species
Summary
Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s manuscript on species (DAR 8--15.1, inclusive; transcribed and published as Natural selection). This manuscript, begun in May 1856, was nearly completed by…
Darwin And Evolution
Summary
What is evolution? What did Darwin discover and how did he come to his conclusions?
Matches: 1 hits
- … Activities give an introduction to Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution. Specimens brought …
Darwin's Fantastical Voyage
Summary
Learn about Darwin's adventures on his epic journey.
Matches: 1 hits
- … These activities explore Darwin’s life changing voyage aboard HMS Beagle. Using letters home, …
Detecting Darwin
Summary
Who was Charles Darwin? What is he famous for? Why is he still important?
Matches: 1 hits
- … Pupils act as Darwin detectives, exploring clues about Darwin’s life and work. No prior knowledge …
Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Kingdom, & even the world’ ( letter from J. L. Chester, 3 March 1880 ). Darwin’s sons George …
- … regret that I did not do so’ ( letter to Samuel Butler, 3 January 1880 ). At the top of Butler’s …
- … It is a horrid disease’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 February 1880 ). All went quiet until …
- … letter … made me open my eyes’, Gray replied on 3 February , but he affirmed his original …
Language: key letters
Summary
How and why language evolved bears on larger questions about the evolution of the human species, and the relationship between man and animals. Darwin presented his views on the development of human speech from animal sounds in The Descent of Man (1871),…
