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Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin

Summary

The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…

Matches: 21 hits

… The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet …
… he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. This …
… and prompted the composition and publication, in November 1859, of Darwin’s major treatise On the …
… exceeded my wildest hopes By the end of 1859, Darwin’s work was being discussed in …
… ‘When I was in spirits’, he told Lyell at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes fancied that my book w d …
… has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
… to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
… as evidence for what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
… throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
… his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
… selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell …
… Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
… on Charles Lyell’s endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the …
… McKinney has suggested that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same …
… the writing of this ‘abstract’ continued until March 1859; the resulting volume was published in …
… Botanic Gardens at Kew (see Appendix VII). The year 1859 began auspiciously with Darwin …
… 1854) ( Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 15 (1859): xxv). One of the most …
… theory. As he wrote in his introductory essay (Hooker 1859, p. ii): 'In the present Essay I …
… to test such a theory. His essay, published in December 1859, was the first serious study of the …
… the other’s ideas (see letters to J. D. Hooker, 2 March [1859] , 11 March [1859] , and 7 …
… upon Lyell for advice ( letter to Charles Lyell, 28 March [1859] ). Lyell suggested the firm of …

Controversy

Summary

The best-known controversies over Darwinian theory took place in public or in printed reviews. Many of these were highly polemical, presenting an over-simplified picture of the disputes. Letters, however, show that the responses to Darwin were extremely…

Matches: 22 hits

… him as a bitter enemy. Darwin and Sedgwick Letter 2525 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… of a spirit of bravado, but a want of respect. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
… of brotherly love and as his true-hearted friend. Letter 2555 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… classes of facts”. Darwin and Owen Letter 2526 — Owen, Richard to Darwin, C. …
… the nature of such influences as “heterodox”. Letter 2575 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… his book “the law of higgledy-piggledy”. Letter 2580 — Darwin, C. R. to Owen, Richard, …
… his views now depends on men eminent in science. Letter 2767 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
… prevail without such aggressive tactics. Letter 5500 — Darwin, C. R. to Haeckel, E. P. …
… reader to take the side of the attacked person. Letter 5533 — Haeckel, E. P. A. to …
… of the matter, a vigorous attack is essential. Letter 5544 — Darwin, C. R. to Haeckel, …
… political, and religious differences. Letter 2285 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 18 …
… MS, but Darwin will offer to send it to journal. Letter 2294 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… his views from anything Darwin wrote to him. Letter 2295 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… he does not feel this alters the justice of case. Letter 2299 — Hooker, J. D. & …
… reasons for arranging the joint presentation. Letter 2306 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
… is now planning a 30-page abstract for a journal. Letter 2337 — Wallace, A. R. to …
… paper public unaccompanied by his own views. Letter 6024 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, C. …
… of minute variations and sexual selection. Letter 6033 — Darwin, C. R. to Wallace, …
… George Darwin’s notes on Wallace’s argument. Letter 6045 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, C. …
… and form new species without being isolated. Letter 6058 — Darwin, C. R. to Wallace, A. …
… relating to sterility that they will never agree. Letter 6095 — Darwin, C. R. to …
… cannot be increased through natural selection. Letter 6104 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …

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: 30 hits

… Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
… silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
… observations of cats’ instinctive behaviour. Letter 4258 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, …
… to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
… be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to …
… Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
… Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., …
… expression of emotion in her pet dog and birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. …
… is making similar observations for him. Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. …
… of a crying baby to Darwin's daughter, Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, …
… briefly on her ongoing observations of wormholes. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. …
… expression of emotion in dogs with Emma Darwin. Letter 8676 - Treat, M. to Darwin, …
… birds, insects or plants on Darwin’s behalf. Letter 8683 - Roberts, D. to …
… of an angry pig and her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, …
… that she make observations of her pet cats. Letter 8989 - Treat, M. to Darwin, [28 …
… on her experiments with fly-catching Drosera . Letter 9426 - Story …
… without the birds attacking the buds and flowers. Letter 9616 - Marshall, T. to …
… and her father of plants and insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin …
… specimens and bird observations from Calcutta. Letter 3634 - Darwin to Gray, A., [1 …
… “enthusiasm and indomitable patience”. Letter 4242 - Hildebrand, F. H. G. to Darwin …
… contained in “a little treatise”. Letter 4436 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [26-27 …
… he has moved one or two of them into his bedroom. Letter 5602 - Sutton, S. to …
… expression of emotion in chimpanzees and orangs. Letter 5705 - Haast, J. F. J. von …
… to show in his museum in Canterbury, New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to …
… to be attracted to dark spots on the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. …
… the black letters in a marble tablet”. Letter 6815 - Scott, J. to Darwin, [2 July …
… Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] Darwin asks his publisher, John …
… Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] Darwin expresses anxiety over …
… Letter 2475 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [2 July 1859] Darwin returns the manuscript of …
… Letter 2501 - Lyell, C. to Darwin, [3 October 1859] Lyell offers praise and …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 28 hits

… Were women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
… Tollet for proofreading and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. …
… her to read to check that she can understand it. Letter 7312 - Darwin to Darwin, F. …
… from all but educated, typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E …
… he seeks her help with tone and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 …
… in order to minimise impeding general perusal. Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, …
… he uses to avoid ownership of indelicate content. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to …
… so as not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
… which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to …
… Darwin’s female readership Letter 5391 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [6 February …
… of the Manchester Ladies Literary Society . Letter 6551 - Becker, L. E . to …
… the chapter on pangenesis, which is a revelation. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. …
… Darwin assumes that 'A. B. Blackwell' is a man. Letter 7177 - Cupples, G. to …
… him to the psychology of Herbert Spencer. Letter 7624 - Bathoe, M . B. to Darwin …
… his statements on a lack of reasoning in animals. Letter 7644 - Barnard, A. to …
… during a visit to an asylum with her father. Letter 7651 - Wedgwood, F. J. to …
… on any comments that she feels might be suitable. Letter 7411 - Pfeiffer, E. J. to …
… and beauty in the process of sexual selection. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, …
… of a woman’s natural thinking”. Letter 8778 - Forster, L. M . to Darwin, H. …
… and the showing of teeth in Expression . Letter 10072 - Pape, C. to …
… and hopes Darwin will complete her questionnaire. Letter 10390 - Herrick, S. M. B. …
… of questions which she hopes aren’t too silly. Letter 10415 - Darwin to Herrick, S. …
… and is pleased that his work has interested her. Letter 10508 - Treat, M. to Darwin …
… it nearly all night before she could lay it down. Letter 13547 - Tanner, M. H. …
… involving worms which occurred in her garden. Letter 13650 Kennard, C. A. to Darwin …
… Reading Variation Letter 5712 - Dallas, W. S. to Darwin, [8 December 1867] …
… array of facts” contained in the work. Letter 5861 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [11 …
… are a few things which must be altered”. Letter 5928 - Gray, A. to Darwin, [25 …

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: 17 hits

… his University) and is much less his own man. A letter from England catches his attention …
… 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably nice and kind letter Dr A. Gray has sent me in answer to my …
… be of any the least use to you? If so I would copy it… His letter does strike me as most uncommonly …
… on the geographical distribution of the US plants; and if my letter caused you to do this some year …
… a brace of letters 25 I send enclosed [a letter for you from Asa Gray], received …
… might like to see it; please be sure [to] return it. If your letter is Botanical and has nothing …
… Atlantic. HOOKER: 28 Thanks for your letter and its enclosure from A. Gray which …
… notions of natural Selection and would see whether it or my letter bears any date, I should be very …
… 55 My good dear friend, forgive me. This is a trumpery letter influenced by trumpery feelings. …
… should not be in conflict. A TREMENDOUS FURORE: 1859-1860 In which Darwin distributes …
… do a good deal to secure it. Darwin passes Gray’s letter to Hooker with a cringe. …
… full relief from all anxiety. Darwin shows Gray’s letter to Hooker. DARWIN: …
… back. JANE GRAY: 189 [Jane Gray. Letter to her sister. Fall, 1868.] Mr Darwin …
… DARWIN: 192 My dear Gray. When I look over your letter[s] … and see all the things you …
… me, and yet was most anxious till two days ago, when I got a letter from him in excellent spirits. …
… 12 OCTOBER 1857 60 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, SUMMER 1859 61 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, …
… TO GRAY AT THIS TIME 189 JANE LORING GRAY, LETTER TO HER SISTER, 1868 or 1869 …

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: 23 hits

… of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
… everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
… nature, as he is in a “muddle” on this issue. Letter 3256 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
… shares a witty thought experiment about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
… He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
… of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
… of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
… of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
… about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
… there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
… need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
… with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
… that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
… and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
… “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
… man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
… most correct description of my state of mind”. Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, …
… as examples to illustrate his ideas on beauty. Letter 4752 — Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, …
… discusses humming birds and orchids as examples. Letter 4939 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
… a long discussion on beauty in the natural world. Letter 4943 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
… beauty of flowers is solely to attract insects. Letter 5003f — Shaw, James to Darwin, C …
… Beauty against the Duke of Argyll’s criticisms. Letter 5004 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, …
… of beauty being displayed in conspicuous parts. Letter 5060 — Shaw, James to Darwin, C. …

Darwin on race and gender

Summary

Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…

Matches: 3 hits

… ( Beagle diary , p. 143). He was delighted to receive a letter from an African correspondent …
… and Progress Key letters: Letter to J. S. Henslow, 11 April 1833 …
… Correspondence with women Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February …

Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad

Summary

At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…

Matches: 23 hits

… that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
… persevered with his work on Variation until 20 July, his letter-writing dwindled considerably. The …
… from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] …
… ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863] …
… than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
… (p. 488). Since the publication of Origin in 1859, new evidence that early humans had coexisted …
… from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
… leap from that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
… out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
… book he wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
… I respect you, as my old honoured guide & master’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
… against stronger statements regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). …
… thinking, while Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In …
… change of species by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the …
… disaffected towards Lyell and his book. In a February letter to the Athenæum , a weekly review of …
… find great difficulty in answering Owen unaided ’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
… of so much of Lyell’s book being written by others’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
… is wretched to see men fighting so for a little fame’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1863] ). …
… overt act, and I shall watch for a fitting opportunity’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 5 [and 6] …
… God demented Owen, as a punishment for his crimes… ?’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] …
… Darwin’, a transitional form between reptiles and birds ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January …
… a significant gap had been filled in the fossil record ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 5 [and 6] January …
… continued to capture his and others’ attention ( see letter to J. D. Dana, 20 February [1863] , …

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: 24 hits

… be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
… pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
… And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
… was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’ ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
… inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
… in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
… that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
… his, ‘& that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 …
… Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). …
… edition, published in 1842 ( Correspondence vol. 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 …
… Hooker, and finally borrowed one from Charles Lyell ( letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 8 January …
… to take so sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March …
… sent an apology for misinterpreting Darwin on this point ( letter from J. D. Dana, 21 July 1874 ); …
… numbers and sex ratios among the Pitcairn islanders ( letter from William Dealtry, 16 January 1874 …
… will say that I have pounded the enemy into a jelly’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 14 April 1874 ). …
… by none but anatomists; and never mind where it goes’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 16 April 1874 ). …
… the return on subsequent print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 …
… by the conciseness & clearness of your thought’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 20 April 1874 ). …
… legal action over the ‘scurrilous libel’ on his son ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [27 July 1874] ). …
… false, scurrilous accusation of [a] lying scoundrel’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 1 August [1874] ). …
… as father and son agonised over the wording of both the letter to the editor and the letter to …
… relationship with Murray on the outcome ( enclosure to letter from G. H. Darwin, 6 [August] 1874 ) …
… is refused I’m really no worse off than if I had sent my letter direct to the Editor & it had …
… previous publications to review me in a hostile spirit’ ( letter to John Murray, 11 August 1874 ). …

Origin

Summary

Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for the species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, and had resisted suggestions in 1856…

Matches: 10 hits

… make a large-sized pamphlet. ’ On the 4 October, in a letter to T. C. Eyton explaining his change …
… across tropics ’. When Hooker’s essay was published in 1859, it was one of the first publications …
… as by far the most capable judge in Europe. ’ By April 1859, he was able to tell Wallace that ‘ …
… Abstract ’ would not be finished until around April 1859. But this was an optimistic estimate. …
… of favoured races” ’, he told Lyell. On 31 March 1859, Darwin wrote to Murray describing his work …
… his friend George Frederick Pollock. The former, in a long letter to Murray, believed that Darwin …
… the work of correcting proofs continued over the summer of 1859, Darwin had to take the water cure …
… never shirked a difficulty’, he told Lyell on 20 September 1859, ‘ I am foolishly anxious for your …
… of Science meeting held in Aberdeen from 14 to 21 September 1859. Darwin was confident that in time …
… and negative, to his work flowed in. By early December 1859, he admitted that he needed to ‘ think …

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: 21 hits

… [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
… 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
… M rs Fry’s Life [Fry 1847] Horace Walpoles letter to C t . of Ossory [Walpole 1848] …
… Asiatic Society ]—contains very little Macleay’s letter to D r Fleming [Macleay 1830] …
… [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
… The Dog in health & Disease by Stonehenge—Longman 1859 [Stonehenge 1859].— on Toy–Dogs …
… [Combe 1828] Macclintocks Arctic Voyage [Macclintock 1859] [DAR *128: 153] …
… [G. Bennett 1860] Read 114 Village Bells [Manning] 1859] } Fanny The Woman in White …
… Republic [Motley 1855] [DAR 128: 24] 1859 Pagets Lectures on Pathology …
… 1803] (nothing) [DAR 128: 25] 1859 Feb. 28 Olmstead S. States [Olmsted …
… Mast [R. H. Dana [1840] (good) Bertrams [Trollope 1859] & Adam Bede [Eliot 1859] …
… (many novels) Dec: Dana to Cuba & back [R. H. Dana 1859] —— Cruize in Japanese …
… of the material from these portfolios is in DAR 205, the letter from William Edward Shuckard to …
… ( Notebooks , pp. 319–28). 55 The letter was addressed to Nicholas Aylward Vigors …
… to William Jackson Hooker. See Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, [5 or 12 November …
… 119: 21b Broughton, William Grant. 1832. A letter in vindication of the principles of …
… by Bekhur to Garoo and the Lake Manasarowara: with a letter from … J. G. Gerard, Esq. …
… 1830. On the dying struggle of the dichotomous sytem. In a letter to N. A. Vigors. Philosophical …
… *119: 8v., 22v.; *128: 165 ——. 1850a. Letter to the Rev. John Bachman, on the question of …
… art of improving the breeds of domestic animals. In a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Sir …
… 1820. Remarks on the improvement of cattle, &c. in a letter to Sir John Saunders Sebright, …

Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments

Summary

The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…

Matches: 31 hits

… The death of Hugh Falconer Darwin’s first letter to Hooker of 1865 suggests that the family …
… having all the Boys at home: they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
… had failed to include among the grounds of the award ( see letter from Hugh Falconer to Erasmus …
… his letters to Darwin, and Darwin responded warmly: ‘Your letter is by far the grandest eulogium …
… may well rest content that I have not laboured in vain’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 6 January [1865] …
… always a most kind friend to me. So the world goes.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 February [1865] …
… for our griefs & pains: these alone are unalloyed’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 3 February 1865 …
… gas.— Sic transit gloria mundi, with a vengeance’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 February [1865] ). …
… added, ‘I know it is folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
… ineffective, and Darwin had given it up by early July ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 July 1865] …
… of anything, & that almost exclusively bread & meat’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 August [1865] …
… better, attributing the improvement to Jones’s diet ( see letter to T. H. Huxley, 4 October [1865] …
… he was ‘able to write about an hour on most days’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 22 December [1865] ). …
… others very forward, except the last & concluding one’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 March [1865] …
… my book will be ready for the press in the autumn’ ( letter to John Murray, 4 April [1865] ). In …
… however, ‘I am never idle when I can do anything’ ( letter to John Murray, 2 June [1865] ). It was …
… might be more willing to bear the expense of the woodcuts ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865 …
… & I loathe the whole subject like tartar emetic’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 January [1865] ) …
… you will be an unnatural parent, for it is your child’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 19 April 1865 ; …
… needed for references, probably from the Linnean Society ( letter to [Richard Kippist], 4 June …
… in or before November 1864 ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to Ernst Haeckel, 21 November [1864 …
… 1865 that he had just finished hearing it read aloud ( letter to Fritz Müller, 10 August [1865] ). …
… Linnean Society for publication in Müller’s name ( see letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, …
… so weak that I am not able to do any scientific work’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, 20 September [1865] …
… coloured varieties (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to John Scott, 19 November [1862] ). …
… species arising’ ( Correspondence vol. 9, letter to J. D. Hooker, 28 September [1861] ). …
… experiments in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from John Scott, 21 September [1863] …
… India in late 1864, despite suffering from sea-sickness ( letter from John Scott, 21 July 1865 ). …
… though he praised Scott’s ‘industry & ability’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [10 March 1865] ). …
… that he would take up the work again when he had time ( letter from John Scott, 21 July 1865 ); at …
… been sent the proof-sheets before publication. Letters after 1859 throw light on Darwin’s continuing …

Race, Civilization, and Progress

Summary

Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…

Matches: 15 hits

… he had witnessed man in his most "primitive wildness" ( letter to Henslow, 11 April 1833 …
… of botany at Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow. Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., …
… 1833 which took effect in the following year. Letter 206 : Darwin to Darwin, E. C., 22 …
… of the polygenist theory of human descent. Letter 4933 : Farrar, F. W. to Darwin, …
… about the state of civilization of the natives. Letter 5617 , Darwin to Weale, J. P. M …
… wonderful fact in the progress of civilization" Letter 5722 , Weale, J. P. M. to …
… of Species , Darwin discussed his views on progress in a letter to Charles Lyell, insisting that …
… of life" ( Origin , 6 th ed, p. 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C …
… not profit it, there would be no advance.— " Letter 6728 : from Charles Lyell, 5 …
… but may guide the forces & laws of Nature." Letter 6866 : From Federico Delpino …
… in this inner principle, inborn in all things." Letter 8658 : to Alpheus Hyatt, 4 …
… Wallace, and the philosopher William Graham. Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., …
… the less intellectual races being exterminated." Letter 3439 : Darwin to Kingsley, …
… race, viewed as a unit, will have risen in rank." Letter 4510 : Darwin to Wallace, …
… entirely on intellectual & moral qualities. Letter 13230 : Darwin to Graham, …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 27 hits

… Pound foolish, Penurious, Pragmatical Prigs’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [29 December 1866] ). But …
… able to write easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). …
… once daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
… see you out with our beagles before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 …
… work doing me any harm—any how I can’t be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). …
… production of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January …
… of “Domestic Animals & Cult. Plants” to Printers’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1866] …
… good deal I think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December …
… ‘I quite follow you in thinking Agassiz glacier-mad’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 8[–9] September …
… ten times more than the belief of a dozen physicists’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 February 1866] …
… past few years. Emma described the Royal Society event in a letter to George: ‘Your father … entered …
… you—& told me to worship Bence Jones in future—’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 May 1866 ). …
… 3 calls! & then went for ¾ to Zoolog. Garden!!!!!!!!!’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 April 1866 …
… delighted to come on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May …
… very much to see him, though I dread all exertion’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [12 May 1866] ). …
… to Madeira. His visit to Down House is described in a letter from Henrietta to George: ‘when first …
… most magnificent eulogium which it has ever received’ ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 18 August [1866] …
… like myself weak in his Greek, is something dreadful’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] …
… progressive, teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). …
… His drawings of C. scoparius , sent to Darwin with his letter of 8 May [1866] , allowed …
… initial state of dimorphism’ (Correspondence vol. 9, letter from Asa Gray, 11 October 1861 ). …
… that the species was ‘merely ordinaryly diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May – 11 June 1866 …
… the Rhamnus is a case of dimorphic becoming diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 20 June [1866] ) …
… blows up— I am well accustomed to such explosions’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 22 June [1866] ). He …
… be honest, & admit how little is known on the subject’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 and 4 August …
… to see how differently we look at every thing’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 August [1866] ). Yet …
… a world of good, & we have been at it many a long year’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 15 February …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions

Summary

Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...

Matches: 1 hits

… Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 29 hits

… shall be a man again & not a horrid grinding machine’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 December …
… anything which has happened to me for some weeks’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ) …
… corrections of style, the more grateful I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ) …
… who wd ever have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). …
… abt any thing so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February …
… thro’ apes & savages at the moral sense of mankind’ ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870?] …
… how metaphysics & physics form one great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870 …
… in thanks for the drawing ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26 November [1868] …
… patients, but it did not confirm Duchenne’s findings ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 15 March …
… muscle’, he complained, ‘is the bane of existence!’ ( letter to William Ogle, 9 November 1870 ). …
… to their belief that all demons and spirits were white ( letter from W. W. Reade, 9 November 1870 …
… . . Could you make it scream without hurting it much?’ ( letter to A. D. Bartlett, 5 January [1870] …
… or crying badly; but I fear he will not succeed’ ( letter to James Crichton-Browne, 8 June [1870] …
… Lucy Wedgwood, who sent a sketch of a baby’s brows ( letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [5 May 1870] ). …
… is the inclination to finish my note on this subject’ ( letter from F. C. Donders, 17 May 1870 ). …
… the previous year (see Correspondence vol. 17, letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). His …
… (in retrograde direction) naturalist’ (letter to A. R.Wallace, 26 January [1870]). …
… towards each other, though in one sense rivals’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 20 April [1870] ). …
… version of the theory of descent by natural selection in a letter to Darwin, prompting much anxiety …
… But who is to criticise them? No one but yourself’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 20 May 1870 ). …
… me to be able to say that I never write reviews’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, [22 May 1870] ). …
… design. Darwin commented on Mivart’s essay in a letter to William Henry Flower: ‘I am glad …
… time wd be wasted if I once began to answer objectors’ ( letter to W. H. Flower, 25 March [1870] ) …
… laborious & valuable labours on the Primates’ ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 April [1870] ). …
… Ape than such an Ape differs from a lump of granite’ ( letter from St G. J. Mivart, 22 April 1870 …
… his “end” whatever may have been his “origin” ( letter from St G. J. Mivart, 25 April 1870 ). In …
… by you in this manner than praised by many others’ ( letter to Armand de Quatrefages, 28 May [1870 …
… us which are stronger than the causes of discord’ ( letter from Armand de Quatrefages, 30 March …
… that you had called on assistants to describe them’ ( letter from Armand de Quatrefages, 18 July …

Science, Work and Manliness

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …

Matches: 12 hits

… Discussion Questions | Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels …
… Letters Letter 282 - Darwin to Fox, W. D., [9 - 12 August 1835] Darwin …
… “a little reading, thinking and hammering”. Letter 1533 - Darwin to Dana, J. D., [27 …
… involved in producing such a magnum opus. In a subsequent letter , Darwin describes Dana’s …
… that de Bosquet has bestowed on the subject. Letter 2669 - Bunbury, C. J. F. to Darwin, …
… a work of “astonishing labour and patience”. Letter 4262 - Darwin to Gray, A., [4 …
… 134 crosses which was “no slight labour”. Letter 3901 - Darwin to Falconer, H., [5 & …
… not depleted completely his health and strength. Letter 4000 - Darwin to Dana, J. D., …
… . It is, Darwin says, “a monument of labour”. Letter 4185 - Darwin to Scott, J., [25 …
… a wonderful, indefatigable worker you are!”. Letter 4997 - Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, [4 …
… systematically to collect and arrange facts. Letter 8153 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [9 …
… and anxiety” involved in the editorial process. Letter 9157 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H., …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 28 hits

… do to talk about it, which no doubt promotes the sale’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ) …
… to her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). …
… and had forsaken his lunch and dinner in order to read it ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 …
… they believe to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). …
… and Oldham … They club together to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). …
… one’s n th . ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). …
… habits, furnished with a tail and pointed ears” (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871) …
… ‘will-power’ and the heavy use of their arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 …
… in order to make it darker than the hair on his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 …
… together with an image of an orang-utan foetus ( letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871 ). …
… of himself, adding that it made a ‘very poor return’ ( letter to Hinrich Nitsche, 25 April [1871] …
… each night, returning to its allotted space each morning ( letter from Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871 …
… without having a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 …
… endowment of spiritual life’ at some time in the past ( letter from Roland Trimen, 17 and 18 April …
… to the white’. Darwin thanked Innes for his ‘pleasant letter’, but asserted his antipathy to human …
… myself a good way ahead of you, as far as this goes’ ( letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871] ). …
… ‘whereas the baboon is as the Creator made it’ ( letter from George Morrish, 18 March 1871 ). …
… could also redeem the wayward author of Descent ( letter from a child of God, [after 24 …
… with the most deep and tender religious feeling’ ( letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871 ). The …
… charges of atheism amongst his ‘clerical brethren’ ( letter from George Henslow, 5 December 1871 ) …
… from one and the same catarrhine monkey !’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 21 December 1871 ). …
… review as ‘a windbag full of metaphysics & classics’ ( letter to John Murray, 13 April [1871] …
… law &c’, and transmitted by culture, not biology ( letter from John Morley, 30 March 1871 ). …
… dog when it was confronted by the presence of its master. ( Letter from Hensleigh Wedgwood, [3–9 …
… sense was especially troubling to Emma, as indicated in a letter that she wrote to Cobbe on 25 …
… was emotionally and morally bound. In one particularly long letter to Wedgwood, Darwin alluded to …
… ‘Every point of agreement is a satisfaction to me’ ( letter to Hensleigh Wedgwood, 9 March 1871 ). …
… and found only the ‘most guarded expressions’ ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 January [1871] ). …

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: 30 hits

… in satisfying female preference in the mating process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, …
… of changing the races of man’ (Correspondence vol. 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
… book would take the form of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But …
… as well say, he would drink a little and not too much’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 15 May [1868] ) …
… would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to …
… of labour to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). …
… if I try to read a few pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). …
… reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from the Isle of Wight on the formation …
… would strike me in the face, but not behind my back’ ( letter to John Murray, 25 February [1868] ) …
… ignorant article… . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] …
… ‘he is a scamp & I begin to think a veritable ass’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868] …
… wrote of the colour of duck claws on 17 April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d C. …
… proved very fruitful. On 1 May , Darwin received a letter from George Cupples, who was encouraged …
… with the enthusiastic breeder, who apologised in a letter of 11–13 May 1868 for his ‘voluminuous …
… of science On 27 February , Darwin sent a letter of thanks to the naturalist and …
… he later added, ‘for it is clear that I have none’ ( letter to J. J. Weir, 30 May [1868] ). …
… to various classes, a dim ray of light may be gained’ ( letter to H. T. Stainton, 21 February [1868 …
… as well as of ‘victorious males getting wives’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 25 February [1868] ). …
… of females was remarked upon by other entomologists ( letter from Roland Trimen, 20 February 1868 …
… and Coleoptera on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday …
… for as sure as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] …
… George Robert Crotch, writing to his mother Emma in a letter dated [after 16 October 1868] : ‘I …
… box of preparations to papa … I will write a less beetley letter soon.’ Other relations …
… present had taken no particular interest in the dyed hen ( letter from Harrison Weir, 28 March 1868 …
… in the great question of the “Origin of Species”’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 4 October 1868 ). …
… the direct result of natural selection ( Variation 2: 185–9). Wallace seized upon this point in a …
… weapon in the hands of the enemies of Nat. Selection’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 …
… A correspondent of Hooker’s distributed it in Japan ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 5 September 1868 ) …
… to Aboriginal mission stations in Victoria, Australia ( letter from R. B. Smyth, 13 August 1868 ); …
… on the weeping of her two-month old daughter Katherine ( letter from C. M. Hawkshaw to Emma Darwin, …

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: 27 hits

… & I am sick of correcting’ ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to W. D. Fox, 12 December [1868 …
… Well it is a beginning, & that is something’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [22 January 1869] ). …
… made any blunders, as is very likely to be the case’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January 1869 ). …
… than I now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869] , …
… is strengthened by the facts in distribution’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] ). Darwin …
… tropical species using Croll’s theory. In the same letter to Croll, Darwin had expressed …
… a very long period before the Cambrian formation’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] …
… data to go by, but don’t think we have got that yet’ ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). …
… I d have been less deferential towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869] ). …
… completed revisions of the ‘everlasting old Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 1 June [1869] ), he was …
… him however in his researches I would willingly do so’ ( letter from Robert Elliot to George …
… with his noisy courting of the female in the garden ( letter from Frederick Smith, 8 October 1869 …
… doubted her ability to recognise the different varieties ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 25 February …
… weary of everlasting males & females, cocks & hens.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 November …
… with much more of the same description’ ( enclosure to letter from Henry Maudsley, 20 May 1869 ). …
… in an additional & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 …
… orang-utan, and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869] ) …
… does himself an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
… geological structures of the South American cordillera ( letter to Charles Lyell, 20 May 1869 ), …
… of the same species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February …
… role of earthworms in the formation of the soil ( letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle , 9 May [1869] …
… sundew), a genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March …
… for either the fourth or the fifth English editions ( see letter from Victor Masson, 29 September …
… not employ [her] to translate “Domestic Animals”’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 November [1869] ). …
… before offering my book to English readers.—’ ( letter from Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). …
… He literally poured boiling oil over the bumptious man’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 7 September …
… to have made greater fools of themselves than they did’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 28 September …

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Darwin Correspondence Project

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