To W. W. Baxter 16 July [1872?]
Summary
Orders a very small pot of "purest & best Extract of Hyosciamus for experimental purposes".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Walmisley Baxter |
| Date: | 16 July [1872?] |
| Classmark: | Bromley Historic Collections, Bromley Central Library (Baxter Collection, 1136/1) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7280 |
To Eduard Strasburger 29 July 1872
Summary
Comments on EAS’s work [? Die Coniferen und die Gnetaceen: eine morphologische Studie (1872)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Eduard Adolf (Eduard) Strasburger |
| Date: | 29 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, Handschriftenabteilung (NL Strasburger I) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8398 |
From Dr von Gloeden 1 July 1872
Summary
Comments on Descent.
Attempts to explain differing sex ratios in births from illegitimate unions, Jewish marriages, and Christian marriages.
Speculates on role of male and female elements in conception.
Thinks survival of individual conflicts in some degree with survival of species; for example, hybrids often live longer than fertile individuals.
| Author: | [–] von Gloeden |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 1 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 165: 57 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8400 |
To F. E. Abbot 2 July 1872
Summary
Renews subscription to Index.
Was interested in FEA’s lecture on "The God of science" [Index 24 Feb 1872].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Ellingwood Abbot |
| Date: | 2 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | Harvard University Archives (Papers of F. E. Abbot, 1841–1904. Named Correspondence, 1857–1903. Folder: Darwin, Charles and W. E. Darwin (son), 1871–1883, box 44. HUG 1101) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8401 |
To Asa Gray 8 July [1872]
Summary
Thanks for AG’s book, How plants behave [see 8363].
Is correcting proofs of Expression.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Asa Gray |
| Date: | 8 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (107) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8402 |
To John Denny 9 July 1872
Summary
Has read JD’s articles in the Gardeners’ Chronicle [(1872): 872, 904–5].
Questions him on the fertility of certain varieties of Pelargonium which are fertile with some varieties but infertile with others.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Denny |
| Date: | 9 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | University of Otago Library, Special Collections (DeB MS 55) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8403 |
To Leonard Darwin 11 July [1872]
Summary
CD wants no more alterations than are necessary [to proofs of Expression]. Warns LD that "any alteration seems at first an improvement".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Leonard Darwin |
| Date: | 11 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | DAR 153: 90 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8404 |
To ? 10 July [1872–3]
Summary
Sends publication details of Coral reefs, which he thinks is now only available in Geology of the ‘Beagle’: Geological observations on coral reefs, volcanic islands, and on South America.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Unidentified |
| Date: | 10 July [1872-3] |
| Classmark: | Stuart Lutz Historic Documents (dealer) (January 2020) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8404F |
To Charles Lyell 12 July [1872]
Summary
Comments on enclosed discussion of S. American geology by Agassiz. Mentions elevation of Patagonia and glaciation.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 12 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.420) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8405 |
To J. D. Hooker 12 July [1872]
Summary
Overjoyed at the way the newspapers have taken up JDH’s case. The memorial has done great good this way, whatever the wretched Government does. It is enough to make one a Tory. JDH has done a service to all men of science by showing governments that they cannot be trampled on.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 12 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | DAR 94: 222–3 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8406 |
To ? 12 July [1872–4]
Summary
Has not strength or time to hunt for Herminium monorchis; has failed to make orchid seeds germinate.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Unidentified |
| Date: | 12 July [1872-4] |
| Classmark: | National Library of Russia (Collection of P. Waxell (F. 965): no 637) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8406F |
From John Denny 12 July 1872
Summary
Replies to CD’s queries. Duke of Cornwall Pelargonium is fertile with its own pollen. Has failed to produce hybrids from other varieties besides P. peltatum and P. elegans. Sends numbers of the Florist which contain an account of his mode of procedure ["On cross-breeding pelargoniums" Florist & Pomologist (1872): 10, 34, 50].
Reports a confirmation of his theory of the prepotence of the male parent.
| Author: | John Denny |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 159 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8407 |
From W. D. Fox 13 July [1872]
Summary
Will not pass through London, so will not be able to call at Down.
| Author: | William Darwin Fox |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 13 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | DAR 164: 195 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8408 |
From J. V. Carus 14 July 1872
Summary
Asks whether he can start soon on translating Expression.
Thinks CD has gone a little too far on St G. J. Mivart’s objection, which he thinks did very little harm in Germany.
JVC’s history of zoology is finished [Geschichte der Zoologie bis auf Joh. Müller und Charl. Darwin (1872)].
| Author: | Julius Victor Carus |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 82 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8409 |
To John Denny 14 July [1872]
Summary
Discusses JD’s crossing experiments with Pelargonium; notes that his conclusions on male prepotence oppose those of Gärtner. Suggests that his observations on differences in fertility of certain varieties of Pelargonium crossed with certain other varieties be communicated to the Linnean Society.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Denny |
| Date: | 14 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | DAR 96: 114–15 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8410 |
From F. C. Donders 14 July 1872
Summary
Thanks CD for invitation but declines because of his need for a rest instead of coming to England in July.
Repeats his offer to help CD at any time. "I am always learning by trying to answer your questions."
| Author: | Frans Cornelis (Franciscus Cornelius) Donders |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 233 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8411 |
From Hubert Airy [before 15] July 1872
Summary
Outlines his theory on the origin of existing orders of leaf arrangement. Believes spiral and whorled orders have evolved from a primitive distichous arrangement. These arrangements permit a compact bud form of small surface area that can withstand external changes in temperature, and in particular can tolerate frost.
| Author: | Hubert Airy |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [before 15] July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 159: 16 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8412 |
To W. D. Fox 16 July [1872]
Summary
Is correcting proofs for Expression.
Family news.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 16 July [1872] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8413 |
From Hubert Airy 16 July 1872
Summary
Thanks CD for reading his MS [8412] and for his suggestions.
Clarifies his statement on the contraction of the bud-axis: did not mean to imply that this contraction occurred in an individual’s life-time, rather that it was the effect, after the course of ages, of successive favourable modifications.
Believes the true theory of phyllotaxy will give a convincing illustration and proof of the theory of evolution.
| Author: | Hubert Airy |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | DAR 159: 17 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8414 |
To J. V. Carus 16 July 1872
Summary
Will send second proofs of Expression.
Glad JVC has finished translating Origin.
Assures him that Mivart’s book [On the genesis of species (1871)] has produced a great effect in England and America. CD has discussed incipient structures at some length because it enabled him to give many cases of gradation.
Asks JVC to note that he does not vouch for Expression’s being worth translating.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Julius Victor Carus |
| Date: | 16 July 1872 |
| Classmark: | Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter Lc 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 84–85) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8415 |
| letter | (46) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (25) |
| Airy, Hubert | (5) |
| Bowman, William | (2) |
| Denny, John | (2) |
| Abbot, F. E. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (20) |
| Denny, John | (3) |
| Unidentified | (3) |
| Darwin, Leonard | (2) |
| Abbot, F. E. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (45) |
| Airy, Hubert | (5) |
| Denny, John | (5) |
| Unidentified | (3) |
| Abbot, F. E. | (2) |
7 Suffolk St, London
Summary
Recommending Darwin
Matches: 1 hits
- … Henslow is asked to recommend a naturalist to accompany Fitzroy, and Darwin is invited on 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…
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: 8 hits
- … in the shape of an arch ( Movement in plants , pp. 96–7). As usual, staff at the Royal Botanical …
- … my work, I scribble to you ( letter to Francis Darwin, 7 [July 1878] ). Two weeks later he wrote: …
- … Francis reported ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ): ‘The oats have only just …
- … the bedded out one’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ). Sachs’s confidence was …
- … are here & all adoring Bernard’, he wrote to Francis on 7 July . ‘Bernard is very sweet & …
- … to refuse,’ he wrote to William Spottiswoode on 7 July . Pinker later made a statue of Darwin for …
- … generations’ ( enclosure to letter to T. H. Farrer, 7 March 1878 ). In the end, the attempt to …
- … from a person unknown to him. The benefactor wrote on 7 December : ‘I consider that you, more …
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: 6 hits
- … they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). Darwin was ready to …
- … folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). He particularly …
- … to his publisher, John Murray, ‘Of present book I have 7 chapters ready for press & all others …
- … bear the expense of the woodcuts ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). After sending the …
- … and Darwin summarised them in Variation 2: 106–7, concluding, ‘it follows from Mr. Scott’s …
- … of real improvement in health’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] ). All the children …
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…
British Association meeting 1860
Summary
Several letters refer to events at the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend the meeting but in the end was unable to. The most famous incident of the meeting was the verbal…
Matches: 3 hits
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 4 hits
- … taking a clear position on the transmutation of species. 7 Later, he wrote to Lyell himself, …
- … 1863a are discussed in Bynum 1984, pp. 154–9. 7. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter …
- … vol. 11, letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] and n. 7. 9. See Correspondence …
- … 14, doc. 183–4). 15. Letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 March 1865, in BL MSS ADD 49641. …
Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Fordingbridge ( Hampshire Advertiser , 21 January 1871, p. 7). The missions were organised by …
- … priests ending with a mission meeting in the schoolroom at 7.30 where there was most of the …
- … the question was the certainty of results. 7 Then I emboldened myself to discover m. of …
- … in the Hampshire Advertiser , 21 January 1871, p. 7. 4 Probably John Bourdieu …
Frank Chance
Summary
The Darwin archive not only contains letters, manuscript material, photographs, books and articles but also all sorts of small, dry specimens, mostly enclosed with letters. Many of these enclosures have become separated from the letters or lost altogether,…
Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
'An Appeal' against animal cruelty
Summary
The four-page pamphlet transcribed below and entitled 'An Appeal', was composed jointly by Emma and Charles Darwin (see letter from Emma Darwin to W. D. Fox, [29 September 1863]). The pamphlet, which protested against the cruelty of steel vermin…
Matches: 9 hits
- … 1863], and letter from Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker, [7 December 1863]). Although none of the replies …
- … single design fitted the requirements (Moss 1961, pp. 146–7). During the early 1870s the RSPCA …
- … the campaign had little direct effect (Moss 1961, pp. 146–7, Emma Darwin 2: 200). …
- … the possible alternatives (see letter from E. L. Darwin, 7 September 1863, letter from Emma Darwin …
- … his sisters during his boyhood ( Autobiography , pp. 26–7). As an adult, he took pains to prevent …
- … and family who enjoyed the sport (see Autobiography , pp. 78–9, Correspondence vol. 7, letter …
- … categories of wild birds by sportsmen (Sheail 1976, pp. 22–7, Allen 1994, p. 177), and which some …
- … pp. 60–2, 124–128, Worster 1985, pp. 179–80, 184–7). An appeal It is a …
- … A. B., 6 Mr. Strong, Printer, Bromley, Kent. 7 or to Mrs C. Darwin | Downbar …
Darwin's notes for his physician, 1865
Summary
On 20 May 1865, Emma Darwin recorded in her diary that John Chapman, a prominent London publisher who had studied medicine in London and Paris in the early 1840s, visited Down to consult with Darwin about his ill health. In 1863 Chapman started to treat…
Matches: 3 hits
- … ice treatment on 20 May 1865. In his letter to Chapman of 7 June 1865, he reported that the ice had …
- … Jenner, and George Busk (see letter to J. D. Hooker, [7 January 1865], and letter from George Busk, …
- … from William Jenner to [William Walmisley Baxter?], [after 7 May 1864?], and letter from William …
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
- … ‘Without cutting him direct’, he advised Darwin on 7 January , ‘I should avoid him, & if he …
- … can make several parts clearer,’ Darwin reiterated on 7 November , ‘I believe (though I hope I am …
- … ancestry. ‘You know better than anybody’, he wrote on 7 January , ‘how infinitely great is the …
- … the Duke of Wellington on art (Max Müller 1875, pp. 305–7). The debate between Max Müller and …
- … Down with Thiselton-Dyer ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 7 July 1875 ). It was Thiselton-Dyer …
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: 4 hits
- … the public in this way ( see letter from J. D. Hooker, [7 May 1863] , and Appendix VII). He also …
- … [1863] , and letter from Julius von Haast, 21 July [–7? August] 1863 ). Darwin was subsequently …
- … paper with satisfaction ( see letter to John Scott, 7 November [1863] ). Scott had referred …
- … he could send him to the war ( see letter from Asa Gray, 7 July 1863 ). Darwin shared this letter …
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: 15 hits
- … (1) Asher, G. M. (7) Ashley, Miss (1 …
- … (4) Aubertin, J. J. (7) Aussant-Carà, Paul …
- … (1) Aveling, E. B. (7) Axon, W. E. A. …
- … (16) Balfour, J. H. (7) Ball, John …
- … (36) Baxter, William (7) Baynes, H. M. …
- … (1) Blair, R. A. (7) Blair, R. H. (4 …
- … (3) Boott, Francis (7) Boott, Mary …
- … (1) Chambers, Robert (7) Chance, Frank …
- … (3) Clarke, R. T. (7) Clarke, T. W. …
- … (6) Darwin, V. H. (7) Darwin, Violetta …
- … (1) Dowie, Annie (7) Down Friendly Society …
- … (2) Farr, William (7) Farrar, F. W. …
- … (28) Fitzgerald, R. D. (7) Fitzmaurice, Edmond …
- … (2) Forel, Auguste (7) Forster, L. M. …
- … (3) Gordon, George (b) (7) Goschen, G. J. …
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: 5 hits
- … 31 January [1881] and 19 February [1881] ). On 7 March , Darwin sent his discussion of the …
- … its own individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). The difficulty with …
- … judge this seems true’, Darwin reported to Romanes on 7 August . Family joys An …
- … 1881 ). The publication date was 10 October, but by 7 October Darwin learned that 1200 copies …
- … in 1881, the year ended with the happy news of a birth. On 7 December, Charles and Emma Darwin’s …
Interview with Randal Keynes
Summary
Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…
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: 19 hits
- … at the end of Congo voyage [R. Brown 1818]. (Hooker 923) 7 read Decandolle Philosophie …
- … 1835] read Marcel de Serres Cavernes d’Ossements 7 th Ed. 10 8 vo . [Serres 1838] …
- … de S t Hilaire 1832 [I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1832–7] contains all his fathers views Quoted by …
- … 3 vols. 8vo. et atlas de 20 planches. ibid, 1832–36. £1 7 s . 25 [I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire …
- … of Agriculture by Loudon [Loudon 1831]. Book I. ch. 7 & Book II. Ch. 8. Book. VII. ch 8, 11. …
- … Vestiges of Nat: Hist: of Creation. Churchill: 1844. 7 s ” 6 d . [Chambers] 1844] in which …
- … Birds of Himalaya [Gould 1834] (& of Europe?) [Gould 1832–7] & of Australia [Gould 1848]; …
- … Campbells Lives of Chancellors [J. Campbell 1845–7] last vol. Ludlows Memoirs …
- … 1849] (read) Knox. Ornithological Ramble in Sussex. 7. 6. [A. E. Knox 1849] J. Lubbock has …
- … Gresly Mem. of Helvetic Soc. of Neuchatel on Jura. 1846, or 7, or 8 [?Marcou 1845]. 46 Morris …
- … Vol. V of Campbells Chancellors [J. Campbell 1845–7] Lives of the Lindsays [Lindsay 1849] …
- … Scott’s life [Lockhart 1837–8] 1 st 2 nd & 7 th vols. Abercrombie on the …
- … ] Oct 3 Lavater’s Phisiognomy [Lavater 1806–7] Malthus on Population [Malthus 1826] …
- … added notes from 2 d Edit [Holland 1840].— Feb 7 th . Lord Brougham Dissertation …
- … 1687 to 1766 inclusive, and from beginning to 1674 7 th Skimmed Burn’s Poems [Burns 1786]. …
- … Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar ]. Vol 1— to 7. M.S. Translat.— from 1740. 2 d . vol …
- … S. Romilly’s Memoirs [Romilly 1840]. moderate Feb. 7 th Sartor Resartus [Carlyle 1834] …
- … marriage [S. E. Ferrier] 1824 and 1818].— 18 th . 7 th & 8 th . Vol of Hume’s …
- … Essays [Bacon 1825–36]— dull, & crabbid style May 7 th Skimmed a little of Tucker’s …
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: 5 hits
- … ‘almost indispensable’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 ). Darwin welcomed Krause’s …
- … meet the local celebrity, John Ruskin. Marshall wrote on 7 September that Ruskin, the day after …
- … dogma’, Mary Jung, a young Austrian woman, wrote on 7 January . ‘When my reason agrees with your …
- … be an atheist, Darwin told the clergyman John Fordyce on 7 May , ‘It seems to me absurd to doubt …
- … work in such an outstanding way’, Würtenberger wrote on 7 February , after receiving £100 from …
Movement in Plants
Summary
The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…
Matches: 3 hits
- … The power of movement in plants , published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work …
- … the works in a single volume ( letter to J. V. Carus, 7 February 1875 ). While Climbing plants …
- … turgescence and growth ( letter from Hugo de Vries, 7 August 1879 ). Darwin replied, ‘ I thank …
