From J. H. Gilbert 7 March 1881
Summary
Sends some books.
| Author: | Joseph Henry Gilbert |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 7 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | Rothamsted Research (GIL13) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13076F |
From G. J. Romanes 7 March 1881
Summary
Responds to MS of Earthworms. An objective but arbitrary test of intelligence in animals is the ability to learn from experience. Earthworms fall on the border of intelligence. They could justly be called intelligent if they could learn by experience to manipulate some unknown, exotic leaf. CD should make clear that intelligence does not imply self-consciousness.
| Author: | George John Romanes |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 7 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 176: 216 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13077 |
To Francis Galton 8 March [1881]
Summary
Discusses dead earthworms on surface of ground after rainfall.
Describes experiments involving sensitivity of earthworms to light and how it reflects on their intelligence.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Galton |
| Date: | 8 Mar [1881] |
| Classmark: | UCL Library Services, Special Collections (GALTON/1/1/9/5/7/31) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13078 |
From Frank Norgate [8 March 1881]
Summary
Sends a number of facts for CD’s attention, including cases of water-beetles and newts in his aquarium having a foot caught by small bivalves. This might explain migration of bivalves.
| Author: | Frank Norgate |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [8 Mar 1881] |
| Classmark: | DAR 205.3 (Letters): 284 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13079 |
From Anthony Rich 8 March 1881
Summary
Huxley has written to accept gift of Rich’s house.
Approves of Lord Derby’s politics.
| Author: | Anthony Rich |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 176: 148 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13080 |
From J. W. Jeudwine 8 March [1881–2]
Summary
Requests a subscription for Shrewsbury School.
| Author: | John Wynne Jeudwine |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 Mar 1881-2 |
| Classmark: | DAR 168: 63 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13081 |
To G. J. Romanes 9 March [1881]
Summary
Comments on GJR’s view of animal consciousness. Mentions experiment on learning among worms.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George John Romanes |
| Date: | 9 Mar [1881] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.585) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13082 |
From James Torbitt 10 March 1881
Summary
Sends CD some samples of recent produce. Is "pretty well disgusted by the apathy and stupidity" he has encountered whilst trying to arouse interest and support for his work.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 10 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 173, DAR 52: E6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13083 |
From Henri de Saussure 14 March 1881
Summary
Sends boxes of Lake Geneva pebbles that CD requested.
| Author: | Henri Louis Frédéric (Henri) de Saussure |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 41 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13084 |
From H. M. Wallis 14 March 1881
Summary
Reports some observations on the growth of hair on his baby son’s ears.
| Author: | Henry Marriage Wallis |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.9: 15 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13085 |
To James Torbitt 15 March 1881
Summary
Obliged for potatoes. Has instructed that they be planted and labelled.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Torbitt |
| Date: | 15 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 128 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13086 |
To J. H. Gilbert 15 March 1881
Summary
Returns the two books JHG had lent him. "I can plainly see I had better say nothing about the acidity of common mould."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Henry Gilbert |
| Date: | 15 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | Rothamsted Research (GIL13) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13087 |
From Charles Layton 17 March 1881
Summary
Encloses statement of U. S. sales of CD’s works to 1 Feb 1881 and sends cheque for balance due to CD.
| Author: | Charles James (Charles) Layton; D. Appleton & Co |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 17 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 159: 109 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13088 |
To Henri de Saussure 17 March 1881
Summary
Thanks HdS for pebbles of Roman bricks. When he goes over MS [Earthworms] again, he will compare smoother ones with those having undergone attrition in gizzards of worms.
Has received book [La question du lac] sent by HdS.
Also sends photograph taken by Leonard Darwin of CD.
Requests photograph of HdS to add to his collection.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Henri Louis Frédéric (Henri) de Saussure |
| Date: | 17 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | Bibliothèque de Genève (Arch. de Saussure 227 f. 111) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13088F |
From B. J. Sulivan 18 March 1881
Summary
Reports the observations of Thomas Bridges on the Fuegian natives. Discusses especially the languages of the area.
| Author: | Bartholomew James Sulivan |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 18 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 314 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13089 |
From E. J. Loomis [19 March 1881]
Summary
Describes light-stimulated movement in fronds of the fern Asplenium.
| Author: | Eben Jenks Loomis |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [19 Mar 1881] |
| Classmark: | Yale University Library: Manuscripts and Archives (Loomis-Wilder Family Papers (MS 496A) Series 2, Box 6, folder 19) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13090 |
To Fritz Müller 20 March 1881
Summary
FM’s view on meaning of two-coloured stamens in many flowers; CD has been looking through his old notes on dimorphism for supporting evidence. Intends to send extract of FM’s letter to Nature or to Linnean Society.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller |
| Date: | 20 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Loan MS 10 no 50) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13091 |
To B. J. Sulivan 20 March 1881
Summary
Thanks for BJS’s account of the Fuegians. CD would have predicted that "not all the missionaries in the world could have done what has been done".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Bartholomew James Sulivan |
| Date: | 20 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | Sulivan family (private collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13092 |
To Raphael Meldola 12 March 1881
Summary
Will proof-read his preface to Weismann’s Studien.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Raphael Meldola |
| Date: | 12 Mar 1881 |
| Classmark: | Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Hope Entomological Collections 1350: Hope/Westwood Archive, Darwin folder) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13093 |
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 21 March [1881]
Summary
Wants plants with two sets of anthers of different colours. Fritz Müller letter [13041a] has made him wish to renew experiments and observations carried out 20 years ago.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 21 Mar [1881] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Darwin: Letters to Thiselton-Dyer, 1873–81: ff. 212–13) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13094 |
| letter | (732) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (367) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (22) |
| Darwin, Francis | (14) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (14) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (12) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (352) |
| Darwin, Francis | (26) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (22) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (17) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (16) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (719) |
| Darwin, Francis | (40) |
| Darwin, W. E. | (39) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (33) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (30) |
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: 28 hits
- … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, …
- … was another source of pleasure in the early months of 1881. This book had been a major undertaking …
- … making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ). Unlike Darwin’s other books, …
- … case is to me’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] and 19 February [1881] ). On 7 …
- … individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). The difficulty with earthworms …
- … were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] ). Although results from earlier …
- … ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May he described his work on …
- … annuals ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 21 March [1881] ). Darwin thought flowers of the semi- …
- … sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The degree of Darwin’s distress …
- … period of the season’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 30 July 1881 ). Darwin gave in. ‘I am now uneasy …
- … teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), while H. M. Wallis, who sent …
- … general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). Josef Popper, an expert on …
- … any criticism’ ( letter to C. G. Semper, 19 July 1881 ). He continued his friendly disagreement …
- … of the Fuegians’ ( letter to W. P. Snow, 22 November 1881 ). Darwin received news about the …
- … on the shoulder (l etter from B. J. Sulivan, 18 March 1881 ). Among numerous new …
- … ( letter from Francisco de Arruda Furtado, 29 July 1881 ). Likewise, among the many books …
- … excellent Journal’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 4 July [1881] ). In these ways, Darwin kept up with …
- … conscious of it’ ( letter to Alexander Agassiz, 5 May 1881 ). His scientific friends, however, did …
- … on all our minds’ ( letter to John Lubbock, [18 September 1881] ). When Hooker, anxious about his …
- … much out’ of his mind ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 June [1881] ). Feeling ‘awfully guilty’ for …
- … & many a good fight’ (letters to J. D. Hooker, 6 August 1881 and 12 August 1881 ). …
- … on all physiologists’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 April 1881 ). A letter he had written to the …
- … & tear of controversy’ ( letter to G. R. Jesse, 23 April 1881 ). Later in the year, Darwin …
- … judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). However, some requests were …
- … intelligent man’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 1 July [1881] ). Despite this, Darwin thanked ‘all …
- … ‘go to the wall’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 19 November [1881] ). Darwin was as solicitous about …
- … no pretensions’ (l etter from W. E. Darwin, 13 January [1881 ]), Darwin immediately prepared a …
- … have occurred to him’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 29 January 1881 ). While Francis was …
Volume 29 (1881) is published!
Summary
In October 1881, Darwin published his last book, The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. A slim volume on a subject that many people could understand and on which they had their own opinions, it went…
Matches: 8 hits
- … From the start of 1881, Darwin had his demise on his mind. He increasingly relied on his son …
- … now available. Read more about Darwin's life in 1881 in our Life in letters series …
- … received. Letter t o Francis Darwin, 9 November [1881] In October 1881, Darwin …
- … Letter to A. B. Buckley, 4 January 1881 In January, Darwin heard that …
- … do. Letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 June 1881 The Darwins spent June in the …
- … Letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 August [1881] In early August, Darwin …
- … Letter to T. H. Farrer, 28 August 1881 Darwin’s elder brother, …
- … Letter t o B. J. Sulivan, 1 December 1881 …
Intellectual capacities: From Caroline Kennard, 26 December 1881
Summary
We might assume that among female admirers of Darwin’s work, many would have been disappointed by his views on the comparative intellectual capacities of the sexes expressed in The Descent of Man (1872). This was certainly true of the American feminist…
Terms of engagement: To Julius Wiesner, 25 October 1881
Summary
Thomas Huxley’s pugnacious public defence of evolution led to his nickname ‘Darwin’s bulldog’ and to a view of Darwin as an evader of controversy. Darwin firmly believed that controversy rarely did any good, but this did not mean that he avoided challenges…
Matches: 1 hits
- … however, was tempered. Writing to Wiesner on 25 October 1881 , Darwin stated ‘I have no doubt …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 11 hits
- … in Down, where his brother Erasmus had been interred in 1881. But some of his scientific friends …
- … vol. 29, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running …
- … last book, Earthworms , had been published in October 1881. It proved to be very popular, with …
- … vol. 29, letter from J. F. Simpson, 8 November 1881 ). He remarked on the ‘far reaching …
- … Correspondence vol. 29, letter to Emily Talbot, 19 July 1881 ) was also published in the …
- … American, Caroline Kennard, had written on 26 December 1881 (see Correspondence vol. 29) to …
- … on the topic of science and art. He had sat for Collier in 1881 for a portrait commissioned by the …
- … letter from John Collier, 22 February 1882 ; T. H. Huxley 1881, pp. 199–245). Huxley used …
- … discoverer of tidal evolution’ ( Nature , 24 November 1881, p. 81). Darwin boasted to Rich: …
- … the birth of his first child (Erasmus Darwin) on 7 December 1881. Finally, Darwin had a second …
- … by Lyell’s sister-in-law Katherine (see K. M. Lyell ed. 1881, 2: 445–6). A complete draft and …
Alexander Burns Usborne
Summary
Alexander Burns Usborne was born in Kendal, Westmorland, in 1808, the son of Alexander and Margaret Usborne; his father died in 1818 and in his will was described as the purser on HMS Hannibal. His son joined the navy in 1825 aged 16 as a second-class…
1.18 John Collier, oil in Linnean
Summary
< Back to Introduction By 1881 it was clear to Darwin’s intimates that he was increasingly frail, and that, as he approached death, he had finally escaped from religious controversy to become a heroic figure, loved and venerated for his achievements…
Matches: 7 hits
- … < Back to Introduction By 1881 it was clear to Darwin’s intimates that he was …
- … Society in 1858. Moreover, the Society was now, in May 1881, dominated by Darwinians. Its President …
- … work and any other subject that cropped up.’ On 7 August 1881 Darwin was able to report to Romanes …
- … of image John Collier date of creation 1881 computer-readable date …
- … archive, manuscript letter LL/8, Darwin to Romanes, 27 May 1881. Correspondence between Darwin and …
- … Letter from Darwin to his son George, 23 July 1881, telling him the picture was finished (DCP-LETT …
- … pp. 118–121, correspondence between Romanes and Darwin in 1881 (DCP-LETT-13173, 13229, 13282). …
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: 3 hits
- … from scientific debate. The matter spilled over into January 1881. With Henrietta’s aid, the advice …
- … bags ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [6, 13, or 20] March 1881 ). Romanes was at work on a lengthy …
- … memorial was eventually submitted to Gladstone in January 1881 and was successful. For a copy of the …
Casting about: Darwin on worms
Summary
Earthworms were the subject of a citizen science project to map the distribution of earthworms across Britain (BBC Today programme, 26 May 2014). The general understanding of the role earthworms play in improving soils and providing nutrients for plants to…
Matches: 3 hits
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,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … and the fertilisation of figs by Hymenoptera, 9 January 1881 CD's instructions to …
4.41 'Punch', Sambourne cartoon 2
Summary
< Back to Introduction In October 1881, Darwin was included in Linley Sambourne’s series of ‘Punch’s Fancy Portraits’ of celebrities as No. 54. While the caption recurs to the old theme of Darwin’s views on human ancestry, the drawing contains a more…
3.20 Elliott and Fry, c.1880-1, verandah
Summary
< Back to Introduction In photographs of Darwin taken c.1880-1, the expression of energetic thought conveyed by photographs of earlier years gives way to the pathos of evident physical frailty. While Collier’s oil portrait of this time emphasises…
Matches: 5 hits
- … and Letters of his father (1887), and there it was dated 1881. However, another photograph from …
- … by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG X5938) to 29 November 1881. However, Janet Browne points out …
- … of sadness at that time. In a letter to Hooker of 15 June 1881, echoed in another to B.J. Sulivan of …
- … of Elliott and Fry date of creation c.1880-1881 computer-readable date c …
- … and bibliography letters from Darwin to Hooker, 15 June 1881 (DCP-LETT-13207) and to B.J. Sulivan, …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and …
Exercise: Caricatures of Science
Summary
Caricatures provide intriguing insights into both ideals and transgressions of gender. The following six images show caricatured representations of nineteenth-century men and women of science. They provide insight into the boundaries of what was deemed …
Matches: 1 hits
- … align="aligncenter" width="206"] Clémence Royer (1881)[/caption] …
3.18 Elliott and Fry photos, c.1869-1871
Summary
< Back to Introduction The leading photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several occasions. In November 1869 Darwin told A. B. Meyer, who wanted photographs of both him and Wallace for a German…
Matches: 3 hits
3.21 Herbert Rose Barraud, photos
Summary
< Back to Introduction The successful portrait photographer Herbert Rose Barraud, who had studios in London and Liverpool, photographed Darwin in the summer of 1881, in a group of four or so close-up head-and-shoulders portraits. This was probably at…
Matches: 3 hits
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: 4 hits
- … published in Punch’s Almanac for 1882 on 6 December 1881, only four months before Darwin’s death …
- … No. 54. Charles Robert Darwin, LL.D., F.R.S.’ of October 1881, it is an affectionate and whimsical …
- … date of creation November-December 1881 computer-readable date 1881-11-01 to 1881-12-5 …
- … Punch’s Almanac for 1882 , issued 6 December 1881 (unpaginated). Janet Browne, Charles Darwin: …
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…
Earthworms
Summary
As with many of Darwin’s research topics, his interest in worms spanned nearly his entire working life. Some of his earliest correspondence about earthworms was written and received in the 1830s, shortly after his return from his Beagle voyage, and his…
Dipsacus and Drosera: Frank’s favourite carnivores
Summary
In Autumn of 1875, Francis Darwin was busy researching aggregation in the tentacles of Drosera rotundifolia (F. Darwin 1876). This phenomenon occurs when coloured particles within either protoplasm or the fluid in the cell vacuole (the cell sap) cluster…
Matches: 1 hits
- … again, for I am sure that it is worth it.’ As late as 1881, less than a year before his death, …
