To W. D. Fox [11 May 1831]
Summary
CD’s father has given him £200 to settle his debts.
He is delighted by a magnificent anonymous gift of a microscope.
Sees a good deal of the Henslows who are expecting a child soon.
CD still talks of the "Canary scheme"; he is learning Spanish.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | [11 May 1831] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 40) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-100 |
To W. D. Fox [9 July 1831]
Summary
Poverty keeps him at Shrewsbury.
The Canary scheme still goes, CD is studying Spanish and geology.
Jenyns has started CD on Diptera.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | [9 July 1831] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 41) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-101 |
To J. S. Henslow [11 July 1831]
Summary
Has been learning to use a clinometer.
Has investigated passage and fares for Canaries trip.
Rereading Humboldt.
Asks JSH to thank Jenyns for present of Diptera.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | [11 July 1831] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Henslow letters: 1 DAR/1/1/1) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-102 |
To C. T. Whitley [19 July 1831]
Summary
He is "mad about Geology" and plans to ride through Wales in August with a few days at Barmouth.
Some humorous gossip.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Thomas Whitley |
| Date: | [19 July 1831] |
| Classmark: | Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-102A |
To W. D. Fox 1 August [1831]
Summary
Will send his insects and two or three from Henslow.
The Canary scheme takes place next June.
Is grieved WDF thinks him capable of telling falsehoods.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 1 Aug [1831] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 42) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-103 |
From George Peacock to J. S. Henslow [6 or 13 August 1831]
Summary
GP has been asked to recommend a naturalist to sail with Capt. Robert FitzRoy to Tierra del Fuego and the South Sea Islands. If Leonard Jenyns is not available, whom would JSH recommend?
P.S. Urges JHS not to lose this opportunity to have collections made for "our museum".
| Author: | George Peacock |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | [6 or 13] Aug 1831 |
| Classmark: | DAR 97: B1–3 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-104 |
From J. S. Henslow 24 August 1831
Summary
JSH has been asked by Peacock to recommend a naturalist as companion to Capt. FitzRoy on Beagle voyage. CD the best qualified person; not a finished naturalist but amply qualified for collecting, observing, and noting.
| Author: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 24 Aug 1831 |
| Classmark: | DAR 97(ser.2):4–5 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-105 |
From George Peacock [c. 26 August 1831]
Summary
Details about FitzRoy and proposed voyage of Beagle. CD invited to go on the voyage as naturalist.
| Author: | George Peacock |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [c. 26 Aug 1831] |
| Classmark: | DAR 97 (ser.2): 11–13 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-106 |
To J. S. Henslow 30 [August 1831]
Summary
Feels he should decline Beagle voyage offer because of his father’s objections, which he lists. Would otherwise have taken all risks.
[Geological] trip with Adam Sedgwick a success.
Grieved at Marmaduke Ramsay’s death.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | 30 [Aug 1831] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Henslow letters: 2 DAR/1/1/2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-107 |
From R. W. Darwin to Josiah Wedgwood II 30–1 August 1831
Summary
CD has had an offer to go on a voyage of discovery for two years. RWD objects strongly, but will let CD make his case and if JW agrees with CD, RWD will change his position. In a postscript RWD adds, "Charles has quite given up … the voyage."
| Author: | Robert Waring Darwin |
| Addressee: | Josiah Wedgwood, II |
| Date: | 30–1 Aug 1831 |
| Classmark: | V&A / Wedgwood Collection (MS W/M 96) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-108 |
From Josiah Wedgwood II to R. W. Darwin 31 August 1831
Summary
States his views on each of RWD’s objections to the Beagle venture. JW’s overall position is favourable to CD’s acceptance of the offer.
| Author: | Josiah Wedgwood, II |
| Addressee: | Robert Waring Darwin |
| Date: | 31 Aug 1831 |
| Classmark: | DAR 97(ser.2): 6–8 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-109 |
To R. W. Darwin 31 August [1831]
Summary
CD asks his father to consider the offer of the Beagle voyage once more. He encloses his list of RWD’s objections and Josiah Wedgwood’s responses [see 109]. Asks his father to give him a decided answer: if "no" he will never again mention the subject.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Robert Waring Darwin |
| Date: | 31 Aug [1831] |
| Classmark: | DAR 223: 1; DAR 97: B10 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-110 |
From R. W. Darwin to Josiah Wedgwood II 1 September 1831
Summary
RWD had made up his mind to give up his objection to the Beagle voyage if JW did not take the same view. If Charles continues to want to go after further inquiry, will give him every assistance.
| Author: | Robert Waring Darwin |
| Addressee: | Josiah Wedgwood, II |
| Date: | 1 Sept 1831 |
| Classmark: | V&A / Wedgwood Collection (MS W/M 96) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-111 |
To Francis Beaufort 1 September [1831]
Summary
CD accepts going with Capt. FitzRoy. Explains earlier refusal as owing to his father’s disapproval.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Beaufort |
| Date: | 1 Sept [1831] |
| Classmark: | The National Archives (TNA) (ADM 1/4541 PRO D 262) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-112 |
From Francis Beaufort to Robert FitzRoy 1 September [1831]
Summary
Believes he has found a "savant" for FitzRoy in CD, whom he describes as grandson of Erasmus Darwin and "full of zeal and enterprize".
| Author: | Francis Beaufort |
| Addressee: | Robert FitzRoy |
| Date: | 1 Sept [1831] |
| Classmark: | United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Archive (Letter Book no. 3, p. 233) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-113 |
To J. S. Henslow [2 September 1831]
Summary
Has just arrived in Cambridge; his father has changed his mind. Asks to see JSH.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | [2 Sept 1831] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Henslow letters: 3 DAR/1/1/3) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-114 |
To Susan Darwin [4 September 1831]
Summary
Spent preceding day with Henslow; much to be done. A friend, Alexander Charles Wood, has written to Capt. FitzRoy about CD. Peacock offered appointment as Beagle naturalist first to Leonard Jenyns, who almost accepted, as did Henslow himself. CD will talk to Capt. Francis Beaufort [Hydrographer] and FitzRoy. Thanks all his family.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [4 Sept 1831] |
| Classmark: | DAR 223 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-115 |
From Adam Sedgwick 4 September 1831
Summary
Reports on his geological work in N. Wales since he and CD parted. Answers CD’s queries.
| Author: | Adam Sedgwick |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 4 Sept 1831 |
| Classmark: | DAR 204: 65 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-116 |
To Susan Darwin [5 September 1831]
Summary
Wood has heard from FitzRoy, who seemed so much against CD’s going that CD and Henslow gave up. CD is in London; has seen FitzRoy, who is now ready to invite him. CD remains undecided. He likes FitzRoy. Gives details of prospective arrangements. They probably will be gone three years; "round the world" is not certain. Want of room is a serious objection.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Susan Elizabeth Darwin |
| Date: | [5 Sept 1831] |
| Classmark: | DAR 223 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-117 |
To J. S. Henslow [5 September 1831]
Summary
Has met FitzRoy, who has now offered him the post of naturalist on board the Beagle. Other details about the voyage arrangements – mess, CD’s status, route, books.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
| Date: | [5 Sept 1831] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Henslow letters: 4 DAR/1/1/4) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-118 |
| Darwin, C. R. | (40) |
| Mostyn Owen, Fanny | (5) |
| Myddelton Biddulph, Fanny | (5) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (3) |
| Matthew, Henry | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (23) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (13) |
| Fox, W. D. | (10) |
| Darwin, S. E. | (6) |
| FitzRoy, Robert | (4) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (63) |
| Henslow, J. S. | (16) |
| Fox, W. D. | (10) |
| Darwin, S. E. | (7) |
| FitzRoy, Robert | (5) |
Books on the Beagle
Summary
The Beagle was a sort of floating library. Find out what Darwin and his shipmates read here.
Matches: 26 hits
- … Captain FitzRoy in the Narrative (2: 18). CD, in his letter to Henslow, 9 [September 1831] , …
- … . . . There will be plenty of room for Books.’ (Letter from Robert FitzRoy, 23 September 1831 …
- … the ‘immense stock’ which CD mentions may be had from a letter FitzRoy wrote to his sister during an …
- … on board the Beagle § — mentioned in a letter or other source as being on board …
- … Beering’s Strait . . . 1825, 26, 27, 28 . London, 1831. (DAR 31.1: 276v.; 33: 253v.). Darwin …
- … Naturelle 3 (1834): 84–115. (DAR 37.1: 677v.; letter to J. S. Henslow, 12 July 1835). * …
- … d’histoire naturelle . 17 vols. Paris, 1822–31. (Letter from J. S. Henslow, 15–21 January [1833]). …
- … a report of the proceedings . . . Cambridge, 1833. (Letter to Charles Whitley, 23 July 1834). …
- … of the 2d meeting . . . Oxford, 1832 . London, 1833. (Letter to J. S. Henslow, March 1834 and …
- … also Hawkesworth, John). (DAR 32.2: 89v.; Robert FitzRoy’s letter to the South African Christian …
- … la Beche, Henry Thomas. A geological manual. London, 1831. (DAR 32.1: 53). Desaulses de …
- … residence in New Zealand in 1827 . . . London, 1832. (Letter to Caroline Darwin, 27 December 1835). …
- … 33: 254). § Euclid. Elements of geometry. (Letter to J. S. Henslow, 30 October 1831). …
- … The philosophy of zoology . . . 2 vols. Edinburgh, 1822. (Letter from Susan Darwin, 15 October …
- … naturelle faites dans l’Amérique du Sud . . . 1830 et 1831. Annales des Sciences Naturelles 28 …
- … géologie et de climatologie asiatiques. 2 vols. Paris, 1831. (DAR 35.2: 401; Stoddart 1962, p. 22a …
- … from J. S. Henslow to CD ‘on his departure’, September 1831). Darwin Library–CUL ††. * …
- … to the mountain barometer. 2d ed. London, n.d. [1802]. (Letter to Robert FitzRoy, [10 October 1831 …
- … de l’ordre des polypiers. Paris, 1821. (DAR 30.1: 13v.; letter to J. S. Henslow, 24 July – 7 …
- … Video. Novem r . 1832’; vol. 3 (1833): ‘C. Darwin’; letter to J. S. Henslow, 24 July – 7 November …
- … of England. Volume one. London, 1830. (Robert FitzRoy’s letter to the South African Christian …
- … vols. 5th ed. York, 1824. (Inscription: ‘Rob t . FitzRoy 1831’). Darwin Library–CUL †. § …
- … Spanish and English languages. 2 vols. 5th ed. London, 1831. Darwin Library–CUL, vol. 1 only.). …
- … ed. Cambridge, 1825. (Letter to J. S. Henslow, 30 October 1831). The volumes listed below, …
- … Viage) Spanish edition’ in Syms Covington, MS ‘Journal 1831–6’, p. 30; Mitchell Library, Sydney, N. …
- … Taxidermy.(Letter to Susan Darwin, [6 September 1831] ‘A little book, if I have got it in bedroom, …
The Voyage of the Beagle
Summary
It was a letter from his friend and former teacher, John Stevens Henslow, that brought the 22-year-old Charles Darwin news of the offer of a place on board the Admiralty surveying vessel HMS Beagle on a voyage to chart the coast of South America. During…
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,…
Home learning: 7-11 years
Summary
Do try this at home! Support your children’s learning by downloading our free and fun activities for those aged between 7-11 and 11-14 years, using Darwin’s letters.
Capturing Darwin’s voice: audio of selected letters
Summary
On a sunny Wednesday in June 2011 in a makeshift recording studio somewhere in Cambridge, we were very pleased to welcome Terry Molloy back to the Darwin Correspondence Project for a special recording session. Terry, known for his portrayal of Davros in Dr…
Matches: 4 hits
- … The letters cover a long time span from one of 31 August 1831 to his father seeking permission …
- … from the youthful exuberance of the Beagle letters (e.g. letter to Caroline Darwin, 29 April …
- … that led up to his ‘confessing a murder’ in his famous letter to J. D. Hooker, in which he admitted …
- … who was proofreading a draft chapter of Descent (letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). …
Darwin’s hothouse and lists of hothouse plants
Summary
Darwin became increasingly involved in botanical experiments in the years after the publication of Origin. The building of a small hothouse - a heated greenhouse - early in 1863 greatly increased the range of plants that he could keep for scientific…
Matches: 28 hits
- … purposes’ (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1862] , and …
- … book (Down House MS) and Correspondence vol. 5, letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 April [1855] ). …
- … its sensitivity to touch (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December …
- … his employer’s hothouses over the previous two years. In a letter of 24 December [1862] ( …
- … he had had, he would ‘probably have made a mess of it’ (letter to G. H. Turnbull, [16? February …
- … adding ‘I shall keep to curious & experimental plants’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January …
- … of Westerham, with whom he had dealt over many years. In his letter to Hooker, Darwin mentioned that …
- … of the plants you want before going to Nurserymen’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 January 1863] ) …
- … I shall avoid[,] of course I must not have from Kew’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 January [1863] ) …
- … him: ‘I long to stock it, just like a school-boy’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 February [1863] ). …
- … which I wished for, but which I did not like to ask for’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, [21 February …
- … in a particular mixture of moss, peat, and charcoal (see the letter from Henrietta Emma Darwin to …
- … of his plants, proffering further advice on cultivation (see letter from J. D. Hooker, [6 March …
- … sh d . not see such transcendent beauty in each leaf’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
- … to envision the tropics (see Correspondence vol. 1, letter to Caroline Darwin, [28 April 1831] …
- … of my old friends again’ ( Correspondence vol. 1, letter to Catherine Darwin, May–June [1832] …
- … of the tropics ( Correspondence vol. 3, letter to Charles Lyell, 8 October [1845] ). …
- … to identify the families to which they belonged. In his letter to Hooker of 5 March [1863] , he …
- … for experiments, which seem to me really worth trial’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 21 February [1863] …
- … [that is, cool hothouse]’ ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26[–7] March 1864 …
- … Tait that he had ‘4 houses of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869 …
- … to the greenhouses ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, [25 January 1864] ). …
- … out’ on that list the plants he could not supply (see letter from J. D. Hooker, [16 February 1863] …
- … ‘Gloxinia droopy & upright’ both in this list and in his letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 February …
- … Treviranus 1863a, which he received in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February …
- … that Darwin made of the plants sent to him by Hooker (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 March [1863] …
- … as having been sent to Darwin from Kew. Darwin said in the letter to Hooker of 5 March [1863] …
- … Treviranus and to Treviranus 1863a, p. 10. See also letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] …
Darwin & coral reefs
Summary
The central idea of Darwin's theory of coral reef formation, as it was later formulated, was that the islands were formed by the upward growth of coral as the Pacific Ocean floor gradually subsided. It overturned previous ideas and would in itself…
Matches: 6 hits
- … of coral as the Pacific Ocean floor gradually subsided. A letter from Robert Edward Alison, who had …
- … first sighting of a coral island is confirmed by a letter to his sister Caroline, written on 29 …
- … the time of the visit of the Beagle to Tahiti. The letter of 29 April was written shortly after …
- … he had a sound theory and one that was worth publishing. The letter continues: ‘I hope to be able to …
- … sure they will visit the South Sea Islands: [9 September 1831] . The first evidence of …
- … heart’ to have finished writing his book on coral reefs: letter to Leonard Jenyns [9 May 1842] . …
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: 28 hits
- … his publishers, he warned that it was ‘dry as dust’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 9 September 1879 ). …
- … turned out, alas, very dull & has disappointed me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June …
- … home again’, he fretted, just days before his departure ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26 …
- … many blessings, was finding old age ‘a dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, 24 September 1879 ) …
- … wrinkles one all over like a baked pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 …
- … itself, or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and …
- … office to complete Horace’s marriage settlement ( letter from W. M. Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). …
- … but they were ‘as nice and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ) …
- … on your life’s work, which is crowned with glory’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 9 February 1879 ). …
- … to wish Darwin a ‘long and serene evening of life’. This letter crossed with one from Darwin, …
- … the statement ‘In the beginning was carbon’ ( letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 ). …
- … as the ‘organ of “uncultivated materialism”’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879 ]). …
- … up the glory & would please Francis’, he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879 …
- … wholly & shamefully ignorant of my grandfathers life’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 March 1879 …
- … known philosopher and poet’ ( Correspondence vol. 1, letter from Francis Beaufort to Robert …
- … these things with the when & the where, & the who—’ ( letter from V. H. Darwin, 28 May …
- … paternal grandparents thought ‘perfect in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). …
- … heard of him ‘constantly, & always with pride’ ( letter from Reginald Darwin, 29 March 1879 ). …
- … essay might end up ‘interfering with each other’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879 ). Darwin …
- … made such an introduction ‘almost indispensable’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 ). Darwin …
- … everything into ridicule. He hates scientific men’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 May 1879 ). …
- … must be ‘in some degree interesting to the public’ ( letter to Reginald Darwin, 10 April [1879] ). …
- … ‘very tastefully and well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and …
- … ‘more perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). …
- … telling, and he regretted going beyond his ‘tether’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 …
- … never again to be tempted out of his ‘proper work’ ( letter to James Paget, 14 July 1879 ). At …
- … of the tips of radicles, the embryonic roots of seedlings ( letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879 …
- … experienced obstacles from the start, as he reported in a letter of 29 May . Sachs had changed …
Natural Science and Femininity
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters A conflation of masculine intellect and feminine thoughts, habits and feelings, male naturalists like Darwin inhabited an uncertain gendered identity. Working from the private domestic comfort of their homes and exercising…
Matches: 16 hits
- … Britain? Letters Letter 109 - Wedgwood, J. to Darwin, …
- … pursuit of real, professional work on his return. Letter 158 - Darwin to Darwin, R. W., …
- … colour and “beauty” of tropical vegetation. Letter 542 - Darwin to Wedgwood, C. S., [27 …
- … meals, family time and walks into town with Emma. Letter 555 - Darwin to FitzRoy, R., …
- … ‘ A Biographical Sketch of an Infant ’. Letter 2781 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [3 May …
- … them in the north-facing borders of his garden. Letter 2864 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., …
- … and “never saw anything so beautiful”. Letter 4230 - Darwin to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [2 …
- … linked with his domestic family life. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [2 …
- … at least provide Darwin with aesthetic pleasure. Letter 4436 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., …
- … he has moved one or two of them into his bedroom. Letter 4469 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin …
- … before expecting to dedicate his life to science. Letter 4472 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin …
- … duty to the public to contribute more than this. Letter 6044 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H., …
- … and influence to help shape his sons’ fortunes. Letter 6046 - Weir, J. J. to Darwin, …
- … from the comfort of his “ pretty garden ”. Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 …
- … moths all of which were conducted in his home. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S …
- … attracted to dark spots on the bedroom wallpaper. Letter 10821 - Graham C. C. to Darwin …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 24 hits
- … and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
- … in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
- … botanist Asa Gray. Darwin and Hooker Letter 714 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
- … to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
- … and asks him to append the ranges of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. …
- … and relationships of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … and their approach to information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D …
- … first describer’s name to specific name. Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., …
- … perpetuity of names in species descriptions. Letter 1260 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
- … ends with a discussion of lamination of gneiss. Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, …
- … up his doubts about Darwin’s doctrines. In his second letter he talks about his visit with Falconer. …
- … was on the Beagle voyage and afterwards. Letter 152 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. …
- … is Henslow’s “bounden duty to lecture me”. Letter 196 — Henslow, J. S. to Darwin, C. R. …
- … sends home a copy of his notes on the specimens. Letter 249 — Henslow, J. S. to Darwin, …
- … sends news of Cambridge and mutual friends. Letter 251 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. S …
- … illness and specimens are sent to Henslow. Letter 272 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. S. …
- … collection and plans to cross the Cordilleras. Letter 1189 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, …
- … Hermann Müller. Darwin and Lubbock Letter 1585 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, John, …
- … and it has reawakened his passion for entomology. Letter 1720 — Darwin, C. R. to …
- … 147 (1857): 79–100]. Darwin and Müller Letter 5457 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, …
- … of the floral anatomy of Lopezia miniata . Letter 5471 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, H. …
- … Letter 115 — Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, S. E., [4 Sept 1831] Darwin writes to his sister Susan. …
Early Days
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment The young Charles Darwin From an early age, Darwin exhibited a keen interest in the natural world. His boyish fascination with naturalist pursuits deepened as he entered college and started to interact with…
Matches: 5 hits
- … Grove Press, pages 1 – 83. Letters Letter Packet: Darwin's Early Days …
- … and their first impressions of the city. Letter 20 —Darwin to Caroline Darwin [6 Jan …
- … him as “it is so pleasant receiving letters.” Letter 68 —Darwin to William Darwin Fox …
- … the exam he must take to complete his degree. Letter 78 —Darwin to William Darwin Fox …
- … spend Fox’s visit beetling in Cambridgeshire. Letter 98 —Darwin to Caroline Darwin [28 …
Darwin’s introduction to geology
Summary
Darwin collected minerals as a child and was introduced to the science of geology at the University of Edinburgh, but he only became actively interested in the subject as he was completing his degree at Cambridge.
Matches: 3 hits
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: 30 hits
- … Library of useful knowledge Horse, cow, sheep [Youatt 1831, 1834, 1837]. Verey Philosophie d …
- … papers. read Audubons Ornithol: Biography [Audubon 1831–9]— 4 Vols. well worth reading …
- … 1828a]. quoted by D r Ryan on marriage [Ryan 1831] (read) Babbington on Flora of Channel …
- … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
- … &c. Also Encyclop. of Agriculture by Loudon [Loudon 1831]. Book I. ch. 7 & Book II. Ch. 8. …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … of Authors in Loudon’s Encyclop. of Agriculture [Loudon 1831] Dieffenbach Travels into the …
- … 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] …
- … end Herschel’s Introd to Nat. Philosophy [Herschel 1831] d[itt]o 2 d time of Reading 62 …
- … 1838] 14 Boswell’s life of Johnsons [Boswell 1831] 4 vols 25 Phillips Geology [J. …
- … ] to end of 1838. —— Youatt on the Horse [Youatt 1831] Library of Useful K. 1840 …
- … 1780] Johnson. Tour to Hebrides by Boswell [Boswell 1831] Philip Van Artevelde [H. …
- … H. Smith 1841] Dec. Encyclop. of Agriculture [Loudon 1831] (skimmed & abst) Jan 9 …
- … skimmed.— 8 th Cox’s Columbia River [Cox 1831] —— Anderson on Sheep [Pallas 1794]: …
- … Sept 3 d Brewster’s Life of Sir. I. Newton [Brewster 1831] —— 20 Franklins Narrative 1 st …
- … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
- … July 11. Pistor Das Ganze Taubenzucht [Pistor 1831]. —— 15 Die Enten & Gansezucht. Ulm. …
- … 1856] 30. Brehm Handbuch Vogel Deutschlands [Brehm 1831]. Sept 5 th Prosper Lucas l …
- … Dec. 29 th Audubons Ornithological Biography [Audubon 1831–9]— [DAR 128: 23] …
- … P. Mathhew on Naval Timber & Arboriculture [Matthew 1831] Bull. Bot. Soc. de France [ …
- … 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, …
Charles Darwin: the Beagle letters
Summary
This volume contains the complete texts of all the letters that the young naturalist Charles Darwin wrote and received while sailing round the world on the surveying ship the Beaglebetween 1831 and 1836. They start with letters written as a new and…
Robert FitzRoy
Summary
Robert FitzRoy was captain of HMS Beagle when Darwin was aboard. From 1831 to 1836 the two men lived in the closest proximity, their relationship revealed by the letters they exchanged while Darwin left the ship to explore the countries visited during the…
Matches: 4 hits
- … was captain of HMS Beagle when Darwin was aboard. From 1831 to 1836 the two men lived in the …
- … hoped, would mitigate the hardships of command. In September 1831 he was informed by Francis …
- … In 1859, Darwin guessed that FitzRoy was the author of a letter to The Times, full of ‘ conceit …
- … Katharine Anderson, ed., Narrative of the Beagle voyage, 1831-1836 , 4 vols. London: Pickering …
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
- … Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle on Darwin’s 1831 to 1836 voyage, committed suicide at the …
- … 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 …
Introduction to the Satire of FitzRoy's Narrative of the Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle
Summary
'a humble toadyish follower…': Not all pictures of Darwin during the Beagle voyage are flattering. Published here for the first time is a complete transcript of a satirical account of the Beagle’s brief visit in 1836 to the Cocos Keeling islands…
Matches: 5 hits
- … century, the circumnavigation of HMS Beagle in 1831 to 1836. Our other substantial accounts of …
- … are not so marked. A final set refers to a comparison of a letter and a newspaper editorial. In all …
- … little but Ross’ account of the situation from 1827 to 1831, it seems clear that the two men had …
- … reference to Hare’s ‘Seraglio.’ Leaving the field in 1831, Hare died in Bencoolen in Sumatra at the …
- … and Beagle , titled Proceedings of the Second Expedition 1831-1836 . It was accompanied by an …
Syms Covington
Summary
When Charles Darwin embarked on the Beagle voyage in 1831, Syms Covington was ‘fiddler & boy to Poop-cabin’. Covington kept an illustrated journal of his observations and experiences on the voyage, noting wildlife, landscapes, buildings and people and,…
Matches: 3 hits
John Stevens Henslow
Summary
The letters Darwin exchanged with John Stevens Henslow, professor of Botany and Mineralogy at Cambridge University, were among the most significant of his life. It was a letter from Henslow that brought Darwin the invitation to sail round the world as…
Adam Sedgwick
Summary
One of the early leaders of geology in Britain, Adam Sedgwick was born in the Yorkshire village of Dent in 1785. Attending Trinity College Cambridge, he was ordained as clergyman and in 1818 was appointed to the Woodwardian Chair of Geology, which offered…
