To G. E. Dobson 12 April 1878
Summary
Monstrosity of fuchsia sent by GD not uncommon.
Does not recall bats at Galapagos.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Edward Dobson |
| Date: | 12 Apr 1878 |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11473 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … To G. E. Dobson 12 April 1878 …
- … Society (Mss.B.D25. ) Charles Robert Darwin Down 12 Apr 1878 George Edward Dobson …
- … See letter from G. E. Dobson, 12 April 1878 . Dobson had asked CD about the presence of …
- … Islands (see letter from G. E. Dobson, 12 April 1878 ); he included the information in …
- … Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R. April 12 th 1878 Dear D r . Dobson. The monstrosity of …
To Francis Darwin 12 September [1878]
Summary
Julius von Sachs’s views on stomata seem largely correct, but CD cannot understand how leaves can survive submerged for such long periods.
Has been observing Drosera and concludes that none of the movement of the tentacles is caused by growth.
Suggests observations to show role of pulvinus in leaf movement.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Sept [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 211: 45 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11690 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 12 September [1878] …
- … DAR 211: 45 Charles Robert Darwin Down 12 Sept [1878] Francis Darwin …
- … s son. See letter from Francis Darwin, [12 September 1878] and n. 2. Francis had sent …
- … Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R. Sept 12 th . My dear F. I have been very glad to hear …
- … relationship between this letter and the letter from Francis Darwin, [12 September 1878] . …
- … See letter from Francis Darwin, [12 September 1878] . See Origin 6th ed. , pp. 119–20 (‘A …
- … vol. 25, letter from W. E. Darwin, [12 or 19 July 1877] . See Movement in plants , p. 261. …
To E. A. Darwin 12 December 1878
Summary
Informs EAD of Anthony Rich’s proposal to bequeath his property to CD.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Erasmus Alvey Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Dec 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 153: 10 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11789 |
Matches: 4 hits
To Raphael Meldola 12 February [1878]
Summary
Thanks RM for his interesting paper ["Entomological notes bearing on evolution", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 5th ser. 1 (1878): 155].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Raphael Meldola |
| Date: | 12 Feb [1878] |
| Classmark: | Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Hope Entomological Collections 1350: Hope/Westwood Archive, Darwin folder) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11353 |
To Frederick Smith 12 March 1878
Summary
Sends FS some specimens of harvesting ants along with the observations of their habits made by Mary Treat. If the facts are new, he believes that Mrs Treat would be gratified by their being mentioned before the Entomological Society. [See 11422.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Frederick Smith |
| Date: | 12 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | Viscount Boyd of Merton (private collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11418A |
To Milan Radovanović [before 12 February 1878]
Summary
Thanks for congratulations on his coming birthday. Has nothing special to say as a preface to S[erbian] edition [of Origin (1878)], except to hope it is in every way successful.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Milan Marinković (Milan) Radovanović |
| Date: | [before 12 Feb 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 202: 79 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10827 |
To W. E. Darwin 12 December [1878]
Summary
Writes of Anthony Rich’s bequest.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Dec [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 151 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11786 |
To Anthony Rich 12 December 1878
Summary
Thanks AR for the details of his bequest and invites him to Down.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Anthony Rich |
| Date: | 12 Dec 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.12: 5 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11788 |
To Raphael Meldola 12 June [1878]
Summary
Has received interesting essay from August Weismann on sexual selection in daphnoids [“Schmuckfarben der Daphnoiden”, Z. Wiss. Zool. (1878)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Raphael Meldola |
| Date: | 12 June [1878] |
| Classmark: | Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Hope Entomological Collections 1350: Hope/Westwood Archive, Darwin folder) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11551 |
To Ernst Haeckel 12 February [1878]
Summary
Thanks EH for birthday greetings.
Mentions his work on movement of plants.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Ernst Philipp August (Ernst) Haeckel |
| Date: | 12 Feb [1878] |
| Classmark: | Ernst-Haeckel-Haus (Bestand A-Abt. 1: 1–52/44 [9897]) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11354 |
To G. H. Darwin 13 [July 1878]
Summary
Thanks GHD for his drawings [of Thalia]. Some parts need attention.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Howard Darwin |
| Date: | 13 [July 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.1: 71 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11603 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … see enclosure to letter from G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1878 . Making six drawings had taken …
- … George three to four hours ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1878 ). …
- … this letter and the letter from G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1878 . CD had asked George to make …
- … July 1878] , and letter from G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1878 ). There are annotations by CD …
To James Torbitt [1]4 December 1878
Summary
Congratulates JT on success in breeding potato varieties.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Torbitt |
| Date: | [1]4 Dec 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 106 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11772 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … James Torbitt, 1 March 1878 ). See letter from James Torbitt, 12 December 1878 and n. 3. …
- … this letter and the letter from James Torbitt, 12 December 1878 . The day on the copy was …
- … disease-resistant varieties of potato; see letter from James Torbitt, 12 December 1878 . …
- … See letter from James Torbitt, 12 December 1878 . In Cross and self fertilisation , CD had …
- … for example, ibid. , pp. 74–5). In his letter of 12 December 1878 , Torbitt had asked CD …
To J.-B. Dumas and Joseph Bertrand 12 August [1878]
Summary
Acknowledges his election as a Corresponding Member of the Academy.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Jean-Baptiste-André (Jean-Baptiste) Dumas; Joseph Louis François (Joseph) Bertrand |
| Date: | 12 Aug [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 202: 21 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11653 |
To Fritz Müller 12 January 1878
Summary
CD and son [Francis] working on spontaneous movements of plants and heliotropism.
Has given [Raphael Meldola] permission to read extracts of FM’s last letter [not found], on odours emitted by moths, before Entomological Society [Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. (1878): ii–iii].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller |
| Date: | 12 Jan 1878 |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Loan MS 10 no 44) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11319 |
To Emil du Bois-Reymond 12 November 1878
Summary
Sends thanks [for election to Prussian Academy of Sciences].
Appreciates the copy of address [Darwin versus Galiani (1876)].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Emil Heinrich (Emil) Du Bois-Reymond |
| Date: | 12 Nov 1878 |
| Classmark: | Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter Lc 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 214–215) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11742 |
To G. J. Romanes 27 December [1878]
Summary
Recommends article on "Brute and human intellect" by William James [J. Speculative Philos. 12 (1878): 236–78].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George John Romanes |
| Date: | 27 Dec [1878] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.556) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11806 |
To R. A. Blair 14 April 1878
Summary
Encloses report by W. H. Flower on goose’s wing.
Asks RAB to obtain wings from young birds and broken wing from old one. Asks about details of injury.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Reuben Almond Blair |
| Date: | 14 Apr 1878 |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.535) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11475 |
To Hugo de Vries [10 or 11 August 1878]
Summary
Arranges for HdeV to call.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Hugo de Vries |
| Date: | [10 or 11 Aug 1878] |
| Classmark: | Artis Library (De Vries 4a) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11643 |
To James Grant 11 March 1878
Summary
The strongest argument for the existence of God is the intuitive feeling that there must have been an intelligent beginner of the universe; "but then comes the doubt and difficulty whether such intuitions are trustworthy". CD is forced to leave the problem insoluble. "No man who does his duty has anything to fear, and may hope for whatever he earnestly desires."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Miller (James) Grant |
| Date: | 11 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | Sotheby’s, New York (dealers) (12 December 2017) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11416 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Sotheby’s, New York (dealers) (12 December 2017) Charles Robert Darwin Down 11 Mar 1878 …
To T. H. Farrer 7 March 1878
Summary
If THF and James Caird [Enclosure Commissioner] approve of enclosed letter, CD will send it to Hooker.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Thomas Henry Farrer, 1st baronet and 1st Baron Farrer |
| Date: | 7 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 144: 92; Linnean Society of London (MS 489) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11407 |
| letter | (68) |
| Darwin, Francis | (9) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (4) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (4) |
| Flower, W. H. | (3) |
| Meldola, Raphael | (3) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (68) |
| Darwin, Francis | (9) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (4) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (4) |
| Flower, W. H. | (3) |
Lost in translation: From Auguste Forel, 12 November 1874
Summary
You receive a gift from your scientific hero Charles Darwin. It is a book that contains sections on your favourite topic—ants. If only you had paid attention when your mother tried to teach you English you might be able to read it. But you didn’t, and you…
Matches: 1 hits
- … barely understand a word. Writing in French on 12 November 1874 to thank Darwin for the …
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: 9 hits
- … Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] and n. 13). Initially, …
- … Stove [that is, cool hothouse]’ ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, 26[–7] March …
- … of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869] , Calendar no. 6661) …
- … 100 yards’ to the greenhouses ( Correspondence vol. 12, letter to J. D. Hooker, [25 January …
- … in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). The second list is …
- … Anoectochilus argenteus 12 5 s . …
- … punctatum. 11. Mormodes aurantiaca 12. ‘Anoectochilus argenteus 5 s .’ deleted in …
- … Bolbophyllum barbigerum 12 major …
- … Ampelidae. 11. Alloplectus chrysanthus. 12. Bulbophyllum barbigerum. 13. …
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: 12 hits
- … Seventy years old Darwin’s seventieth birthday on 12 February was a cause for international …
- … and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ). The masters of …
- … ). The botanist and schoolteacher Hermann Müller wrote on 12 February to wish Darwin a ‘long and …
- … well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard …
- … ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). It was little …
- … Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 ). Darwin’s final task …
- … inn ‘ very comfortable’, but told Leonard Darwin on 12 August that there were ‘too many human …
- … not to have come up when the Darwins lunched with him on 12 August (Darwin’s ‘Journal’). Nor did …
- … the world. At the end of the year he was awarded a prize of 12,000 francs by the Turin Academy of …
- … which greatly pleased Darwin ( letter from Grant Allen, 12 February 1879 ). One of Allen’s targets …
- … engagement being made public ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 12 October 1879 ). Darwin’s response not …
- … accurate in its treatment’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 12 November 1879 ). The comment that …
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: 11 hits
- … (letters from George Cupples, 21 February 1874 and 12 March 1874 ); the material was …
- … the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii; letters from T. N. Staley, 12 February 1874 and 20 February 1874 …
- … was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though containing …
- … print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Darwin's …
- … Review & in the same type’ ( letter from John Murray, 12 August 1874 ). George’s letter …
- … he finally wrote a polite, very formal letter to Mivart on 12 January 1875 , refusing to hold any …
- … & snugness’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ). More …
- … vicar of Deptford ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. B. Innes, 12 October [1874] ), but to her …
- … mechanism that Darwin agreed with ( letter to F. J. Cohn, 12 October 1874 ). Darwin’s American …
- … bank with enormous tips to his ears ( letter from Asa Gray, 12 May 1874 ). The Manchester …
- … excellent, & as clear as light’ ( letter to John Tyndall, 12 August [1874] ). Hooker …
1.2 George Richmond, marriage portrait
Summary
< Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more may once have existed. In a letter of 1873 an old Shrewsbury friend, Arthur Mostyn Owen, offered to send Darwin a watercolour sketch of him, painted many years…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction Few likenesses of Darwin in his youth survive, although more …
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: 6 hits
- … made a small omission ’. Stephen’s reply on 12 January was flattering, reassuring, and …
- … books being ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May he described …
- … Darwin had difficulty in obtaining mature plants. On 12 April, he reported to Müller , ‘I have …
- … to make me happy & contented,’ he told Wallace on 12 July , ‘but life has become very …
- … fight’ (letters to J. D. Hooker, 6 August 1881 and 12 August 1881 ). Darwin may have …
- … else’s judgment on the subject ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 12 July 1881 ). However, some requests …
Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?
Summary
Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments
Summary
1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…
Matches: 6 hits
- … Hooker: ‘he is no common man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ). Two sexual …
- … of the year, he wrote to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December 1862] ): ‘my notions on …
- … least 3 classes of dimorphism’ ( letter to Daniel Oliver, 12 [April 1862] ), and experimenting to …
- … passed so miserable a nine months’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 12 September [1862] ). A family …
- … ‘Botany is a new subject to me’ ( letter to John Scott, 12 November [1862] ), but, impressed by …
- … into Tyndall’s ears’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10–12 November [1862] ). Another of Darwin’s …
German and Dutch photograph albums
Summary
Darwin Day 2018: To celebrate Darwin's 209th birthday, we present two lavishly produced albums of portrait photographs which Darwin received from continental admirers 141 years ago. These unusual gifts from Germany and the Netherlands are made…
Matches: 1 hits
- … their generous sympathy. ( Letter to A. A. van Bemmelen, 12 February 1877 ) View the …
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
- … than insectivorous plants. As he confessed to Hooker on 12 December , ‘I have not felt so angry …
- … from his family, he sent a curt note to Mivart on 12 January , breaking off all future …
- … of a bill that was presented to the House of Commons on 12 May, one week after a rival bill based on …
- … The author, Fritz Schultze, contacted Darwin himself on 12 June , describing the aims of his book …
- … scientific Socy. has done in my time,’ he told Hooker on 12 December . ‘I wish that I knew what …
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: 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
- … Rubiaceae with enclosures containing bud samples, 12 May 1878 G. H. Darwin's …
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…
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…
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, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles
Summary
Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 3 hits
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…
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin & Glen Roy
Summary
Although Darwin was best known for his geological work in South America and other remote Beagle destinations, he made one noteworthy attempt to explain a puzzling feature of British geology. In 1838, two years after returning from the voyage, he travelled…
