To Francis Darwin [after 12 October 1866]
Summary
Instructions on paying a bill.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [after 12 Oct 1866] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 2 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13793 |
To G. H. Darwin 12 October [1873]
Summary
Asks GHD whether he can tell him what inclination a polished or waxy leaf ought to hold to the horizon in order to let vertical rain rebound off as much as possible.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | George Howard Darwin |
Date: | 12 Oct [1873] |
Classmark: | DAR 210.1: 13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9096 |
Matches: 4 hits
From Frederick Currey 12 June 1862
Summary
Offers rare Irish orchid (Spiranthes).
Author: | Frederick Currey |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 June 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 161.2: 305 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3598 |
To Caroline Darwin [19] July – [12 August] 1835
Summary
Describes his trip from Coquimbo to Copiapò, where he rejoined the Beagle – a hard and wearisome journey, but geologically interesting.
FitzRoy piloted the [Blonde] to rescue crew of wrecked Challenger.
CD has received letters that were missing, and others; for ten months there will be none to or from him.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Darwin; Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Wedgwood |
Date: | [19] July – [12 Aug] 1835 |
Classmark: | DAR 223: 29 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-281 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … To Caroline Darwin [19] July – [12 August] 1835 …
- … 29 Charles Robert Darwin Lima [19] July – [12 Aug] 1835 Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Darwin/ …
- … the port for Lima (19 July 1835). Hence ‘July 12 th ’ later in the text is a mistake for …
- … date was also written in August, after the letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 . …
- … married men with families. — July [August] 12 th I have received three more letters making …
From T. M. Reade 12 January 1877
Summary
TMR’s address ["Geological time" (Presidential Address, 1876), Proc. Liverpool Geol. Soc. 3 (1878): 211–35] not yet published. Will send copy.
Author: | Thomas Mellard Reade |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Jan 1877 |
Classmark: | University of Liverpool Library (TMR2.D.1.1) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10782 |
To J. W. Clark 12 November 1877
Summary
Thanks his correspondent for his letter; hopes he will convey to the president how obliged he is for the invitation, which he cannot accept as it would tire him too much.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Willis Clark |
Date: | 12 Nov 1877 |
Classmark: | H. Bruce Rinker PhD (private collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11232F |
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 |
From James Torbitt 12 September 1878
Summary
Has forwarded what he believes to be a new species of Solanum.
Author: | James Torbitt |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Sept 1878 |
Classmark: | DAR 178: 146 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11689 |
To J. L. Chester 12 July 1879
Summary
Thanks for assistance. Nothing more should be done at present about the deeds. JLC’s letter sent to CD’s son [George].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Lemuel Chester |
Date: | 12 July 1879 |
Classmark: | Knox College Seymour Library, Special Collections and Archives |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12151 |
From G. H. Haydon 12 September 1881
Summary
Sending some Hudson’s Bay mosquitoes because of a letter of CD’s quoted in Evening Standard, 5 Sept 1881.
Author: | George Henry Haydon |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Sept 1881 |
Classmark: | DAR 166: 124 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13333 |
From G. E. Bearpark 12 February 1841
Summary
Requesting information about membership of the Geological Society of London.
Author: | George Edmundson Bearpark |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Feb 1841 |
Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/L/R/6/126) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-587F |
From John Fox & Sons 12 October 1869
Author: | John Fox & Sons |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Oct 1869 |
Classmark: | DAR 83: 61v |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6934 |
To Bartholomäus von Carneri 12 March 1872
Summary
Offers to send German editions of his works when he return home.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Bartholomäus von Carneri |
Date: | 12 Mar 1872 |
Classmark: | Wienbibliothek im Rathaus, Handschriftensammlung (H.I.N. 39418) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8241F |
From John Murray 12 April [1871]
Summary
Asks CD’s opinion of a request from Loescher of Turin. Thinks Loescher should have named his translator.
Does CD know the name of the Times reviewer?
Author: | John Murray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Apr [1871] |
Classmark: | DAR 171: 395 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7676 |
From V. O. Kovalevsky [after 12 August 1872]
Summary
VOK is marking the passages [in Wundt, Menschen und Thierseele (1863)] that may interest CD.
Author: | Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky (Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский) |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [after 12 Aug 1872] |
Classmark: | DAR 169: 59 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8476 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From V. O. Kovalevsky [after 12 August 1872] …
- … Онуфриевич Ковалевский) London, Euston Rd, 218 [after 12 Aug 1872] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … and the letter from V. O. Kovalevsky, [12–17 August 1872] . CD’s letter to Kovalevsky …
- … see letter from V. O. Kovalevsky, [12–17 August 1872] and n. 2). Kovalevsky’s next …
From John Murray 12 November [1872]
Summary
Price of Expression is 12s.
Sends cheque to pay CD his share of profits on Origin [6th ed.].
Author: | John Murray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Nov [1872] |
Classmark: | DAR 171: 430 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8622 |
To Chauncey Wright 12 September 1871
Summary
CW’s pamphlet [Darwinism (1871)] nearly ready. Friends have been much struck by it but say several passages rather obscure.
Glad CW coming to England. Will be delighted to see him at Down.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Chauncey Wright |
Date: | 12 Sept 1871 |
Classmark: | DAR 148: 384 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7933 |
Matches: 4 hits
To Fritz Müller 20 September [1865]
Summary
Thanks for interesting letter on climbing plants.
FM’s view on Anelasma seems probable.
Difficulty quoted by FM from A. Agassiz on embryology of Echinodermata is quite beyond CD.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller |
Date: | 20 Sept [1865] |
Classmark: | The British Library (Loan MS 10 no 2) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4895 |
Matches: 13 hits
- … by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Fritz Müller, 12 August 1865 . …
- … See letter from Fritz Müller, 12 August 1865 and n. …
- … 1, and letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, and 10 October 1865] . CD had not yet …
- … Strychnos is contained in the section of the 12 August 1865 letter from Fritz Müller that …
- … see Müller 1865b and letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, and 10 October 1865] and …
- … n. 1; see also the letter from Fritz Müller, 12 August 1865 and n. 11). Müller included …
- … p. 36 n. (see letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, and 10 October 1865] and nn. …
- … pp. 21–2 (see letter from Fritz Müller, [12 and 31 August, and 10 October 1865] and n. …
- … in Catasetum , see Correspondence vol. 12, letter from Hermann Crüger, 21 January 1864 , …
- … February [1864] . The letter from Müller of 12 August 1865 is incomplete. The section of …
- … section of the letter from Fritz Müller, 12 August 1865 (see letter from Fritz Müller, 10 …
- … when he wrote his own letter to CD on 12 August 1865 , it appears that the possibility of …
- … 135–40). The section of Müller’s letter of 12 August 1865 in which he discussed Alexander …
To J. D. Hooker 12 July [1864]
Summary
Ernst Haeckel writes that young German scientists are enthusiastic for natural selection.
Did JDH write the article in Natural History Review on trees not producing flowers ["Botanical lesson books", (1864): 355–69]?
Encourages Harvey to publish on his "disagreeable" monster plants.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 12 July [1864] |
Classmark: | DAR 115: 241 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4561 |
Matches: 4 hits
To W. D. Fox 12 May [1862]
Summary
Asks if WDF has ever crossed wild and common turkeys. Would like to quote his authority [see Variation 1: 292].
Also curious whether WDF has known the so-called japanned peacock to appear from common peacock [Variation 1: 290].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
Date: | 12 May [1862] |
Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 132) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3544 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … To W. D. Fox 12 May [1862] …
- … Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 132) Charles Robert Darwin Down 12 May [1862] William Darwin Fox …
- … Variation 1: 290–2). See also letter to Philip Lutley Sclater, 12 May [1862] and n. 1. …
- … Down Bromley Kent May 12 th My dear Fox. I am going to bother you. Looking over some of …
letter | (3836) |
bibliography | (444) |
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Darwin, C. R. | (1911) |
Hooker, J. D. | (224) |
Darwin, W. E. | (54) |
Gray, Asa | (50) |
Müller, Fritz | (33) |
Darwin, C. R. | (1827) |
Hooker, J. D. | (281) |
Lyell, Charles | (63) |
Darwin, W. E. | (55) |
Gray, Asa | (55) |
Darwin, C. R. | (3737) |
Hooker, J. D. | (505) |
Darwin, W. E. | (109) |
Gray, Asa | (105) |
Lyell, Charles | (82) |
1821 | (1) |
1822 | (4) |
1823 | (1) |
1825 | (3) |
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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…