From Richard Sutton Ford 6 May 1839
Author: | Richard Sutton Ford |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 6 May 1839 |
Classmark: | DAR 186: 44 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-509 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From Richard Sutton Ford 6 May 1839 …
- … DAR 186: 44 Richard Sutton Ford Swynnerton 6 May 1839 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Questions about the breeding of animals (1839). Journal of the History of Biology 2: 269– …
- … experience. R. S. Ford Swynnerton May 6 th . 1839 scored brown crayon scored pencil ; ‘[ …
To William Whewell 16 April [1839]
Summary
Thanks WW for wedding gift.
Expresses admiration for his History of the inductive sciences [1837].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Whewell |
Date: | 16 Apr [1839] |
Classmark: | Trinity College Library, Cambridge (Add c 88: 6) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-506 |
To Charles Babbage [1839 – August 1842]
Summary
Is so unwell today that he is unable to come [to CB’s party].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Babbage |
Date: | [1839 – Aug 1842] |
Classmark: | The British Library (Add 37191: 297) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-476 |
Letter of recommendation for Syms Covington 29 May 1839
Summary
A letter of reference for Syms Covington.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Unidentified |
Date: | 29 May 1839 |
Classmark: | Mitchell Library, Sydney (MLMSS 2009/108: 6) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-514 |
From J. G. Malcolmson [after 7 October 1839]
Author: | John Grant Malcolmson |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [after 7 Oct 1839] |
Classmark: | DAR 50: C24–5 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-559 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From J. G. Malcolmson [after 7 October 1839] …
- … DAR 50: C24–5 John Grant Malcolmson unstated [after 7 Oct 1839] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … of Captain FitzRoy, RN, from 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Henry Colburn. 1839. …
- … after he wrote his letter of 7 October 1839 , in which he said that he was expecting it …
From J. S. Henslow 7 February 1839
Summary
Writes to CD as "Brother Benedick" and sends hearty good wishes for health and happiness in marriage. They are sending a little silver candlestick for a wax taper.
Author: | John Stevens Henslow |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 7 Feb 1839 |
Classmark: | DAR 204: 167 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-495 |
To John Lubbock [September 1854]
Summary
Sends beetle he cannot identify.
Reading J. O. Westwood [Introduction to the modern classification of insects (1839–40)] has reawakened his passion for entomology.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
Date: | [Sept 1854] |
Classmark: | DAR 263: 8 (EH 88206457) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1585 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … the modern classification of insects (1839–40)] has reawakened his passion for entomology. …
- … Dated on the basis of CD’s reference to Westwood 1839–40 (see n. …
- … 2, below). Westwood 1839–40 . CD’s annotated copy is in the Darwin Library–CUL. He …
- … University Press. 1985–. Westwood, John Obadiah. 1839–40. An introduction to the modern …
To John Washington 1 November [1839]
Summary
CD thinks report of a rock imbedded in an iceberg is remarkable; wants to write a note for the [Journal] about it. Asks for location of the sighting and a chart of the Antarctic Sea. [See "Rock seen on an iceberg", Collected papers 1: 137–9.]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Washington; Royal Geographical Society |
Date: | 1 Nov [1839] |
Classmark: | Royal Geographical Society |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-544 |
From Emma Wedgwood [3 January 1839]
Summary
Emma is surprised how quickly CD has moved into the new house and understands his feeling of triumph. Wants him and Fanny [Mrs Hensleigh] Wedgwood to settle on hiring a cook.
Is reading Mansfield Park [Jane Austen (1814)], which she finds "very suitable".
Author: | Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [3 Jan 1839] |
Classmark: | DAR 204: 158 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-482 |
From Benjamin Silliman Sr and Benjamin Silliman Jr 24 May 1839
Summary
Thanks for copies of the Proceedings of the Geological Society of London, with a request for items (listed) missing from their set.
Offer to supply, if they can, any copies missing from the Geological Society’s run of the American Journal of Science.
Author: | Benjamin Silliman, Sr; Benjamin Silliman, Jr |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin; William John Hamilton |
Date: | 24 May 1839 |
Classmark: | Geological Society of London (GSL/L/R/233) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-511F |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From Benjamin Silliman Sr and Benjamin Silliman Jr 24 May 1839 …
- … Sr Benjamin Silliman, Jr Yale 24 May 1839 Charles Robert Darwin William John Hamilton …
- … Yale College U.S. May 24 1839 To Charles Darwin Esq. & W. J. Hamilton Esq. Secretaries of …
- … top of the letter reads: ‘Answered 10th Aug. 1839 Proceed sent’. George Palmer Putnam . …
From Jean Baptiste Armand Louis Léonce Élie de Beaumont 31 July 1839
Summary
Acknowledges receipt of CD’s gift of the Journal of researches. Praises CD’s "ingenious" views.
Author: | Jean-Baptiste-Armand-Louis-Léonce (Léonce) Elie de Beaumont |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 31 July 1839 |
Classmark: | DAR 204: 177 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-529 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From Jean Baptiste Armand Louis Léonce Élie de Beaumont 31 July 1839 …
- … Armand-Louis-Léonce (Léonce) Elie de Beaumont Paris 31 July 1839 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Paris, le 31 juillet 1839 Monsieur, je viens de recevoir avec la lettre que vous avez bien …
- … Paris 31 July 1839 Sir, I have just received, with the letter of 11 June which you have …
To Emma Wedgwood [26 January 1839]
Summary
He has the wedding ring. Agrees to coming straight home after the wedding, if that is what she prefers.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin |
Date: | [26 Jan 1839] |
Classmark: | DAR 210.8: 13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-493 |
To W. S. MacLeay 29 May 1839
Summary
Introduces Syms Covington and recommends him for employment in Australia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Sharp Macleay |
Date: | 29 May 1839 |
Classmark: | Linnean Society of London |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-513 |
Carpenter, William Benjamin. 1839. Principles of general and comparative physiology. London: John Churchill.
Matches: 1 hit
- … Carpenter, William Benjamin. 1839. Principles of general and comparative physiology. …
Malcolmson, John Grant. 1839, 1859. On the relations of the different parts of the Old Red Sandstone, in which organic remains have recently been discovered, in the counties of Murray, Nairn, Banff, and Inverness. [Read 5 June 1839.] Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 3 (1838–42): 141–4 and Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 15 (1859): 336–52.
Nordmann, Alexander von. 1839. Polype nouveau de la Mer-Noire (extrait abrégé). L’Institut 7: 95.
Matches: 1 hit
- … Nordmann, Alexander von. 1839. Polype nouveau de la Mer-Noire (extrait abrégé). L’Institut …
Moore, Thomas. 1839. Life, letters, and journals of Lord Byron. London: John Murray.
Matches: 1 hit
- … Moore, Thomas. 1839. Life, letters, and journals of Lord Byron. London: John Murray. …
To Charles Stokes [1839 – September 1842]
Summary
Sends observations he made on Fungia during Beagle voyage. Asks CS to make corrections in style or names of parts as he sees fit.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Stokes |
Date: | [1839 – Sept 1842] |
Classmark: | Wellcome Collection |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-478 |
From Emma Wedgwood [9 January 1839]
Summary
Glad to have his letter; supposes she will receive only two or three more from him in her life.
Thinks he should leave the curtains for her.
Discusses Mungo Park and Sir Walter Scott’s Life.
Author: | Emma Wedgwood; Emma Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [9 Jan 1839] |
Classmark: | DAR 204: 160 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-486 |
letter | (855) |
people | (346) |
bibliography | (104) |
Darwin, C. R. | (512) |
Hooker, J. D. | (71) |
Darwin, Emma | (12) |
Wedgwood, Emma | (12) |
Lyell, Charles | (11) |
Darwin, C. R. | (322) |
Hooker, J. D. | (87) |
Lyell, Charles | (48) |
Henslow, J. S. | (19) |
Murray, John (b) | (19) |
Darwin, C. R. | (833) |
Hooker, J. D. | (158) |
Lyell, Charles | (59) |
Darwin, Emma | (22) |
Henslow, J. S. | (22) |
1831 | (8) |
1832 | (8) |
1833 | (11) |
1834 | (8) |
1835 | (8) |
1836 | (7) |
1837 | (21) |
1838 | (30) |
1839 | (96) |
1840 | (19) |
1841 | (8) |
1842 | (5) |
1843 | (16) |
1844 | (22) |
1845 | (38) |
1846 | (16) |
1847 | (22) |
1848 | (14) |
1849 | (6) |
1850 | (4) |
1851 | (6) |
1852 | (4) |
1853 | (6) |
1854 | (10) |
1855 | (25) |
1856 | (30) |
1857 | (15) |
1858 | (18) |
1859 | (17) |
1860 | (31) |
1861 | (31) |
1862 | (32) |
1863 | (21) |
1864 | (22) |
1865 | (12) |
1866 | (27) |
1867 | (22) |
1868 | (22) |
1869 | (12) |
1870 | (6) |
1871 | (10) |
1872 | (12) |
1873 | (9) |
1874 | (16) |
1875 | (15) |
1876 | (14) |
1877 | (9) |
1878 | (6) |
1879 | (10) |
1880 | (3) |
1881 | (11) |
1882 | (4) |

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: 21 hits
- … to read in Notebook C ( Notebooks , pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in …
- … in the Royal Society of London (Royal Society of London 1839) has been heavily marked, and quite a …
- … Pierquin, published in Paris (in 2 vols.), so long ago as 1839 4 [Pierquin de Gembloux 1839]. …
- … 1814–29] D r Royle on Himmalaya types [Royle 1839] (read) Smellie Philosophy of …
- … 12 by Owen in Encyclop. of Anat. & Physiology [R. Owen 1839] Dampier probably worth …
- … on subjects of science connected with Nat. Theol: [Brougham 1839] on instinct & animal …
- … 1808] Brit. & Foreign Medical Rev. N o 14. Ap 1839 [Anon. 1839b] Rev. on Walker on …
- … Smart 17 Beginning of a New School of metaphysic. [Smart 1839] about connection of language & …
- … Babbington on Flora of Channel Isl d . [Babington 1839] says he has remarks on affinities of …
- … 1816 [Gallesio 1816]— quoted by D r . Holland [Holland 1839] (p. 27) as good— Decandoelle …
- … [Thacker 1834–5] p. 291 Athenæum 1839. p. 546— M r Conrad has published …
- … Arboretum [Loudon 1838] in Edinburgh Review July 1839 [Anon. 1839a]— there are pencil remarks on it. …
- … would contain facts for me [DAR *119: 9v.] 1839. Decemb. Advertised . …
- … Dog with illustrations of about 100 varieties [?C. H. Smith 1839–40] 24 Flourens “Resume …
- … publishing Travels into interior of N. America [Wied-Neuwied 1839–41]— in Geograph Soc …
- … 1840. Octob & Jan. Papers on Instinct by Flourens [Flourens 1839] (read) Index of Clarkes …
- … S. Bellamy on Nat. Hist. of S. Devonshire [Bellamy 1839] chiefly on distribution of forms said to be …
- … at end of Catalogue of Royal Soc. [Royal Society of London 1839]— Meckel’s Anatomy. French …
- … ed. 1834] read Vol. (2 d ) on Dogs [C. H. Smith 1839–40] /on Ruminants [Jardine ed. 1835–6] …
- … on the Obligations of man to the inferior animals’ [Youatt 1839] discusses their minds. …
- … by Hooker . [A. P. de Candolle 1839–40] Jussieus …

Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 5 hits
- … they show for one another’s sensibilities. Early in 1839 the couple set up house in London and at …
- … and set in type by November 1837, though not published until 1839, when it appeared as the third …
- … of species” ( Letter to J. S. Henslow, [November 1839] ). note book, after note …
- … Marriage Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in January 1839. His hopes and fears about married life …
- … to act’ ( Letter from Emma Darwin, [ c. February 1839] ). These are not matters that she would …
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: 6 hits
- … now at Down House, celebrated his marriage in January 1839 to his cousin Emma Wedgwood; the one of …
- … his evolutionary theories. As early as February 1839, Elizabeth Wedgwood had written to her …
- … Richmond did not return from Italy until August or September 1839. Josiah Wedgwood himself wrote to …
- … twelve guineas for a portrait of some kind in December 1839, and a further payment of twelve guineas …
- … where it appears as the frontispiece, she had dated it to 1839; and, puzzlingly, she said there that …
- … Down House MSS, Darwin’s account books, entry for Dec. 1839. Joseph Hooker, letter to Darwin, 17 …

Science: A Man’s World?
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., [20 January 1839] Written shortly before their …

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: 1 hits
- … Letter 542 - Darwin to Wedgwood, C. S., [27 October 1839] Darwin details his typical …

Darwin’s observations on his children
Summary
Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children, began the research that culminated in his book The Expression of the emotions in man and animals, published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, published in Mind…
Matches: 4 hits
- … races, lunatics, the blind, and animals. And as early as 1839 Darwin had begun to collect …
- … development from the day of his birth, 27 December 1839, until September 1844. Parallels in the …
- … 1 [9] W. Erasmus. Darwin born. Dec. 27 th . 1839.—[10] During first week. yawned, streatched …
- … vol. 2, letter from Emma Wedgwood, [23 January 1839] . [7] Correspondence vol. 2, …

The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 3 hits
- … on subjects connected with natural theology (1839), Brougham commented that bees acted with a …
- … suppose when we recollect who is her teacher’ (Brougham 1839, 1: 35, 77). William Kirby wrote of the …
- … no bee in the world ever made cylindrical cells (Brougham 1839, 1: 32). However, Darwin knew that …

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: 4 hits
- … voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle (1839), was written by John Clunies Ross, …
- … in the Beagle , and especially the works published in 1839 by her captain, Robert FitzRoy and his …
- … are marked in roman numerals. Others relate to Darwin’s 1839 or 1845 volumes and Belcher’s …
- … star in the scientific world, and had copies of both the 1839 Narrative and the 1845 second edition …

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,…
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…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [c. Feb 1839] Emma discusses Darwin’s religious …
4.10 'Hornet' caricature of Darwin
Summary
< Back to Introduction Caricatures of Darwin that depicted him as a semi-ape are numerous and well known, but they marked a specific historical moment. Most date from the period following the publication of Descent of Man in 1871-2, extending through…
Matches: 0 hits
4.21 Gegeef, 'Our National Church', 1
Summary
< Back to Introduction A print with the ironic title Our National Church: The Aegis of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity was issued by the London publisher Edmund Appleyard in c.1872-3, and sold at a penny. The artist who drew it signed himself …
Matches: 0 hits

Journal of researches
Summary
Within two months of the Beagle’s arrival back in England in October 1836, Darwin, although busy with distributing his specimens among specialists for description, and more interested in working on his geological research, turned his mind to the task of…
Matches: 3 hits
George James Stebbing
Summary
George James Stebbing (1803—1860) travelled around the world with Charles Darwin on board HMS Beagle and helped him with measuring temperature on at least one occasion. However, Stebbing barely registers in Darwin’s correspondence. The only mention omits…

Elleparu (York Minster)
Summary
Elleparu was one of the Alakaluf, or canoe people from the western part of Tierra del Fuego. He was captured by Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, in 1830 after one the small boats used for surveying the narrow inlets of the coast of Tierra del Fuego…
Matches: 1 hits
- … FitzRoy.] 3 vols. and appendix. London: Henry Colburn. 1839. …

Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications
Summary
This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…

Yokcushlu (Fuegia Basket)
Summary
Yokcushlu was one of the Alakaluf, or canoe people from the western part of Tierra del Fuego. She was one of the hostages seized by Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, after the small boat used for surveying the narrow inlets of the coast of Tierra del…
Matches: 1 hits
- … FitzRoy.] 3 vols. and appendix. London: Henry Colburn. 1839. …

Orundellico (Jemmy Button)
Summary
Orundellico was one of the Yahgan, or canoe people of the southern part of Tierra del Fuego. He was the fourth hostage taken by Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, in 1830 following the theft of the small surveying boat. This fourteen-year old boy was…
Matches: 1 hits
- … FitzRoy.] 3 vols. and appendix. London: Henry Colburn. 1839. …
4.34 'Punch', Sambourne cartoon 1
Summary
< Back to Introduction Linley Sambourne’s cartoon in Punch, a ‘Suggested Illustration’ for Darwin’s forthcoming book on The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants (1875) is another playful transformation of the author into an ape or monkey. However,…
Matches: 0 hits

Darwin in letters, 1821-1836: Childhood to the Beagle voyage
Summary
Darwin's first known letters were written when he was twelve. They continue through school-days at Shrewsbury, two years as a medical student at Edinburgh University, the undergraduate years at Cambridge, and the of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … until FitzRoy completed his volume of the Narrative in 1839. London scientific society …