From Edward Blyth [22 September 1855]
Summary
Gives extract from a letter from Capt. R. Tickell: rabbits are not bred by the Burmese; common European and Chinese geese are bred but have probably only recently been introduced.
EB gives references to works illustrating the dog-like instinct of N. American wolves.
Discusses reason and instinct; ascribes both to man and animals. Comments on various instincts, e. g. homing, migratory, parental, constructive, and defensive. Reasoning in animals; cattle learning to overcome fear of passing trains.
Hybrid sterility as an indication of distinct species. Interbreeding as an indication of common parentage.
Enlarges upon details given by J. C. Prichard [in The natural history of man (1843)].
Adaptation of the two-humped camel to cold climates. Camel hybrids.
Doubts that domestic fowl or fancy pigeons have ever reverted to the wild.
Feral horses and cattle of S. America.
Believes the "creole pullets" to be a case of inaccurate description.
Variations in skulls between species of wild boar.
Pigs are so prolific that the species might be expected to cross.
Milk production of cows and goats.
Sheep and goats of lower Bengal.
Indian breeds of horses.
Variation in Asiatic elephants.
Spread of American tropical and subtropical plants in the East.
EB distinguishes between races and artificially-produced breeds.
[CD’s notes are an abstract of this memorandum.]
Author: | Edward Blyth |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [22 Sept 1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 98: A85–A92 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1755 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … island of Crete. Hodgson 1847 and Hodgson 1842 . Both references are to Hutton 1846 . For …
- … relations. London. Hodgson, Brian Houghton. 1842. Notice of the mammals of Tibet, with …
- … vols. London. 1835–7. [vols. 5,7] Hutton, Thomas. 1842. "Borz’ of the Afghans–wild goat of …
- … the American species of lynx in Blyth 1842, pp. 748–58. James Fenimore Cooper . See …
To J. S. Henslow 13 March 1855
Summary
Acknowledges a list [of plants?].
Looks forward to new edition [of British plants growing wild in the parish of Hitcham, Suffolk, 2d ed. (1855)].
JSH should not trouble about Anacharis until he is less busy. Will send cirripedes.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
Date: | 13 Mar 1855 |
Classmark: | DAR 93: A25 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1647 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … was introduced to Britain from Canada c . 1842. Thereafter it spread throughout Europe. …
To Hugh Miller 29 March [1855]
Summary
Requests HM’s article in the Witness [24 Feb 1855; see HM, "On the late severe frost", Proc. R. Phys. Soc. Edinburgh 1 (1854–8): 10–14], on the effects of frost on shells. CD expresses admiration for the two works by HM he has read.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Hugh Miller |
Date: | 29 Mar [1855] |
Classmark: | National Trust for Scotland (Hugh Miller’s Cottage, Cromarty) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1657 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Red Sandstone ( Miller 1841 ) in June 1842, First impressions of England and its people ( …
To J. D. Hooker 10 June [1855]
Summary
Detailed response to JDH’s critique of sea transport and continental connection theories. JDH’s claim that low plants are widely distributed fits both theories.
Species theory does not touch origin of life.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 10 June [1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 136 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1696 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1842. South America : Geological observations …
To T. H. Huxley 10 June [1855]
Summary
Asks whether THH will attend Council of Royal Society and speak for him on Joachim Barrande and J. D. Dana.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Henry Huxley |
Date: | 10 June [1855] |
Classmark: | Janet Huxley (private collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1697 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … During the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842. Under the command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. …
From Bartholomew James Sulivan 2 February [1855]
Summary
The only mainland vegetation he saw on Falkland Island shores were trees. Remembers no strange birds there, but on journey home saw a woodcock more than 500 miles from the nearest land.
Author: | Bartholomew James Sulivan |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 2 Feb [1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 205.2: 251 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1551 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … 1839–40) and the second in H.M.S. Philomel (1842–6). He had also farmed on the Falklands …
To J. S. Henslow 23 [August or September 1855]
Summary
Asks JSH to identify an umbellifer.
Describes his efforts to compare number of seeds of wild and cultivated plants.
Asks that more wild celery be collected and seeds counted. Seeks to verify whether "most typical form produces most seed" and whether cultivation lessens fertility.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Stevens Henslow |
Date: | 23 [Aug or Sept] 1855 |
Classmark: | DAR 93: A112–13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1748 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … A wild carrot had 40,000 seeds. Doubleday 1842 , Godwin 1820 , and Hickson 1849 are cited …
From Edward Blyth 8 October 1855
Summary
Encloses two sets of notes [see 1761 and 1762]. EB believes that as a general rule species do not inter-mix in nature whereas varieties, descendants of a common stock, do. Origin of varieties. Geographically separated species are sometimes obviously distinct and sometimes apparently identical. EB does not believe that species or races of independent origin need necessarily differ. Local distribution of species of black cockatoo contrasts with the widespread white cockatoo. The occurrence of distinct but related species in different regions of a zoological province, preserved because of geographical barriers. Instances of interspecific hybrids and intraspecific sterility. Local varieties of species. Varieties are subdivisions of the main branches of the tree of organisms, dividing irregularly but remaining independent of the twigs from another branch.
Author: | Edward Blyth |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 8 Oct 1855 |
Classmark: | DAR 98: A99–A103 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1760 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Bibliography Hutton, Thomas. 1842. "Borz’ of the Afghans–wild goat of Afghanistan, "The …
From J. D. Hooker [before 17 March 1855]
Summary
JDH criticises C. J. F. Bunbury’s paper on Madeira [J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 1 (1857): 1–35].
Absence of Ophrys on Madeira suggests to JDH a sequence in creation of groups.
Why are flightless insects common in desert?
Australian endemism.
Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [before 17 Mar 1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 104: 210–13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1644 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … librarian of the Linnean Society from 1842 to 1880 ( Gage 1938 , p. 159). See letter from …
From Edward Blyth 22–3 August 1855
Summary
Gives extracts from a letter by Thomas Hutton.
Rabbits are kept (generally by Europeans) in the NW. provinces and breed freely. Canaries are not well adapted to the climate. Reports on domestic cats and pigeons of the area. EB gives references to further information on cats, pigeons, and silkworms.
[CD’s notes are an abstract of this letter.]
Author: | Edward Blyth |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 22–3 Aug 1855 |
Classmark: | DAR 98: A79–A84 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1746 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Hutton had discovered the species on 7 May 1842 ( ibid. ). In a later letter to Charles …
To J. D. Hooker 27 May [1855]
Summary
CD’s seed paper in Gardeners’ Chronicle [Collected papers 1: 255–8];
CD attacks Forbes’s "Atlantis".
Considers solutions to floating problem. Decides to test Azores seeds.
Photographs and drawings of CD.
Plant movement experiments with Hedysarum gyrans.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 27 May [1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 132 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1688 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Cottrell Watson had botanised in the Azores in 1842. His results were summarised in Watson …
letter | (11) |
Darwin, C. R. | (5) |
Henslow, J. S. | (2) |
Hooker, J. D. | (2) |
Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
Miller, Hugh | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (11) |
Blyth, Edward | (3) |
Hooker, J. D. | (3) |
Henslow, J. S. | (2) |
Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
Darwin and Down
Summary
Charles and Emma Darwin, with their first two children, settled at Down House in the village of Down (later ‘Downe’) in Kent, as a young family in 1842. The house came with eighteen acres of land, and a fifteen acre meadow. The village combined the…
Darwin and Fatherhood
Summary
Charles Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and over the next seventeen years the couple had ten children. It is often assumed that Darwin was an exceptional Victorian father. But how extraordinary was he? The Correspondence Project allows an unusually…
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…
Natural Selection: the trouble with terminology Part I
Summary
Darwin encountered problems with the term ‘natural selection’ even before Origin appeared. Everyone from the Harvard botanist Asa Gray to his own publisher came up with objections. Broadly these divided into concerns either that its meaning simply wasn’t…
Matches: 1 hits
- … heading in the earliest outline of his theory written in 1842 , and, as he told Asa Gray in …
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…
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
- … Illustrations of the Domestic animals of Gt. Britain [D. Low 1842].— 23 must be read carefully. …
- … Erasmus—— Lavater. Life & Correspondence [?Heisch 1842] Coleridge. Literary …
- … Cicero [Middleton 1741] W. Meister’s Life [Goethe 1842].— Malcolm’s History of Persia …
- … [DAR *119: 15] Zanoni by Bulwer [Bulwer-Lytton 1842]. Life of D. of Marlborough [A. …
- … organs read A. Alison on Population. 2 vols. Feb. 1842 [A. Alison 1840].— Youatt in …
- … 1836]: worth looking at. Low has probably told all [D. Low 1842] Madras Journal [ Madras …
- … Soc. appears to be good Papers on Sewalik Fossils in 1842 [Cautley 1840 and Cautley and Falconer …
- … Read “Bronn’s Geschicte der Natur.” [Bronn 1842–3] Kingdons translat …
- … Jussieus introduct to Bot. price 6 s [Jussieu 1842] [DAR *119: 20v.] …
- … Cerealia [Loiseleur Deslongchamps 1842–3] Phytologist [ …
- … (List from Muller & Bronn [Müller 1837–42 and Bronn 1842–3] in this Book) 52 Royle …
- … . Smollets William & Mary. & Anne [Smollett 1805].— 1842 Jan 10 M rs …
- … —— 17 th Laing notes of a Traveller 1 vol [Laing 1842] —— Finished Wordsworth 6 vols. …
- … such instincts .— [DAR 119: 12b] 1842 March. 26 th Holcroft’s Memoirs …
- … [Hyde 1704] Feb. Vol. of Madame D’Arblay [Burney 1842–6] Mar 1. Lieut. Eyres Narrative …
- … nothing —— Doubleday on Population [Doubleday 1842] —— Ramond’s voyage in Pyrenees …
- … 1774] —— F. Bremer’s little novels [Bremer 1842, 1843b, 1844a, 1844c] March 7 th M …
- … 1839] 14 th Arnolds lectures on History [Arnold 1842] —— History of Civilization by …
- … very poor Oct 1 Owen on Mylodon Robustus [R. Owen 1842]. References at end. 7 th . …
- … June 8 th Wilson Voyage Round Scotland [J. Wilson 1842] (poor) M. Gerard sur l’Espece …
- … [Chambers 1845] —— Bronn’s Gesickte [Bronn 1842–3] 2 d . Vol [DAR 119: 16b] …
- … [M. G. Lewis 1834] Nov 7. Life of Lavater [?Heisch 1842] —— 25. M rs . Meredith. N.S …
- … April VI & VII. vol. of Madame d’Arblay [Burney 1842–6]. —— 15 th . Phillip’s life of W …
- … —— Jussieu. Cours Elementaire Botanique [Jussieu 1842] —— Transactions of Amer. Philosoph Soc …
- … des Naturalistes de Moscou ]. Vols for 1833, 1837, 1838, 1842, 43, 44—not all these latter vols: …
- … 17 th Thompson’s Birds of Ireland [W. Thompson 1842] Part I. Sept. 17. Sir J. Ross. Voyage …
- … Nov. 15 th Wilson Voyage. Scotland [J. Wilson 1842] —— Southey. Book of the Church [R. W. …
- … Keppell. 1853 [Keppel 1853] Dickens America [Dickens 1842] Thackerays Lectures on …
- … et exp. pages 248. 8 vo [Loiseleur Deslongchamps 1842–3] Linn. Soc.? must be read.— not in Royal. …
- … of Indies [Acosta 1604].— Report, Brit. Assoc. 1842 . Richardson N.Z. Fish [J. Richardson …
3.1 Antoine Claudet, daguerreotype
Summary
< Back to Introduction This daguerreotype of Darwin with his firstborn child, William, was, according to a label on the glass, taken on 23 August 1842, just before the family moved from London to Down. It is generally attributed to the French…
Matches: 4 hits
- … was, according to a label on the glass, taken on 23 August 1842, just before the family moved from …
- … daguerreotype of the Darwins. Darwin’s account book for 1842 records the purchase of a daguerreotype …
- … this information does not tally with the dating: in August 1842, William would have been only two …
- … Claudet date of creation 23 August 1842 computer-readable date 1842-08-23 …
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: 7 hits
- … their first child, William Erasmus, was born. In September 1842, the family, now increased by a …
- … and explore new avenues of thought, and by the summer of 1842 he felt that his research had …
- … of species was published, but the general outline of 1842 is, to a surprising degree, present in …
- … far from their original locations. The following year, 1842, having heard of evidence of glaciation …
- … research required. The trip to North Wales in June 1842 was his last field trip: thereafter his …
- … stays at Shrewsbury and Maer during the summers of 1841 and 1842 show that he was making botanical …
- … obvious relevance to the theory of descent (Pencil sketch of 1842, in Foundations , p. 74). …
Darwin’s Photographic Portraits
Summary
Darwin was a photography enthusiast. This is evident not only in his use of photography for the study of Expression and Emotions in Man and Animal, but can be witnessed in his many photographic portraits and in the extensive portrait correspondence that…
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: 14 hits
- … his mouth to do so.—[35] 25v. Feb. 20 th . 1842. Anny (, same age) has learned to shake …
- … 28v. [39] Anny was to day March 1 st 1842 rather amused, at a wafer sticking first to one hand …
- … case of my watch.— 29v. March 1 st 1842— Anny says Papa pretty clearly—[40] A few days …
- … pretty & Papa for a week past perfectly clear Feb 1842 I have long observed that the …
- … for their feelings— 31 [42] In Jan ry . 1842 it was first perceived that Willy began to …
- … “bub my crumps” & 31v. March 29 th . 1842.— I have some months remarked how much …
- … gabble nonsense words,— 33 March 20: th .— 1842 Doddy is a great adept at throwing …
- … the eyes & is a full face.— 36 March 26 th 1842 2 years & 3 mth— Doddy was …
- … not the “beast in house”.— 37v. [50] May 1. 1842. 14 months old It is curious to see how …
- … down the corners of his mouth[51] June 1 st . 1842 Observed the first day I put on a new …
- … stuck to it, “no Doddy did not”. Aug 26 th .. 1842 About a fortnight ago, I met Willy …
- … at Upper Gower Street between 12 February and 16 March 1842. [43] Stammering ran in the …
- … [51] Emma Darwin and the children went to Maer on 3 May 1842; CD joined them on 18 May (Emma Darwin …
- … of bees in pollination, made in the summers between 1840 and 1842, are in DAR 46.2 and DAR 205.5: 53 …
Species theory outlined
Summary
Darwin writes a 32-page outline of his ideas on species change, known as 'the pencil sketch'
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin writes a 32-page outline of his ideas on species change, known as 'the pencil sketch' …
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…
Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions
Summary
Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...
Matches: 1 hits
- … Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
Here is a list of people that appeared in the photograph album Darwin received for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from scientific admirers in the Netherlands. Many thanks to Hester Loeff for identifying and researching them. No. …
Matches: 5 hits
Living and fossil cirripedia
Summary
Darwin published four volumes on barnacles, the crustacean sub-class Cirripedia, between 1851 and 1854, two on living species and two on fossil species. Written for a specialist audience, they are among the most challenging and least read of Darwin’s works…
Matches: 1 hits
- … had also completed two outlines of his ‘species theory’ (1842 Pencil sketch and 1844 Essay). …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
List of people appearing in the photograph album Darwin received from scientific admirers in the Netherlands for his birthday on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Hester Loeff for providing this list and for permission to make her research available.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … obst. doct. 35 Den Haag 20 December 1842 Rotterdam 23 …
Darwin in letters, 1844–1846: Building a scientific network
Summary
The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but he broadened his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species. Far from being a recluse, Darwin was at the heart of British scientific society,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … should be denied him. After prolonged illnesses in 1841 and 1842, years poorly represented in the …
Before Origin: the ‘big book’
Summary
Darwin began ‘sorting notes for Species Theory’ on 9 September 1854, the very day he concluded his eight-year study of barnacles (Darwin's Journal). He had long considered the question of species. In 1842, he outlined a theory of transmutation in a…
Hensleigh Wedgwood
Summary
Hensleigh Wedgwood, Emma Darwin’s brother and Charles’s cousin, was a philologist, barrister and original member of the Philological Society, which had been created in 1842. In 1857, while Wedgwood was preparing a dictionary of English etymology, he wrote…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of the Philological Society, which had been created in 1842. In 1857, while Wedgwood was preparing a …
Darwin and working from home
Summary
Ever wondered how Darwin worked? As part of our For the Curious series of simple interactives, ‘Darwin working from home’ lets you explore objects from Darwin’s study and garden at Down House to learn how he worked and what he had to say about it. And not…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin moved into Down House in Kent on 17 th September 1842 and remained there for the rest of …