To M. J. Berkeley 18 March [1856]
Summary
Thanks MJB for information which he is including in his article for the Linnean Society.
Refers to the peas "which produce the black or intensely purple pods". [See 1834 and 1836.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Miles Joseph Berkeley |
| Date: | 18 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | Joseph R. Sakmyster, ADS Autographs (dealer) (no date) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1843A |
Matches: 5 hits
- … November [1855]. In his letter to Berkeley of 29 February [1856] ( Correspondence vol. …
- … M. J. Berkeley, 29 February [1856] and n. 3, and letter from M. J. Berkeley, 7 March …
- … to impregnation’, and asked for a sample ( letter from M. J. Berkeley, 7 March 1856 ). …
- … this letter and the letter from M. J. Berkeley, 7 March 1856 (see Correspondence vol. …
- … 1856; Journal of the Linnean Society ( Botany ) 1 (1857): 130–40, Collected papers 1: 264–73). CD referred to Berkeley several times in his account of their joint experiments; see also Origin , pp. 358–60. CD’s notes for and manuscript of this paper are in DAR 27.1 E and F. See also Correspondence vol. 5, letter …
To Samuel Birch [12 March 1856]
Summary
Arranges an appointment.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Samuel Birch |
| Date: | [12 Mar 1856] |
| Classmark: | British Museum (Department of the Middle East, correspondence 1826–67: 1489) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1841A |
To C. J. Andersson 25 March [1856]
Summary
Thanks for proof sheets of Lake Ngami: or, exploration and discoveries during four years’ wanderings in the wilds of South Western Africa (Andersson 1856).
Is very grateful for the information CJA has provided about cattle in South Africa, and wishes to ask further questions about native breeds.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles John (Carl Johann) Andersson |
| Date: | 25 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | National Library of South Africa, Cape Town |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1845F |
To W. D. Fox 15 March [1856]
Summary
Believes WDF’s case of mongrel Scotch deerhound is very valuable for him.
Mentions his work on pigeons and chickens.
Fears sometimes he will break down: "My subject gets bigger and bigger".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 15 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 97) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1843 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … of pigeons and poultry. See letter to Samuel Birch, [12 March 1856] . The alula is the ‘ …
- … See letter from W. D. Fox, 8 March [1856] , in which Fox related his view that the …
- … Gentleman’s Companion . See letter to W. D. Fox, 8 March [1856] and n. 7. CD’s series of …
- … Peirce Brent (see letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 20 March [1856] ). The differences in the …
From W. D. Fox 8 March [1856]
Summary
Is trying to procure some cocks for CD.
Believes Scotch deerhounds are mongrels.
| Author: | William Darwin Fox |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | DAR 164: 174 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1646 |
From Edward Blyth [c. 22 March 1856]
Summary
Gives references to works on fowls and pigeons.
Observations on Gallinaceae.
Musk ox skull from southern England is additional evidence for Agassiz’s glacial period. Owen is mistaken in calling it a buffalo.
EB describes the buffalo proper.
Will send domestic pigeon specimens.
Believes pigeons were not bred in India before the Mohammedan conquest. Describes Indian breeds.
Believes the ass is an African rather than an Asian production. Discusses various species of ass and their distribution.
Wild horned cattle on borders of Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.
[Notes received by CD on 6 May 1856.]
| Author: | Edward Blyth |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [c. 22 Mar 1856] |
| Classmark: | DAR 98: 133–9 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1845 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … is a … hybrid. ’ See letter from Edward Blyth, 23 February 1856 and n. 11. Hermann …
- … DAR 205.7: 166–89. See letter from Edward Blyth, 8 January [1856] . Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire …
- … creatures appear. —’ ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 30 August [1856] ). The records of his …
- … 1856 . The fossil ox was discovered by John Lubbock (see Correspondence vol. 5, letter to …
- … vol. 5, letter to W. E. Darwin, [25 April 1855] ). In August 1856, he began crossing all …
From M. J. Berkeley 7 March 1856
Summary
Reports on breeding experiments with various seeds: corn, aubergine, kidney beans, sugar-peas. Speculates that cause of changes in seed colour in sugar-peas may be mere variation rather than result of impregnation.
| Author: | Miles Joseph Berkeley |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 7 Mar 1856 |
| Classmark: | DAR 160: 174 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1836 |
To George Henry Kendrick Thwaites 8 March 1856
Summary
Hopes GHKT will publish on variations in plant species at different elevations. Asks about variations among plants on heights of Ceylon.
Promises to publish on the species question.
Asks for pigeons’ skins from India or Ceylon, and for ducks’ skeletons. Mentions help promised by E. F. Kelaart.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Henry Kendrick Thwaites |
| Date: | 8 Mar 1856 |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.125) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1837 |
To W. B. Tegetmeier 15 March [1856]
Summary
Asks WBT to try to purchase some specific pigeons.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
| Date: | 15 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1842 |
To W. B. Tegetmeier 20 March [1856]
Summary
Discusses various pigeons and would welcome receiving any odd breed. Some pigeons have died from overeating bag salt.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
| Date: | 20 Mar [1856] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1844 |
From Thomas Hutton 8 March 1856
Summary
TH believes that the progeny of hybrid crosses, in which a domesticated or "artificial" race is involved, tend to resemble the more "natural" of their parents [see Natural selection, p. 486].
Provides some information on local hybrid domestic geese [see Natural selection, p. 439] and pigeons.
| Author: | Thomas Hutton |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 8 Mar 1856 |
| Classmark: | DAR 166: 283 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1838 |
| letter | (11) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (7) |
| Berkeley, M. J. | (1) |
| Blyth, Edward | (1) |
| Fox, W. D. | (1) |
| Hutton, Thomas | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (4) |
| Tegetmeier, W. B. | (2) |
| Andersson, C. J. | (1) |
| Berkeley, M. J. | (1) |
| Birch, Samuel | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (11) |
| Berkeley, M. J. | (2) |
| Fox, W. D. | (2) |
| Tegetmeier, W. B. | (2) |
| Andersson, C. J. | (1) |
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: 1 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
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…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Charles Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and over the next seventeen years the couple had ten …
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
Matches: 1 hits
- … Re: Design – performance version – 25 March 2007 – 1 Re: Design – Adaptation of the …
Origin
Summary
Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for the species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, and had resisted suggestions in 1856…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to …
Six things Darwin never said – and one he did
Summary
Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly attributed to Darwin that never flowed from his pen.
Matches: 1 hits
- … Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly …
Dates of composition of Darwin's manuscript on species
Summary
Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s manuscript on species (DAR 8--15.1, inclusive; transcribed and published as Natural selection). This manuscript, begun in May 1856, was nearly completed by…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants …
Descent
Summary
There are more than five hundred letters associated with the research and writing of Darwin’s book, Descent of man and selection in relation to sex (Descent). They trace not only the tortuous route to eventual publication, but the development of Darwin’s…
Matches: 1 hits
- … ‘ Our ancestor was an animal which breathed water, had a swim-bladder, a great swimming …
Species and varieties
Summary
On the origin of species by means of natural selection …so begins the title of Darwin’s most famous book, and the reader would rightly assume that such a thing as ‘species’ must therefore exist and be subject to description. But the title continues, …or…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On the origin of species by means of natural selection …so begins the title of Darwin’s most …
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: 1 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and …
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…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin began ‘sorting notes for Species Theory’ on 9 September 1854, the very day he concluded his …
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: 1 hits
- … Friendship | Mentors | Class | Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific …
Thomas Henry Huxley
Summary
Dubbed “Darwin’s bulldog” for his combative role in controversies over evolution, Huxley was a leading Victorian zoologist, science popularizer, and education reformer. He was born in Ealing, a small village west of London, in 1825. With only two years of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Dubbed “Darwin’s bulldog” for his combative role in controversies over evolution, Huxley was a …
Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…
Matches: 1 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?
Summary
'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…
Matches: 1 hits
- … ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little more I …
4.16 Joseph Simms, physiognomy
Summary
< Back to Introduction In September 1874, the American doctor Joseph Simms, then on a three-year lecture tour of Britain, sent Darwin a copy of his book, Nature’s Revelations of Character; Or, Physiognomy Illustrated. He was seeking a public…
Matches: 1 hits
- … < Back to Introduction In September 1874, the American doctor Joseph Simms, then on a …
Language: key letters
Summary
How and why language evolved bears on larger questions about the evolution of the human species, and the relationship between man and animals. Darwin presented his views on the development of human speech from animal sounds in The Descent of Man (1871),…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The origin of language was investigated in a wide range of disciplines in the nineteenth century. …
Hermann Müller
Summary
Hermann (Heinrich Ludwig Hermann) Müller, was born in Mühlberg near Erfurt in 1829. He was the younger brother of Fritz Müller (1822–97). Following the completion of his secondary education at Erfurt in 1848, he studied natural sciences at Halle and Berlin…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Hermann (Heinrich Ludwig Hermann) Müller, was born in Mühlberg near Erfurt in 1829. He was the …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet …
