From C. G. Semper 6 December 1878
Summary
Asks whether he may use CD’s letters in his work [Die natürlichen Existenzbedingungen der Thiere (1880)] in order to show that Moritz Wagner has misrepresented CD’s views.
Discusses the influence of isolation and external conditions on animals, and the relative importance of the direct effect of external conditions and of selection in bringing about change.
| Author: | Carl Gottfried Semper |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 6 Dec 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 202: 120 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11776 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … life . London: C. Kegan Paul & Co. Wagner, Moritz. 1875. Der Naturproceß der Artbildung. …
- … Das Ausland , 31 May 1875, pp. …
- … 425–8; 7 June 1875, pp. …
- … 449–52; 14 June 1875, pp. …
- … 473–5; 21 June 1875, pp. …
- … 490–3; 28 June 1875, pp. …
- … 513–16; 19 July 1875, pp. …
- … 570–5; 26 July 1875, pp. 589–93. Weismann, August. 1872. Ueber den Einfluss der Isolirung …
- … process of species formation; Wagner 1875 ), Wagner had frequently referred to examples …
To Joseph Lister 7 October 1878
Summary
Suggests that benzoic acid would be a deadly poison to bacteria and their allies.
Is puzzled about the use of borax as a disinfectant because in his experiments Drosera were not in the least injured by boracic acid.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Lister |
| Date: | 7 Oct 1878 |
| Classmark: | Godlee 1917, p. 387 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11719A |
Matches: 7 hits
- … of boracic acid in the treatment of infection and wounds in the Lancet , 1 May 1875, pp. …
- … 603–5, and 22 May 1875, pp. 717–19. …
- … 1985–. Insectivorous plants. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875. Salkowski, …
- … Ernst. 1875. Ueber die antiseptische Wirkung der Salicylsäure und Benzoësäure. Berliner …
- … letter to J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 16 July 1875 and n. 3). In Insectivorous plants , p. …
- … of benzoic acid in experiments performed in 1875; he found bacteria became immobile after …
- … their growth was inhibited ( Salkowski 1875 , p. 298). CD had found that although a weak …
To R. D. Fitzgerald 7 October 1878
Summary
Thanks for pt 4 of Australian orchids [1874–].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Robert David Fitzgerald |
| Date: | 7 Oct 1878 |
| Classmark: | Mitchell Library, Sydney (A 2546) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11719 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … Press. 1985–. Fitzgerald, Robert David. 1875–94. Australian orchids. 2 vols. Sydney: …
- … Fitzgerald’s Australian orchids ( R. D. Fitzgerald 1875–94 ) was published in …
- … parts, beginning in July 1875. CD had …
- … the first three parts from Fitzgerald between 1875 and 1877 (see Correspondence vol. 23, …
- … letter to R. D. Fitzgerald, 16 July 1875 , Correspondence vol. 24, letter to R. D. …
From Arthur Nicols 18 January 1878
Summary
He has obtained further evidence that rats gnaw through lead pipes for water. CD’s opinion that they hear trickling confirms his view that they possess reason.
| Author: | Robert Arthur (Arthur) Nicols |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 18 Jan 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 172: 66 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11324 |
To W. H. Flower 25 February 1878
Summary
Encloses letter from R. A. Blair concerning goose with abnormal wing. Hopes WHF will look at bones.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Henry Flower |
| Date: | 25 Feb 1878 |
| Classmark: | John Innes Foundation Historical Collections |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11375 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875. Variation : The variation of animals and …
- … 297–8. Brown-Séquard, Charles Édouard. 1875. On the hereditary transmission of the effects …
- … the nervous system. Lancet , 2 January 1875, pp. 6–7. Correspondence : The correspondence …
- … summary of his results ( Brown-Séquard 1875 ) in Variation 2d ed. 1: 468–70. For Flower’s …
From Francis Darwin [before 3 August 1878]
Summary
Sachs jumps to the conclusion twiners and tendrils are similar from the Menispermum that twined without a stick. Akebia grows down a stick; not only the free end is involved.
Sleeping plants.
| Author: | Francis Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [before 3 Aug 1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 209.8: 152 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11638 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … Bibliography Pfeffer, Wilhelm. 1875. Die periodische Bewegungen der Blattorgane . Leipzig: …
- … Sachs’s Lehrbuch der Botanik ( Sachs 1868a ) had been translated into English in 1875 ( …
- … Sachs 1875 ). Sachs described negative heliotropism in root-hairs (rhizoids) of …
- … rape) and Sinapis alba (white mustard; Sachs 1875 , p. 677). Menispermum is the genus of …
- … Sachs 1874 ) was added to the notes ( Sachs 1875 , p. [vii]). For the additional material …
- … by some authors as noonday sleep ( Pfeffer 1875 , pp. 62–3 and n. 2). Julius Wiesner had …
To Frederick Howlett 21 September [1878]
Summary
Cannot explain the peculiarities of the blood corpuscles of the Camelidae; maybe similarity between camels and ostriches arises from adaptation rather than common ancestry.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Frederick Howlett |
| Date: | 21 Sept [1878] |
| Classmark: | William Patrick Watson (dealer) (catalogue 22, January 2018, item 20) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11701F |
Matches: 4 hits
- … are oval; the shape is unusual for mammals, but not for birds (see Gulliver 1875 ). …
- … Bibliography Gulliver, George. 1875. Observations on the sizes and shapes of the red …
- … scale, and extended and revised tables of measurements. [Read 15 June 1875. ] Proceedings …
- … of the Zoological Society of London (1875): 474–95. …
To William Bowman 22 February 1878
Summary
Thinks WB’s proposal a very good one. CD could suggest two or three subjects for essays with respect to the vegetable kingdom, but they would require a long course of experiments "& unfortunately there is hardly any one in this country who seems inclined to devote himself to experiments".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bowman, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 22 Feb 1878 |
| Classmark: | Sotheby’s (dealers) (13 December 1977) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11371 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Institution ( Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain 8 ( 1875–8): 390). …
To Eugène Dupuy 21 July 1878
Summary
Considers Brown-Séquard’s discovery of inheritance of injury to nerves most important hereditary observation ever. Extremely interested in correspondent’s confirmation. Impressed that in reported cases of inherited injury suppuration tends to follow the injury.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Pierre Louis Eugène (Eugène) Dupuy |
| Date: | 21 July 1878 |
| Classmark: | Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (bMs 7.10.3 (4)) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11622 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Bibliography Brown-Séquard, Charles Édouard. 1875. On the hereditary transmission of the …
- … to the nervous system. Lancet , 2 January 1875, pp. 6–7. Calendar : A calendar of the …
- … findings in the Lancet ( Brown-Séquard 1875 ). Dupuy’s research on the inherited effects …
- … under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875. …
To Francis Darwin 17 July [1878]
Summary
Discusses sleep movements of Porlieria.
Has read an abstract of Julius Wiesner on heliotropism and geotropism ["Die heliotropischen Erscheinungen im Pflanzenreiche", Anz. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien 15 (1878): 137–40] which seems important but is puzzling.
Gives details of his observations on climbing plants with reference to comments by Julius Sachs.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
| Date: | 17 July [1878] |
| Classmark: | DAR 211: 37 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11615 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875. Climbing plants : On the movements and …
- … Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875. Wiesner, Julius. 1878–80. Die heliotropischen …
- … in the letter to F. J. Cohn, 2 September 1875 ( Correspondence vol. 23). Bernard Darwin …
- … see Correspondence vol. 23, letter from Hugo de Vries, 7 November 1875 and n. 6. See …
- … 23, letter from Hugo de Vries, 7 November 1875 . The first edition of Climbing plants was …
From James Torbitt 26 June 1878
Summary
Progress of experiments. Wants CD’s advice on best way to cross-fertilise his plants.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 26 June 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 145 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11568 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … planted three acres of selected varieties of 1875—the varieties of 1876 were not very good …
- … 15,000 crossed seedlings (seedlings of 1875 crossed with each other) and have been in this …
- … we all know. I have also had varieties of 1875 distributed among 80 farmers on the west …
- … pleasure of sending you by post yesterday—the 1875 seedling is submitted as in comparison …
From James Torbitt 24 February 1878
Summary
Wants CD to forward to Chancellor of Exchequer a letter which explains the progress he has made in his potato crossing. Wants to print a CD letter to arouse public interest in the work.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 24 Feb 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 52: E2, DAR 178: 137 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11373 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … For details of Torbitt’s experiments up to 1875 to cultivate blight-resistant potatoes, …
- … their results are as follow: In the season 1875, I grew 5,000 plants of the potato from …
- … out of the original 5,000 seedlings of 1875, some thirty varieties so slightly diseased as …
- … authority. ” Besides these I have three 1875 varieties which have been absolutely disease- …
- … basket contains twenty-six tubers of 1875 seedlings, being of varieties almost absolutely …
From James Torbitt 17 March 1878
Summary
Life history of potato varieties. Changes in fruit, flower, and seed production with increasing age of a variety.
| Author: | James Torbitt |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 17 Mar 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 141 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11430 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … greatest diffidence. In the summer of 1875 I planted 5,000 potato plants derived during …
- … derived from seed sown in the spring of 1875 and which had produced seed in the succeeding …
- … infancy and I believe that the tubers of 1875 were one year older than were the tubers of …
- … a striking contrast to the seedlings of 1875 ’6 & ’7. Their stems are thick and strong, …
- … Further, sometime during the winter of 1875 Mr Johnston M.P. for Belfast told me he had …
To W. T. Thiselton-Dyer 30 October [1878]
Summary
Wants Impatiens seeds, in order to observe movements of cotyledons.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner Thiselton-Dyer |
| Date: | 30 Oct [1878] |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Thiselton-Dyer, W. T., Letters from Charles Darwin 1873–81: 189–90) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11731 |
To George Francis 22 February 1878
Summary
Thanks for the specimens: the bulbs have been planted.
He has not attended to the colouring matter of plants, but he will ask H. C. Sorby if he would like the specimens.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Francis |
| Date: | 22 Feb 1878 |
| Classmark: | State Library of South Australia (inserted in Insectivorous plants 583.121 D228) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11371F |
From Edouard Bergson 12 November 1878
Summary
Describes the change in shape of a worm over a candle-flame.
| Author: | Edouard Bergson |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Nov 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 201: 4 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11743 |
From J. B. Thayer 29 January 1878
Summary
Is using CD’s correspondence with Chauncey Wright in his book on CW [Letters of Chauncey Wright (1878)].
| Author: | James Bradley Thayer |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 29 Jan 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 88 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11338 |
From Naphtali Lewy 14 May 1878
Summary
Believes that weakness of hybrids explains Biblical injunctions against improper unions.
| Author: | Naphtali Lewy (Halevi) |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 May 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 201: 21 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11509 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Lewy 1874 ), and in book form ( Lewy 1875 ). Lewy’s thesis is discussed in Colp and Kohn …
- … Toldot adam. Ha-Shahar 6: 3–60. Lewy, Naphtali. 1875. Toldot adam . Vienna: n.p. ML : More …
- … Toldot-Adam” (die Abs. des. Mensch. ) Wien 1875. , habe bewiesen dass die biblische …
- … Toldot-Adam” ( the desc. of man) Vienna 1875. , I have demonstrated that the biblical …
To J. D. Hooker 1 July 1878
Summary
JDH may put CD’s name down for £200 for the proposed fund.
Does JDH have a plant of Porlieria hygrometrica he could lend to CD?
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 1 July 1878 |
| Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Royal Society Letters, c. 1875 – c. 1905, JDH/2/18: f.36) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11581 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Gardens, Kew (Royal Society Letters, c . 1875 – c . 1905, JDH/2/18: f.36) Charles Robert …
From Raphael Meldola 30 October 1878
Summary
Plans to produce a translation of Weismann’s Studien zur Descendenz-Theorie [1875–6] and would welcome a preface from CD.
| Author: | Raphael Meldola |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 30 Oct 1878 |
| Classmark: | DAR 171: 130 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11730 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … of Weismann’s Studien zur Descendenz-Theorie [1875–6] and would welcome a preface from CD. …
| letter | (93) |
| Bergson, Edouard | (1) |
| Carus, J. V. | (1) |
| Clarke, Hyde | (1) |
| Coghlan, John | (1) |
| Dallinger, W. H. | (1) |
| Dalziel, Hugh | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (45) |
| Darwin, Francis | (9) |
| Dodel-Port, Arnold | (1) |
| Farrer, T. H. | (2) |
| Farrer, William | (1) |
| Fisher, J. F. | (1) |
| Gray, Asa | (1) |
| Hooker, J. D. | (3) |
| Houston, J. L. | (1) |
| Huxley, T. H. | (1) |
| Judd, J. W. | (1) |
| Lewy (Halevi), Naphtali | (1) |
| Marshall, W. C. | (1) |
| Meldola, Raphael | (1) |
| Müller, Hermann | (1) |
| Nicols, Arthur | (1) |
| Parker, W. K. | (1) |
| Rogers, J. I. | (2) |
| Rolleston, George | (1) |
| Semper, C. G. | (1) |
| Skertchly, S. B. J. | (1) |
| Spottiswoode, William | (1) |
| Sturtevant, E. L. | (1) |
| Thayer, J. B. | (1) |
| Torbitt, James | (7) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (45) |
| Darwin, Francis | (11) |
| Thiselton-Dyer, W. T. | (8) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (5) |
| Bowman, William | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (90) |
| Darwin, Francis | (20) |
| Thiselton-Dyer, W. T. | (8) |
| Torbitt, James | (8) |
| Romanes, G. J. | (5) |
Origin is 160; Darwin's 1875 letters now online
Summary
To mark the 160th anniversary of the publication of Origin of species, the full transcripts and footnotes of nearly 650 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1875 are published online for the first time. You can read about Darwin's life in 1875…
Matches: 11 hits
- … of nearly 650 letters to and from Charles Darwin in 1875 are published online for the first …
- … it behaved in similar ways to the Drosera secretion. In 1875, Klein was a very controversial …
- … I liked the man .’ Other highlights from the 1875 letters include: I am very …
- … of my books. ( Letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 June [1875] ) Darwin wrote this to his …
- … new Editions . ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 August [1875] ) Darwin also completed …
- … this possible ( Letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] ) Agitation for a law …
- … made false statements ( Letter to John Lubbock, 8 April 1875 ) Relations between the …
- … always succeeds ( Letter to G. H. Darwin, 13 October [1875] ) Darwin wrote …
- … help his father and brothers with scientific instruments: in 1875, he designed a hygrometer. …
- … his great works ( Letter to A. B. Buckley, 23 February 1875 ) The year was saddened …
- … in my time ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, [12 December 1875] ) In December, Darwin was …
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: 24 hits
- … during his periods of severe illness. Yet on 15 January 1875 , Darwin confessed to his close …
- … mouthpiece of ‘Jesuitical Rome’ ( Academy , 2 January 1875, pp. 16–17). ‘How grandly you have …
- … again & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January 1875 ). Darwin had also considered …
- … learned of Klein’s testimony from Huxley on 30 October 1875 : ‘I declare to you I did not believe …
- … carried out on live animals in laboratories. In January 1875, he received details of experiments by …
- … printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). In the event, the book …
- … in a review of the book in the Academy , 24 July 1875, by Ellen Frances Lubbock: ‘in Utricularia …
- … born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 July] 1875). Back over old ground …
- … which I had long wished to see,’ he wrote on 21 April 1875 , ‘and now that I have seen it, I am …
- … do a good deal of “hammering”,’ he wrote on 14 July 1875 . ‘I shall not let Pangenesis alone …
- … his own theory of heredity in a series of articles in 1875 and 1876, based partly on his studies of …
- … & more’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [ c . February 1875?] ). By May, having finished …
- … proofmaniac’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, 1 and 2 May [1875] ). But Francis also found …
- … on astronomy, or the Duke of Wellington on art (Max Müller 1875, pp. 305–7). The debate between Max …
- … researches (Carus trans. 1875b; the series is Carus trans. 1875–87). More controversial was the …
- … Darwin wrote: ‘An anonymous compliment | received Feb 16th 1875’. The great and the good …
- … Insectivorous plants ( letter to D. F. Nevill, 15 July [1875] ). Such visitors from the upper …
- … I can talk to anyone’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 3 May [1875] ). Finally it was arranged for the …
- … of twining plants (letters from Lawson Tait, 16 March [1875] and 27 March [1875] ). ‘As I am …
- … Nepenthes & will soon publish’, Darwin warned on 17 July 1875 . But Tait was undaunted. He …
- … Thiselton-Dyer ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 7 July 1875 ). It was Thiselton-Dyer who …
- … was appropriate for so distinguished a nominee. Already in 1875, Lankester had been elected a fellow …
- … of Lyell’s failing health from Hooker in 1874 and January 1875. On 22 February, he was notified of …
- … ‘high type’ ( letter from Woodward Emery, 17 September 1875 ). …
Darwin and vivisection
Summary
Darwin played an important role in the controversy over vivisection that broke out in late 1874. Public debate was sparked when the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought an unsuccessful prosecution against a French physiologist who…
Matches: 17 hits
- … the Trichinae’ (letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] ). Darwin also worried that any bill …
- … their own petition (letter to T. H. Huxley, 14 January 1875 ). In the event, Darwin became …
- … within Darwin’s family. In his letter of 14 January 1875 to Huxley, Darwin mentioned the effect …
- … (letter from Emma Darwin to F. P. Cobbe, 14 January [1875] ). In the course of the public …
- … to Huxley (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 12 February 1875 ). Darwin was in London from 31 …
- … sketch for a petition (letter from T. H. Huxley, [4 April 1875] ). This was evidently passed back …
- … on 7 April (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 7 April [1875] ), and circulating it to others in …
- … were made (letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, 10 April 1875 ), and another version was prepared …
- … of Lords (see letter to J. S. Burdon Sanderson, [11 April 1875] ). He was still unsure whether …
- … Royal Society of London (letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 April [1875] ). The next day he wrote to …
- … else you think best’ (letter to E. H. Stanley, 15 April 1875 ). After further consultations, a …
- … are evident in Darwin’s correspondence in April and May 1875. The initial petition (DAR …
- … order of the clauses. In the revised sketch, dated 24 April 1875, the penalty for unlawful …
- … at this alteration (letter from T. H. Huxley, 19 May 1875 , letter from J. S. Burdon Sanderson, …
- … corrections had been made (letter to Lyon Playfair, 26 May 1875 , and letter from Lyon Playfair, …
- … ( Hansard Parliamentary Debates , 3d ser., vol. 224 (1875), col. 794). A Royal Commission was a …
- … the RSPCA. The commission met between 5 June and 15 December 1875, examining fifty-three witnesses, …
I never trusted Drosera: From E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 July] 1875
Summary
Francis Neary has set his favourite letter to music (with additional vocals and bass by Deen Manning). The satirical verses were sent to Darwin by Ellen Frances Lubbock in 1875 after the publication of his book on insectivorous plants. They…
Matches: 1 hits
- … verses were sent to Darwin by Ellen Frances Lubbock in 1875 after the publication of his book on …
Animals, ethics, and the progress of science
Summary
Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In Descent, he argued that some animals exhibited moral behaviour and had evolved mental powers analogous to conscience. He gave examples of cooperation, even…
Matches: 6 hits
- … but inconclusive (see letter from G. J. Romanes, 14 July 1875 ). Eventually Romanes, who had …
- … physiologists’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 July 1875 ). Darwin was concerned that the method be …
- … let loose from hell’ ( letter to F. B. Cobbe, [14 January 1875] ). Darwin’s involvement in …
- … position most frankly in a letter to Henrietta, 4 January [1875] . I have long thought …
- … present agitation. ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January [1875] ) Darwin worked closely …
- … death in this country. ( letter To T. H. Huxley, 14 January 1875 ) Legislation was passed …
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: 9 hits
- … on this subject. ( To J. V. Carus 7 February 1875 ). In fact, Darwin had planned a new set of …
- … fact seems to me all important.’ ( To Asa Gray, 30 May [1875] ). In earlier papers on plants with …
- … any material aid to plants in fertilization?’ (Meehan 1875) prompted Darwin to inform him that he …
- … to plants to intercross’ ( To Thomas Meehan, 3 October 1875 ). Hermann Müller had also read Meehan …
- … obscure this matter’ ( From Hermann Müller, 23 October 1875 ). The Italian botanists were …
- … plants that crossing was of little importance (Pedicino 1875; Comes 1875). Darwin was philosophical, …
- … Kölreuter’s papers’ ( To Hermann Müller, 26 October 1875 ). Darwin’s copy of Johann Kölreuter’s …
- … in the conditions’ ( To Ernst Haeckel, 13 November 1875 ). He added on a darker note, ‘What I …
- … papers in the same book ( To J. V. Carus, 25 December 1875 ). As Darwin continued to write …
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),…
Thomas Burgess
Summary
As well as its complement of sailors, the Beagle also carried a Royal Marine sergeant and seven marines, one of whom was Thomas Burgess. When the Beagle set sail he was twenty one, having been born in October 1810 to Israel and Hannah Burgess of Lancashire…
Matches: 1 hits
- … about him again until he opened a letter from him in March 1875 . It was written from Rainow, a …
Movement in Plants
Summary
The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…
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
- … sketch showing his system of selection, 21 May 1875 J. G. Joyce's report of …
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: 4 hits
- … book on The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants (1875) is another playful transformation of …
- … forms. A writer in the Gardeners’ Chronicle in March 1875 remarked that Darwin had ‘invested …
- … Sambourne date of creation December 1875 computer-readable date …
- … references and bibliography Punch vol. 69 (11 December 1875), p. 242. Gardeners’ Chronicle …
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 6 hits
- … vol. 23, letter from Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, 20 September 1875 ). He began to compile an account …
- … end of the previous year. He had been incensed in December 1875 when the zoologist Edwin Ray …
- … The controversial issue had occupied Darwin for much of 1875. In January 1876, a Royal Commission …
- … to Insectivorous plants , which was published in July 1875, with a US edition published later …
- … in February 1876 (despite bearing a publication date of 1875), Darwin must have been gratified by …
- … Darwin, who had communicated the paper to the society in 1875 at Tait’s request, with the ‘awful job …
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: 5 hits
- … not retract his criticism in his own second edition (Dana 1875, p. 274). Descent …
- … (Correspondence vol. 23, from J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1875] ), preferring to attack Mivart in …
- … Anthropogenie in the Academy (2 January 1875; see Appendix V, pp. 644–5) . The affair …
- … wrote a polite, very formal letter to Mivart on 12 January 1875 , refusing to hold any future …
- … and a second French edition was published in January 1875 ( letter from C.-F. Reinwald , 4 February …
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, …
Climbing Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment A monograph by which to work After the publication of On the Origin of Species, Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals in…
Vivisection: Darwin's testimony to the Royal Commission
Summary
Wednesday, 3rd November 1875. Mr. Charles Darwin called in and examined. 4661. (Chairman.) We are very sensible of your kindness in coming at some sacrifice to yourself to express your opinions to the Commission. We attribute it to the great…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Wednesday, 3rd November 1875. Mr. Charles Darwin called in and examined. …
Vivisection: first sketch of the bill
Summary
Strictly Confidential Mem: This print is only a first sketch. It is being now recast with a new & more simple form – but the substance of the proposed measure may be equally well seen in this draft. R.B.L. | 2 586 Darwin and vivisection …
Matches: 4 hits
- … cited for all purposes as “The Experiments on Animals Act, 1875.” SCHEDULE. …
- … under the provisions of “The Experiments on Animals Act, 1875,” empowering me to make experiments on …
- … under the provisions of the Experiments on Animals Act, 1875, that the above-named M.N. is enaged in …
- … under the provisions of the Experiments on Animals Act, 1875, accompanied by Certificate, such as is …
1.6 Ouless oil portrait
Summary
< Back to Introduction The first commissioned oil portrait of Darwin was painted by Walter William Ouless, who was given sittings at Down House in March 1875. The idea for such a portrait came from Darwin’s son William, who as far back as 1872 had…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Ouless, who was given sittings at Down House in March 1875. The idea for such a portrait came from …
- … the resulting picture was shown at the Royal Academy in May 1875, the Times reviewer noted …
- … Walter William Ouless date of creation March 1875 computer-readable date …
- … and letter from Charles Darwin to Joseph Hooker, 30 March [1875], DCP-LETT-9905. ‘The Royal Academy’ …
St George Jackson Mivart
Summary
In the second half of 1874, Darwin’s peace was disturbed by an anonymous article in the Quarterly Review suggesting that his son George was opposed to the institution of marriage and in favour of ‘unrestrained licentiousness’. Darwin suspected, correctly,…
Matches: 5 hits
- … to an end. The dispute was not resolved until early 1875, and, even then, not to Darwin’s complete …
- … from J. D. Hooker, 29 December 1874 ). By January 1875, Mivart had still not made any …
- … book Anthropogenie , in the Academy , 2 January 1875. ‘Possessed by a blind animosity against …
- … (Mivart was a Catholic convert.) On 12 January 1875 , Darwin finally wrote to Mivart, …
- … article in a letter published in the Academy , 16 January 1875, p. 66, signed, ‘The Quarterly …
Insectivorous Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Plants that consume insects Darwin began his work with insectivorous plants in the mid 1860s, though his findings would not be published until 1875. In his autobiography Darwin reflected on the delay that…
