To [John Colby] 2 March [1877]
Summary
Does not think the pistil behaved as JC described, except by mere accident.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Colby |
Date: | 2 Mar [1877] |
Classmark: | The National Library of Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10873F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) Charles Robert Darwin Down 2 Mar [ …
To ? 13 December [1869]
Summary
Has given the right of translation [of Descent] to Julius Victor Carus of Leipzig, so the recipient should inform Alexander Duncker to communicate with JVC.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Unidentified |
Date: | 13 Dec [1869] |
Classmark: | The National Library of Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7028F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) Charles Robert Darwin Down 13 Dec [ …
To John Allen 25 May 1847
Summary
Thanks for JS’s note concerning a proposal [concerning some aspect of education of poor children?] which CD has to decline because of his poor health and his work in Natural History.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Allen |
Date: | 25 May 1847 |
Classmark: | The National Library of Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1090F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Israel (Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) Charles Robert Darwin Down 25 May …
From Joseph Fayrer 30 June 1874
Author: | Joseph Fayrer, 1st baronet |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 30 June 1874 |
Classmark: | DAR 58.1: 69–72 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9521 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … other with a solution of cobra poison of . 03 gramme Poison to 4 . 6. cubic centimetres …
Smith, C. A. (1827–1907)
Matches: 1 hit
- … as The New Haven Evening Register; Date: 03-17-1894; Volume: LII; Issue: 65; Page: [1]; …
From Joseph Fayrer 6 January 1875
Summary
Encloses results of experiments on influence of snake poison on ciliary action and vegetable protoplasm.
Author: | Joseph Fayrer, 1st baronet |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 6 Jan 1875 |
Classmark: | DAR 58.2: 71, 73–82, DAR 164: 112 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9806 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … 1. A standard solution of cobra poison: ·03 gramme to 4·6 cubic centimetres of water was …
Darwin, C. R. | (3) |
Fayrer, Joseph | (2) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Allen, John | (1) |
Colby, John | (1) |
Unidentified | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (5) |
Fayrer, Joseph | (2) |
Allen, John | (1) |
Colby, John | (1) |
Unidentified | (1) |
Featured in Commentary

Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 8 hits
- … of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But this work would eventually …
- … pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). But such worries were …
- … kind almost heroic, in you to sacrifice your hair and pay 3 d in the cause of science …
- … canary (letters from J. J. Weir, [26] March 1868 and 3 June 1868 ). ‘It was very kind’, …
- … on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday that contained a …
- … you have communicated to me’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, 3 June 1868 ). it is a fatal …
- … of species through the study of monstrosities, remarked on 3 April , ‘your works are destined to …
- … admirer of your genius’, wrote Frederick Behrens on 3 December , ‘I presume you are much plagued …

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
- … to the subject of cross and self-fertilisation. On 3 October , he wrote with fresh enthusiasm to …
- … other interested parties. Darwin was summoned to testify on 3 November. It caused him much anxiety, …
- … for printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). In the event, the …
- … weekly publications of Natural History’, he explained on 3 June , ‘are not sufficiently …
- … time I can talk to anyone’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 3 May [1875] ). Finally it was arranged for …

Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 4 hits
- … Kingdom, & even the world’ ( letter from J. L. Chester, 3 March 1880 ). Darwin’s sons George …
- … regret that I did not do so’ ( letter to Samuel Butler, 3 January 1880 ). At the top of Butler’s …
- … It is a horrid disease’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 February 1880 ). All went quiet until …
- … letter … made me open my eyes’, Gray replied on 3 February , but he affirmed his original …

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…
Matches: 5 hits
- … vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 4 May [1860] and n. 3; Hutchinson 1914, 1: 51). This was the first …
- … Association meeting at Bath in 1864 (C. Lyell 1864). 3 By November 1863 a third …
- … 20 February 1863 (British Library, Add. MSS 49640). 3. Letters from Charles Lyell to John …
- … Rough draft of a letter from T. H. Huxley to Charles Lyell, [3 June 1865] (Imperial College, Huxley …
- … T. H. Huxley, 6 June 1865 (Imperial College, Huxley papers 3: 109). 29. Letters from …

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: 6 hits
- … for his crimes… ?’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] , and letter to Hugh Falconer, …
- … between reptiles and birds ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] ). Darwin was delighted …
- … in opposition to him ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [22–3 November 1863] ). However, it is certain …
- … that ‘there are almost certainly several cases of 2 or 3 or more species blended together & now …
- … is not at all palatable!’ ( letter from John Scott, [3 June 1863] ). Darwin’s early …
- … [25 July 1863], and letter to J. D. Hooker, [22–3 November 1863] ). Writing Variation …

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: 5 hits
- … conclusions rather’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [before 3 August 1878] ). One day Francis …
- … Moschkau concluded, but it was sold to a vicar and ‘after 3 months his cat ate it.’ Darwin also …
- … that such checks had been in action during the last 2 or 3 centuries, or even for a shorter time in …
- … ). ‘When I first read your note’, Darwin replied on 3 February [1878] , ‘I thought that you had …
- … much of the European crop (see Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. S. Henslow, 28 October …

The writing of "Origin"
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
Matches: 5 hits
- … that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same day that another …
- … was postmarked ‘Singapore Apr 21 58’ and ‘London Ju 3 58’. Brooks maintains that Darwin …
- … forwarded Wallace’s paper to Lyell (Brooks 1984, pp. 262–3). It is of some significance to note that …
- … plan of his book (see letter from Elwin to Murray, 3 May 1859 , and letter to John Murray, 6 …
- … theory for the origin of mankind. As he wrote to Darwin on 3 October 1859 , ‘the case of Man and …

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…

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: 3 hits
- … Francis also purchased a gift for his son Bernard (nearly 3 years old and variously called Abbadubba …
- … progress with all the pride of a fond grandfather. On 3 June, he wrote , ‘Bernard has been very …
- … they mean by God—.’ Undaunted, Mengden wrote again on 3 June to ask Darwin, ‘what definition of …

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…
Matches: 4 hits
- … & hurrah for my species-work’ ( Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, [5 or 12 …
- … in the side of É de B.’ (letter to Charles Lyell, 3 January 1850 ). Barnacles Over …
- … of Balanus , drawings of which are preserved in DAR 29.3 (Plate 20, figs 1–13) and reproduced in …
- … very well. Very methodical in all my habits.’ ( LL 3: 179) …

Biodiversity and its histories
Summary
The Darwin Correspondence Project was co-sponsor of Biodiversity and its Histories, which brought together scholars and researchers in ecology, politics, geography, anthropology, cultural history, and history and philosophy of science, to explore how…
Matches: 1 hits
- … the conservation movement Session 3: Values of Diversity Chair: Helen Anne …
Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…

What did Darwin believe?
Summary
What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of his theory of evolution for religious faith? These questions were asked again and again in the years following the publication of Origin of species (1859). They are…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of its first publication.’ ( Pat Boone, WorldNetDaily, 3 Feb 2007 . Also see Darwin would love …

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution
Summary
The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Darwin on marriage
Summary
On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and been accepted; they were married on 29 January 1839. Darwin appears to have written these two notes weighing up the pros and cons of…

The death of Anne Elizabeth Darwin
Summary
Charles and Emma Darwin’s eldest daughter, Annie, died at the age of ten in 1851. Emma was heavily pregnant with their fifth son, Horace, at the time and could not go with Charles when he took Annie to Malvern to consult the hydrotherapist, Dr Gully.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … disposition which at once rises before me is her buoyant 3 joyousness tempered by two other …

British Association meeting 1860
Summary
Several letters refer to events at the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend the meeting but in the end was unable to. The most famous incident of the meeting was the verbal…
Matches: 1 hits
- … for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend …

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: 4 hits
- … for an hour every afternoon, Darwin finished his account on 3 August with his new research in mind: …
- … ( Correspondence vol. 23). With the voting scheduled for 3 February, Darwin reassured his close …
- … that in less than a day he could type no more than ‘ 2 or 3 times as slowly as writing ’ (DAR 258: …
- … by the pollen from another form ( Forms of flowers , p. 3). Darwin adopted new terminology if it …

'Like confessing a murder' audio play
Summary
This speciallycommissioned BBC Radio drama is based entirely on Charles and Emma Darwin’s own words and correspondence. Behind the controversial public persona, Darwin was an affectionate family man, fully engaged – sometimes heartbreakingly so – in the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … This specially commissioned BBC Radio drama is based entirely on Charles and Emma Darwin’s own …

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…