Naevius (fl. 235–04 BCE )
Matches: 1 hit
- … Naevius fl. 235–04 BCE Italian epic poet and dramatist. Oxford Classical Dictionary 20 …
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
- … Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) Charles Robert Darwin Down 2 Mar [1877] …
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
- … Abraham Schwadron collection, Schwad 03 04 07) Charles Robert Darwin Down 25 May 1847 John …
From Francis Darwin to J. H. Gilbert 8 June 1876
Summary
Asks about constituents of burnt soil.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Henry Gilbert |
Date: | 8 June 1876 |
Classmark: | Rothamsted Research (GIL13) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10535F |
From Asa Gray 4 August 1862
Summary
Gives J. T. Rothrock’s observations on the structure and fertility of the two forms of Houstonia. Mentions his own observations on Rhexia virginica and Gymnadenia tridentata.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 4 Aug 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 110 (ser. 2): 67–9 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3679 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … styled: stigmatic hairs are in length —.04 mm. Short-styled — " " .023" long wide Long- …
From J. S. Burdon Sanderson 25 April 1874
Summary
Purpose of experiments was to determine digestive activity of liquids containing pepsin. Gives required amounts of hydrochloric, propionic, butyric and valerianic acids. Describes experiment and gives results. Also experimented on digestive activity of butyric acid at greater temperatures than the termperature of the body.
Author: | John Scott Burdon Sanderson, 1st baronet |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 25 Apr 1874 |
Classmark: | DAR 58.2: 65–70 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9427F |
Matches: 1 hit
- … centimeters of HCl. are in grammes 4 . 04 of Propionic acid, 4 . 82 of Butyric acid, and …
Darwin, C. R. | (3) |
Burdon Sanderson, J. S. | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Allen, John | (1) |
Colby, John | (1) |
Gilbert, J. H. | (1) |
Unidentified | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (5) |
Allen, John | (1) |
Burdon Sanderson, J. S. | (1) |
Colby, John | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
CCD intro in Commentary

Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments
Summary
The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…
Matches: 7 hits
- … improvement to Jones’s diet ( see letter to T. H. Huxley, 4 October [1865] ). It was not until …
- … for the press in the autumn’ ( letter to John Murray, 4 April [1865] ). In early June, he wrote to …
- … from the Linnean Society ( letter to [Richard Kippist], 4 June [1865] ). The paper was published …
- … to high scientific account’ (A. Gray 1865–6, pp. 273-4). Darwin had also written to Gray on 19 …
- … for him to read attentively ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [4 June 1865] ). The fact that …
- … do it if it ever can be done’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [4 June 1865] ); the hard work of …
- … keep out of contact with him’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 4 May [1865] ). Darwin contributed …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 4 hits
- … of Descent , he wrote to Philip Lutley Sclater on 4 January , ‘Heaven knows, whether the book …
- … produce physiological changes ( letter from Michael Foster, 4 June [1871] ). Pangenesis …
- … can hardly sit up, so no more’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 4 August [1871] ). On 23 September he …
- … good as twice refined gold’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 September [1871] ). The months …

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: 7 hits
- … me’, Darwin wrote enthusiastically to Reginald Darwin on 4 April , declaring that reading it was …
- … independent of him as possible’, Francis told Darwin on 4 July, after reporting that he had …
- … with Ubba about your return’, Darwin wrote to Francis on 4 July , ‘He said “it is likely he will …
- … neither cross nor ennuied’ (Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: 125)). Darwin …
- … has opposed it’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: 125)). Nothing …
- … ‘to be planted in my honour!’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 4 November [1879] ). While in Coniston, …
- … frog be published in Nature ( letter to J. N. Lockyer, 4 and 6 March [1879] ). When Darwin’s …

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: 5 hits
- … curs in London’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [4 February 1876] ). 'The heat of …
- … as stemming a torrent with a reed’, he told Romanes on 4 June , but added, ‘Frank … who sputters …
- … the previous year ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [after 4 September 1876] ). ...all sorts of …
- … say is do not commit suicide’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [4 June 1876] ). By midsummer, Darwin …
- … size of pollen grains & state of stigma’, he told Gray on 4 December. Darwin also adopted …

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
- … He expressed his views to his daughter Henrietta on 4 January : ‘I wd gladly punish severely …
- … eyes of one variety into another ( Variation 2d ed. 1: 420–4, 2: 360). Darwin had encouraged …
- … become wholly white’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [before 4 November 1874] ). Testing …
- … am very glad indeed of your work,’ Darwin replied on 4 November , ‘though I cannot yet follow all …
- … occasions and finally arranged a visit to Down House on 4 May, but was not content with just one …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest
Summary
The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…
Matches: 4 hits
- … [1866] ). Darwin began riding the cob, Tommy, on 4 June 1866, and in a letter to his …
- … before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 ). More predictably, however, …
- … is known on the subject’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 and 4 August [1866] ). And on the next day: …
- … he had sounded the charge’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [4 September 1866] ). 'Natural …

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: 3 hits

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: 3 hits

Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 3 hits

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: 4 hits
- … his criticisms in a letter in the Athenæum , on 4 April, concluding with an invitation to Lyell …
- … that he had started the previous year ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). The results were …
- … as anything in orchids’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). He acquired tropical …
- … slaves stops all my enthusiasm’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 4 August [1863] ). He urged Gray not to hate …

Darwin in letters, 1867: A civilised dispute
Summary
Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Variation). The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly apparent in his work on expression in…
Matches: 3 hits

Darwin in letters, 1861: Gaining allies
Summary
The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. He had weathered the storm that followed the publication of Origin, and felt cautiously optimistic about the ultimate acceptance of his ideas. The letters from this year provide an…
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…

Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?
Summary
Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…

Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…
Matches: 5 hits
- … would be assured ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 103–4). The terminology that Darwin and others employed in …
- … think we have got that yet’ ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). Darwin did not …
- … William Whitaker, and others ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 352–4). Later in the year he was pleased to …
- … and for special ends’ ([Wallace] 1869b, pp. 393–4). Darwin was astonished by Wallace’s …
- … able to work some hours daily’ ( letter to Anton Dohrn, 4 January 1870 ). Darwin’s health was …

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…

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: 4 hits
- … the “Origin of Species”’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 4 October 1868 ). Heaven protect …
- … The British envoy in China, Robert Swinhoe, remarked on 4 August that Darwin’s queries had …
- … who had also criticised Darwin’s theory in print, wrote on 4 March, ‘you force public attention to …
- … ). Barber’s paper was read before the Linnean Society on 4 February 1869, but remained unpublished …

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
- … what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and Natural …

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…

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…