A new German edition of Descent is planned. Would like to work on proofs before leaving for lectures at Edinburgh.
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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
A new German edition of Descent is planned. Would like to work on proofs before leaving for lectures at Edinburgh.
JHM, who has not read CD’s works, must conduct a discussion on Darwinism and theology at a local literary society. He asks CD to define briefly his position on the origin of man and on descent.
An awful row at the Linnean Society. William Carruthers and Co. packed a meeting to throw out a decision of the Council. He was beaten by one vote (more than two-thirds majority needed).
Spent two hours with Lyell talking about Thomas Belt’s book [The naturalist in Nicaragua (1874)]: "the tropical old Glaciers beat the seance I do think".
Lyell agrees that the glacial epoch is the great geological crux of the day. Lowering of the ocean level must also be investigated.
Curious about A. C. Ramsay’s paper coming at Royal Society on 29th ["On the comparative value of certain geological ages", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 22 (1874): 145–8].
Huxley’s new book [? Critiques and addresses (1873)].
Russian Expression has sold nearly 2000 copies.
Plans to come to England to study collections of vertebrate fossils from the Chalk. This will complement his work in the south of France.
Has grown haricots in England following CD’s suggestion in the Origin that this had never been done.
Wishes to see CD.
Discusses coral reefs
and encloses a copy of his "Reisebericht" [Z. Wiss. Zool. 13 (1863): 538–70], as requested by CD.
Reports to CD on a spiritualist séance attended by himself (incognito) and G. H. Darwin.
On obtaining Clerk Maxwell’s memoir on Saturn for his wife, Sofya.
CD elected Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [See 9305.]
On proportion of sexes in births of cattle; variations in families. Encloses a letter from J. G. Grove on proportions of sexes in animals.
The limitation of inbreeding.
Has finished the index [for Descent, 2d ed.].
Statement of U. S. sales of Origin, Expression, and Descent.
Thanks CD for copy of Examiner.
Fear of communism is making CD’s theory popular among possessing classes.
Describes reception of Lyell’s Antiquity of man among German country people.
Responds to CD’s queries about breeders’ practices in destroying and saving males or females in litters of deerhounds.
Discusses the evolution of marriage systems; considers the scheme of development CD proposes: 1. Polygyny and monogamy; 2. Polyandry; 3. Promiscuity; 4. Polygyny and monogamy in recurrence. Explains what he understands by promiscuity. JFM believes that polygyny, monogamy, and polyandry must have occurred in "every district from the first, and grown up together into systems sanctioned by usage first and then law". Considers polygyny necessarily the privilege of the few and, as a system, believes it had less to do than any other with the history of marriage. He sees polyandry as an advance from promiscuity and the stage at which contractual obligations between men and their wives begin.
Sends £40 for copyright to Édmond Barbier’s revision of Moulinié’s Descent translation.
Journal of researches translation is in press.
Finds statistical evidence that cousin marriages are at least three times as frequent in "our rank" as in the lower.
Believes that he has an important physical theory: all atoms revolve.
George brought a plant from Cambridge, which he is keeping for CD.
Asks CD’s help in finding original woodcuts for "Voyage of a naturalist" [Journal of researches] for Reinwald.