Showing 41–54 of 54 items
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.
Lady Dorothy Nevill is CD’s best chance for Dionaea.
Reports on Belfast meeting of BAAS. Lubbock’s lecture went off admirably. Huxley’s was the magnum opus.
Encloses letter from Mrs Barber on protective coloration of animals.
Forwards a letter reporting on a blow-fly trapped by a leaf of Dionaea; decomposition of fly has also decomposed the leaf. JDH has written asking for a strong plant, and explaining the case [of surfeit].
Thiselton-Dyer’s announcement of his inability to continue as JDH’s private secretary is a blow. He will now be doing original work. JDH is glad of that but the loss of his help is great.
CD’s Utricularia findings – bladders, subterranean roots, and insects decomposing in them – a grand discovery.
Information about various species of Utricularia.
Oliver will attend to his letter.
Tells of discovery and rediscovery of Aldrovanda.
Asks what CD thinks of "old Pritchard’s discourse" [C. Pritchard, Natural science and natural religion (1874)]. Does not affect evolution at all. It does affect the rather unprofitable doctrine of materialism.
His plans for the Royal Society Presidential Address.
Probably a discussiion of J. D. Hooker’s feelings after death of his wife, Frances Harriet, on 13 November 1874: the letter is badly damaged.
Encloses a letter [from Huxley about his invitation to lecture at Edinburgh]. Has done his best to dissuade Huxley from accepting the burden.
JDH’s depression in bereavement.
Huxley feels he can accept the Edinburgh lecture invitation.
Also tells JDH he is preparing a paper for Linnean Society on classification which will uphold evolution ["On the classification of the animal kingdom", J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Zool.) 12 (1876): 199–226]. He has thrown overboard all his old ideas of definite demarcation. He will make a clean breast of it, and will bear hard on necessity of all such ideas as Haeckel’s in dealing with systematic zoology.
Delighted with Farrer’s assistance. A. Helps has also spoken to Sir S. Northcote.
JDH is getting on well but has periods of great depression.
His view of Huxley’s cutting Mivart without explanation. States his own intentions. Mivart’s apology in October Quarterly Review is abominable.
Has heard of a Drosophyllum in Edinburgh. Is it too late?
Will help Romanes. Offers Kew’s facilities for experiments. Is writing to the Board [of Works?] about a physiological laboratory, which Sir Philip Joddrell has offered to build. Thinks Government should support original research like Romanes’.
Has gone over Huxley’s letter, thinks it a model. All must now await developments. If Mivart does not apologise, JDH will write to him.
Explains that his letter had to do with how he should act publicly to Mivart if he retracted. He would not forgive him. If he does not retract, it would no longer be possible to keep him Secretary of the Linnean Society.
Drosophyllum will be sent when weather permits.
