Search: 1850-1859 in date 
Darwin, C. R. in correspondent 
Fox, W. D. in addressee 
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From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
[17 Jan 1850]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 75)
Summary:

Account of the birth of Leonard Darwin, during which he administered the chloroform to Emma.

Continues the water-cure.

Has begun work on fossil cirripedes.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
[May 1850]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 76)
Summary:

Details of his continuing water-cure regimen.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
4 Sept [1850]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 77)
Summary:

Has heard that Louis Agassiz maintains the doctrine of several species of man "much I daresay to the comfort of the slave-holding southerners".

Homeopathy excites his wrath even more than clairvoyance.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
10 Oct [1850]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 78)
Summary:

Is concerned about the education of his boys and is undecided between Rugby and Bruce Castle schools; is inclined toward the latter, but afraid to experiment on so important a subject.

Reports on his pear-trees.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
[27 Mar 1851]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 78a)
Summary:

Sends condolences to WDF on the death of his father. Has brought his daughter [Anne] to J. M. Gully for the water-cure.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
29 Apr [1851]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 79)
Summary:

His favourite child, Anne, has unexpectedly died.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
7 Mar [1852]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 80)
Summary:

Congratulates and "condoles" with WDF on a tenth child.

On education, he has not had courage to break away from "the old stereotyped stupid classical education"; has sent William to Rugby.

The first Ray Society volume [Living Cirripedia] is finished.

Has joined in a society to prosecute violators of the act against use of children in climbing chimneys.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
24 [Oct 1852]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 81)
Summary:

News of his health; has been well of late, but cannot stand excitement. Hereditary weakness is another of his bugbears.

At work on cirripedes – "I hate a Barnacle as no man ever did before."

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
29 Jan [1853]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 82)
Summary:

Discusses education of his sons. Would like to see more diversity.

He is pleased that Richard Owen and others had a good opinion of his first volume [on Living Cirripedia].

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
17 July [1853]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 84)
Summary:

Discusses Rugby and education in general. The enormous proportion of time spent on classics checks interest "in anything in which reasoning & observation comes into play".

Expresses shock and sympathy on learning of the deaths in WDF’s house.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
29 [July 1853]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 83)
Summary:

Sympathises with WDF’s tribulations.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
10 Aug [1853]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 85)
Summary:

Thanks WDF for writing so soon after his misfortunes, and again expresses sympathy.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
19 Mar [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 87)
Summary:

Asks WDF to observe at what age pigeons have tail-feathers sufficiently developed to be counted.

CD is hard at work on his notes for a book with all the facts "for & versus" the immutability of species.

Asks for a young chicken and a nestling common pigeon.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
27 Mar [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 88)
Summary:

Thanks WDF for his offer of assistance in collecting varieties of poultry. Describes his needs. He will raise his own pigeons.

Often doubts whether, despite all help, the problem of species will not overpower him.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
26 Apr [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 89)
Summary:

Explains more clearly what he is looking for in his work on poultry: relative variation at different ages, the effect of disuse on different parts, breeding between wild and domestic, and degree of fertility of "mongrels of very diverse races".

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
7 May [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 90)
Summary:

William Yarrell has assured him that call ducks cross freely with common varieties. CD would like a seven-day duckling and an old one that dies a natural death.

CD is depressed – all his experiments are going wrong, "all nature is perverse and will not do as I wish it". Feels he is getting out of his depth.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
17 May [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 91)
Summary:

Asks WDF to induce schoolboys to collect eggs of lizards and snakes for him. He will see whether they float and stay alive on sea-water.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
23 May [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 92)
Summary:

He may insert his request for lizards’ eggs in Gardeners’ Chronicle.

His study of mongrel chicks is to ascertain whether the young of domestic breeds differ as much as their parents.

Has already sent a communication on means of distribution of plants by sea to Gardeners’ Chronicle [Collected papers 1: 255–8].

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
11 June [1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 93)
Summary:

Thanks WDF for specimens and his great help to CD in his work on variations in young and adult ducks and poultry. Has found feet of tame adult ducks weigh twice as much as those of wild ones.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
William Darwin Fox
Date:
27 [June 1855]
Source of text:
Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 94)
Summary:

Several seeds have come up after 65–70 days’ immersion in salt water.

Has now a fine collection of pigeons and intends to cross them systematically.

Needs information on mongrel crosses of animals of all kinds.

Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project