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.
The Music Meeting was "glorious"; Malibran outshone all others.
Missed Hope in London.
CD’s father has been very ill, but is now slowly improving.
Writes of Leonard Jenyns’ cabinet and J. S. Henslow’s parties.
A ball and two concerts at Shrewsbury; guests at the Darwins’: Mr and Mrs Mathew, three Mr Clives, Emma Wedgwood.
Theatre at Shrewsbury.
Spark’s death.
Harry [Henry Allen] Wedgwood will make the circuit for the first time at the forthcoming assizes.
Tells of gay times with guests.
Writes, while visiting the Wedgwoods at Maer and Parkfields, to thank CD for his "entertaining letter".
She misses him and the laboratory.
Asks "how Mineralogy, Botany, Chemistry and Entomology go on".
Shrewsbury news.
Glad he likes Edinburgh.
They have been going to plays performed by a travelling company he knows.
Family news.
Family news. Visits to the Owens at Woodhouse and the Parkers at Overton.
Family and Shrewsbury news. Visits of relatives and friends.
Has found a shop with supplies of chemical equipment, and a mineral collector.
EAD wants changes made and shelves built to improve the laboratory at the Mount [Darwin residence]; sends drawings and will bring chemical instruments, a book, and his record of experiments done in his chemistry course.
He has now been matriculated.
Suggestions for laboratory equipment. Will buy some mineral specimens. Describes experiments he has seen.
More suggestions for the laboratory, including some experiments.
Discusses plans for CD to visit Cambridge.
Saw a mineral salesman, but he had nothing CD does not already have.
EAD has a piece of petrified sponge and some curious coal that John Price pulled out of his fire.
Griffith’s Animal kingdom [Griffith, Edward, et al. 1827–35. The animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organization, by the Baron Cuvier, … with additional descriptions of all the species hitherto named, and of many not before noticed. 16 vols. London] just being published. He is sure CD would like it.
Proposes a dry place for the apparatus for their laboratory and draws a plan for CD’s criticism.
Price has found black sediment in his tea, which was attracted to a magnet.
Asks CD to do an experiment for him.
Has found a curious stone in his fire.
Price’s iron in tea measured 13 per cent.
Tells CD a bill is all right. Hopes his father will pay it and a wine merchant’s bill as well.
EAD thinks it a pity if CD does not go to Cambridge, but it will be very pleasant for them to be together at Edinburgh, where they should go as soon as possible and read. EAD is getting "case-hardened" in anatomy.