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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.
Ludwig Büchner is in London. Requests interview for him with CD on Wednesday or Thursday; he leaves Friday.
Thanks for gift of Movement in plants.
Plans botanical research in Brazil.
Hermann von Jhering is conducting experiments on snakes.
WB obliged to work as newspaper correspondent.
Plans breeding experiments on dimorphic plants.
Only 270 copies of Movement in plants remain. Suggests printing another 250 and then breaking up type. If CD agrees, has he any corrections?
Sends a copy of Earthworms.
Regrets he cannot answer SP’s question on gnats.
Sends a copy of A. R. Wallace’s work [The geographical distribution of animals (1876)].
Advises Fd’AF on how to carry out his work, "Keep notes & go on accumulating facts". CD will write to J. D. Hooker about the plants Fd’AF has collected.
Unable to contribute an essay to a symposium on the subject of vivisection. Objects to use of term "symposium".
Mentions articles of Hermann Müller.
Death of his brother Erasmus [26 Aug 1881].
Praises JDH’s York address.
S. B. J. Skertchly has paralleled Axel Blytt’s work in Cambridgeshire fens.
JDH too cautious on southern glacial period.
Is Kew interested in Azores plants collected by Arruda Furtado, a local inhabitant and an evolutionist?
Discusses insect attraction to artificial flowers. CD’s experiments of 40 years ago failed, but Nägeli reported success by scenting them.
Thanks for letter about death of Erasmus Darwin.
Cannot answer question about dotterels.
Asks him to deliver two or three feet of linoleum.
Has been visiting Anthony Rich, who persists in his intention to leave his property to CD despite the large fortune left by Erasmus. It is now all the more necessary for CD to arrange his own will.
Erasmus has left half his fortune to CD. Anthony Rich nevertheless insists on keeping to his testamentary arrangements. He also referred to leaving some additional property to THH.
Thanks HH for a newspaper containing an article of interest.
Has sent FM’s account of Pandanus and Oxalis to Nature ["Leaves injured at night by free radiation", Nature 24 (1881): 459].
Is crossing heterostyled plants.
Hopes to get his notes on bloom together.
Wishes to draw up a new will; outlines the changes to be made in the provisions.
Hooker would be very glad to see the mountain plants Fd’AF has collected.
Hooker says huge cypress trunks have been found buried in the ground [in the Azores]; the site needs to be described and investigated. CD suggests collecting earth from same bed to see whether any seeds have remained viable.
Discusses financial affairs.
Quotes from a Fritz Müller letter of 9 Aug supporting CD’s views that leaves position themselves at night so as to minimise heat loss by radiation. It is a new fact to CD that leaves take different positions at different seasons.
CD interested in JBI’s observations of behaviour of bees. Finds his criticism about hexagonal cells made by queen wasps a good one. Cannot remember how he got out of the difficulty.
His book on worms to be published soon.
E. A. Darwin has died after short illness.
A circular letter on the distribution of his money at death and the division ofErasmus’ estate.
