Cambridge U nive rsity Press Editors Frederick Burkhardt

www.cambridge.org© in this web service Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press978-1-107-01648-4- The Correspondence of Charles Darwin: 1871: Volume 19Editors Frederick Burkhardt, James A. Secord, Janet Browne, Samantha Evans, Shelley Innes, Alison M. Pearn and Paul WhiteFrontmatterMore information

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http://www.cambridge.org/9781107016484

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THE CORRESPONDENCE OF

CHARLES DARWIN

Editors

frederick burkhardt† james a. secordjanet browne

samantha evans shelley innesalison m. pearn paul white

Associate Editors

anne schlabach burkhardtrosemary clarksonruth goldstonemuriel palmerelizabeth smithalistair sponsel



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This edition of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin is sponsored by the AmericanCouncil of Learned Societies. Its preparation is made possible by the co-operation ofCambridge University Library and the American Philosophical Society.

The Advisory Committee for the edition, appointed by the Management Board, hasthe following members:

Gillian Beer Tim BirkheadStephen Bourne Daniel GrossmanSandra Herbert Garrett HermanRichard Keynes† Gene Kritsky

Support for editing has been received from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, theAndrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, theBritish Academy, the British Ecological Society, the Evolution Education Trust,the Isaac Newton Trust, the John Templeton Foundation, the National Endow-ment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the Natural Environ-ment Research Council, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Royal Society of London,the Stifterverband fur die Deutsche Wissenschaft, and the Wellcome Trust. TheNational Endowment for the Humanities funding of the work was under grantsnos. re-23166-75-513, re-27067-77-1359, re-00082-80-1628, re-20166-82, re-20480-85, re-20764-89, re-20913-91, re-21097-93, re-21282-95, rz-20018-97, rz-20393-99,and rz-20849-02; the National Science Foundation funding of the work was undergrants Nos. soc-75-15840, soc-76-82775, ses-7912492, ses-8517189, sbr-9020874, sbr-9616619, ses-0135528, ses-0646230, and ses-0957520. Any opinions, findings, conclu-sions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the editors anddo not necessarily reflect the views of the grantors.



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Charles Darwin 1871Photograph by Osar Gustaf Rejlander. CUL DAR 257: 14.

By permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library



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THE CORRESPONDENCE OF

CHARLES DARWINVOLUME 19 1871



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cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town,

Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City

Cambridge University PressTh e Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 8ru, UK

Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York

www.cambridge.orgInformation on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107016484

© Cambridge University Press 2012

Th is publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written

permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2012

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

isbn 978-1-107-01648-4 Hardback

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in

this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel

timetables, and other factual information given in this work is correct at the time of fi rst printing but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee

the accuracy of such information thereafter.



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Dedicated toTHE EVOLUTION EDUCATION TRUST

for its generous supportof the Darwin Correspondence Project



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The Darwin Correspondence Project gratefully acknowledges the essentialsupport of the following donors:

Patrons

The Bonita TrustThe Evolution Education Trust

Golden Family FoundationJim and Hilary Potter

Affiliates

Bern Dibner†William T. Golden†

Kathleen Smith†

Friends

Jane BurkhardtPamela Davis

Florence Fearrington and James Needham†Gerald and Sue Friedman

John C. GreeneDaniel V. Grossman and Elizabeth Scott Andrews

Lawrence K. GrossmanShirley Grossman, M.D.

Mary S. HopkinsRobert McNeil

Michael MathewsVictor Niederhoffer

Wendy L. ThompsonDaniel J. Wright



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CONTENTS

List of illustrations viii

List of letters ix

Introduction xix

Acknowledgments xxviii

List of provenances xxxiii

Note on editorial policy xxxvi

Darwin/Wedgwood genealogy xlii

Abbreviations and symbols xliv

THE CORRESPONDENCE 1

Appendixes

I. Translations 749

II. Chronology 785

III. Diplomas presented to Charles Darwin 788

IV. Presentation list for Descent 792

V. Reviews of Descent 796

VI. Henrietta Emma Darwin’s journal 1871 801

VII. Darwin’s Queries about expression 808

Manuscript alterations and comments 810

Biographical register and index to correspondents 823

Bibliography 930

Notes on manuscript sources 985

Index 989



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ILLUSTRATIONS

Charles Darwin, 1871, photograph by Oscar Gustaf Rejlander frontispiece

Mary and Oscar Gustaf Rejlander, circa 1872 3

Charles Darwin, engraving from the Illustrated London News 168

Arctopithecus flaccidus 250

Laura Dewey Bridgman 285

Gerhard Rohlfs 430

Butterfly wings sent by Fritz Müller opposite pp. 442 and 443

Abutilon darwinii 501

Figure from Chauncey Wright’s ‘On the phyllotaxis’ 515

Richard Buckley and Henrietta Emma Litchfield 559

Virginia Lavinia Isitt, 1874 580

Sivatherium giganteum 607



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CALENDAR LIST OF LETTERS

The following list is in the order of the entries in the Calendar of the correspondence of

Charles Darwin. It includes all those letters that are listed in the Calendar for the year

1871, and those that have been redated into 1871. Alongside the Calendar numbers are

the corrected dates of each letter. A date or comment printed in italic type indicates

that the letter has been omitted from this volume.

Letters acquired after the publication of the first edition of the Calendar, in 1985,

have been given numbers corresponding to the chronological ordering of the original

Calendar listing with the addition of an alphabetical marker. Many of these letters are

summarised in a ‘Supplement’ to a new edition of the Calendar (Cambridge Univer-

sity Press, 1994). The markers ‘f ’, ‘g’, and ‘h’ denote letters acquired after the second

edition of the Calendar went to press in 1994.

5767. [1871?]5926. 24 Feb [1871]6102a. 7 Apr [1871]6508. 18 Dec [1871]6523. [1871]6695. 12 Apr [1871]7048. [Apr 1871?]7057. [1871 or later]7063. [ Jan 1871]7151. 30 Mar [1871]7155. 31 Mar [1871]7377. 20 Nov [1871]7404. [Nov–Dec 1871?]7405. [after 4 Mar 1871]7406. [21 Mar 1871]7407. [after 24 Feb 1871?]7408. [after 15 Apr 1871]7409. [after 29 Apr 1869?]. Published in supplement to

vol. 18.7410. [before 17 Sept 1871]7411. [before 26 Apr 1871]7412. [16 Dec 1871]7413. [after 22? Apr 1868]7414. [1871?]7415. [before 1 June 1871]7416. Cancel: enclosure to 7415.7417. Cancel: enclosure to 7968.7418. [1871]

7419. [after 24 Feb 1871]7420. [before 22 Apr 1871?]7421. Cancel: not a letter.7422. [before 11 Mar 1873]7423. Cancel: partial translation of 7695.7424. [1872–4]7425. [after 21 Jan 1871]7426. [before 4 Jan 1871]7427. 4 Jan [1871]7428. 4 Jan 18717429. 6 Jan [1871]7429a. 6 Jan [1873–4]7430. 7 Jan 18717431. 8 Jan 18717432. 9 Jan 18717433. 9 Jan 18717434. 10 Jan [1870 or 1871]7435. 10 Jan 18717436. 11 Jan 18717437. 11 Jan 18717438. 12 Jan [1871]7439. 13 Jan 18717440. 13 Jan 18717441. 14 Jan [1871]7442. 15 Jan [1871]7442a. 15 Jan [1872–4]7443. 16 Jan 18717444. 17 Jan [1871]



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x List of letters

7445. 18 Jan [1871]7446. 18 Jan [1871]7447. 19 Jan 18717448. 21 Jan [1871]7449. 21 Jan 18717450. 21 Jan [1871]7450a. 21 Jan [1871]7451. 22 Jan 18717452. [before 26] Jan [1871]7453. [23 Jan 1871]7453a. 23 Jan [1871]7454. 24 Jan 18717455. 26 Jan [1871]7456. 26 Jan 18717457. 26 Jan 18717458. 26 Jan 18717459. [26 Jan – 3 Feb 1871]7459a. 26 Jan [1871]7460. 27 Jan 18717461. 27 Jan [1871]7461a. 27 Jan [1871]7462. 28 Jan [1871]7462a. 28 Jan [1871]7463. 29 Jan 18717464. 30 Jan [1871]7465. 30 Jan 18717466. 30 Jan [1871]7467. 31 Jan 18717468. 31 Jan 18717469. [29 Feb 1872]7470. [before 3 Mar 1871]7471. 1 Feb [1871]7472. 1 Feb 18717473. 1 Feb 18717474. 3 Feb 18717475. 3 Feb 18717476. 5 Feb [1871]7477. 8 Feb 18717478. 8 Feb 18717478a. 9 Feb 18717479. 10 Feb 18717480. 10 Feb [1871]7481. 14 Feb [1871]7482. 15 Feb [1871]7483. 15 Feb 18717484. 16 Feb 18717484a. 16 Feb 18717485. 17 Feb 18717486. 18 Feb [1871]7487. 18 Feb 18717488. 18 Feb 18717489. 19 Feb [1871]7490. 19 Feb [1871]7491. 19 [Feb 1871]

7492. 19 Feb 18717493. 20 Feb [1871]7494. 20 Feb 18717495. 20 Feb 18717496. 20 Feb [1871]7497. 20 Feb 18717498. 20 Feb 18717499. 20 Feb [1871]7500. 21 Feb 18717501. 21 Feb 18717502. 21 Feb 18717503. 21 Feb 18717504. 21 Feb [1871]7505. 21 Feb [1871]7506. 22 Feb 18717507. 23 Feb [1871]7508. 23 Feb [1871]7509. 23 Feb 18717509a. 23 Feb 18717510. 24 Feb 18717511. [24 Feb 1871]7512. 24 Feb 18717512f. [23 Nov 1866?]. To be published in next supplement.7513. 25 Feb [1871]7514. 25 Feb [1871]7515. 25 Feb 18717516. 26 Feb 18717516f. [25 Feb 1871]7517. 26 Feb [1871]7518. [27 Feb 1871]7519. 27 Feb [1871]7520. 28 Feb 18717520a. [28 Feb 1871]7521. [after 22 Feb 1871]7522. [before 25 Apr 1871]7523. [after 25 Apr 1871]7524. 1 Mar [1871]7525. 1 Mar [1871]7526. 1 Mar 18717527. 1 Mar [1871]7528. 1 Mar 18717529. [before 21 Feb 1871]7530. 2 [Mar 1871]7531. 2 Mar 18717532. 2 Mar [1871?]7533. 2 Mar 18717534. 3 Mar 18717535. 3 Mar 18717536. 3 Mar 18717537. 3 Mar [1871]7538. 3 Mar 18717539. 3 Mar [1871]7540. 3 Mar 18717541. 3 Mar 1871


Cambridge University Press978-1-107-01648-4- The Correspondence of Charles Darwin: 1871: Volume 19Editors Frederick Burkhardt†, James A. Secord, Janet Browne, Samantha Evans, Shelley Innes, Alison M. Pearn and Paul WhiteFrontmatterMore information

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List of letters xi

7542. [3–9 Mar 1871]7543. 4 Mar [1871]7544. 4 Mar [1871]7545. 4 Mar 18717546. 4 Mar 18717546f. [after 4 Mar 1871]7547. 5 Mar 18717548. 5 Mar [1871]7549. 6 Mar 18717550. 7 Mar [1871]7551. 7 Mar [1871]7552. 7 Mar [1871]7553. 7 Mar 18717554. 8 Mar [1871]7555. 8 Mar [1871]7556. 8 Mar [1871]7557. 8 Mar 18717558. 9 Mar 18717559. 9 Mar [1871]7560. 9 Mar 18717561. [3–9 Mar 1871]7562. [after 9 Mar 1871]7563. 10 Mar 18717564. 10 Mar 18717565. 10 Mar [1871]7566. about 10 Mar [1871]7567. 10 and 14 Mar [1871]7568. 11 Mar 18717569. 11 Mar 18717570. 11 Mar 18717571. 11 Mar 18717572. 11 Mar 18717573. 11 Mar 18717574. 12 Mar [1871]7575. 12 Mar [1871]7576. 12 Mar 18717577. 13 Mar 18717578. 13 Mar 18717579. 13 Mar [1871]7579a. 13 Mar [1871]7580. 14 Mar 18717581. 14 Mar [1871]7582. 14 Mar 18717583. 14 Mar 18717584. Cancel: draft of 7609.7585. 15 Mar [1871]7586. 15 Mar 18717587. [15 Mar 1871]7588. [before 16 Mar 1871]7589. 16 Mar 18717590. 16 Mar 18717591. 16 Mar 18717592. 17 Mar 18717593. 17 Mar 1871

7594. 18 Mar [1871]7595. 18 Mar 18717596. 18 Mar [1871]7597. 18 Mar [1871]7598. 18 Mar [1871]7599. 18 Mar 18717600. 19 Mar 18717601. 19 Mar 18717602. 19 Mar 18717603. 20 Mar 18717604. 20 Mar [1871]7605. 20 Mar 18717606. 21 Mar 18717607. 21 Mar [1871]7608. 21 Mar 18717609. 21 Mar [1871]7610. 22 Mar [1871]7611. 22 Mar 18717612. 22 Mar [1871]7613. 23 Mar 18717614. 23 Mar 18717615. 24 Mar [1871]7616. 24 Mar [1871]7617. Cancel: enclosure to 7621.7617f. 24 Mar 18717618. 24 Mar 18717619. Cancel: draft of 7617.7620. 24 Mar 18717621. 24 Mar [1871]7622. 25 Mar [1871]7623. 25 Mar 18717624. 25 Mar [1871]7625. 25 Mar 18717626. 25 Mar [1871]7627. 26 Mar 18717628. 26 Mar 18717629. [27 Mar 1871]7630. 28 Mar [1871]7631. 28 [Mar 1871]7632. 28 Mar [1871]7633. 28 Mar 18717634. 28 Mar 18717635. 28 Mar [1871]7636. Cancel: published version of 7605.7637. [after 28 Mar 1871]7638. 29 Mar [1871]7639. 29 Mar [1871]7640. 29 Mar [1871]7641. 29 Mar 18717642. 29 Mar 18717643. 29 Mar 18717644. 30 Mar 18717645. 30 Mar 18717646. 31 Mar [1871]



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xii List of letters

7647. 31 Mar [1871]7648. 31 Mar 18717649. [29–31 Mar 1871]7650. 1 Apr [1871]7651. 1 Apr 18717651f. [after 1 Apr 1871?]7652. 2 Apr 18717653. 2 Apr 18717654. 3 Apr 18717655. 3 Apr 18717656. 3 Apr 18717657. 3 Apr 18717658. 3 Apr 18717659. 5 Apr [1871]7660. 6 Apr 18717661. 6 Apr 18717661a. 6 Apr [1871]7662. 7 Apr 18717663. 7 Apr 18717664. 7 Apr 18717665. 7 Apr [1871]7666. 7 Apr [1871]7666f. [7 Apr 1871]7667. 8 Apr 18717668. 8 Apr 18717669. 8 Apr [1871]7670. 9 Apr [1871]7671. 9 Apr [1871]7672. 9 Apr [1871]7673. 10 Apr 18717674. 11 Apr 18717675. 11 Apr [1871]7676. 12 Apr [1871]7677. 12 Apr 18717678. 12 Apr 18717679. 13 Apr [1871]7680. 13 Apr [1871]7681. 13 Apr 18717682. 14 Apr [1871]7683. 14 Apr 18717684. 14 Apr [1871]7684f. [14 Apr 1871]7685. 14 Apr [1871]7686. 14 Apr 18717687. 15 Apr 18717687f. 15 Apr 18717688. 16 Apr 18717689. 16 Apr 18717689f. 16 Apr [1871]7689g. 16 Apr 18717689h. Cancel: enclosure to 7689.7690. 17 Apr [1871]7691. 17 Apr 18717692. 17 and 18 Apr 1871

7693. 17 Apr [1871]7694. 17 Apr 18717695. 17 Apr 18717695f. 17 Apr [1871]7696. [ June] 18717697. 18 Apr 18717698. 18 Apr 18717699. 19 Apr 18717700. 19 Apr 18717701. 19 Apr [1871]7702. 20 Apr [1871]7703. 20 Apr [1871]7703a. 21 Apr [1871]7704. 22 Apr 18717705. 22 Apr [1871]7706. 22 Apr [1871]7707. 22 Apr 18717708. 22 Apr 18717708a. 22 Apr [1871?]7709. 23 Apr [1871]7710. 23 Apr 18717710a. 23 Apr [1871]7711. 24 Apr 18717712. [before 25 Apr 1871]7713. 25 Apr [1871]7714. 25 Apr [1871]7715. 25 Apr [1871]7716. 25 Apr 18717717. 25 Apr 18717718. 25 Apr [1871]7718a. 21 Apr [1870]7719. 26 Apr 18717719f. 26 Apr [1871]7720. [before 27 Apr 1871]7721. 27 Apr 18717722. 27 Apr 18717723. 28 Apr [1871]7724. 28 Apr 18717725. 28 Apr 18717726. 29 Apr [1871]7727. 30 Apr [1871]7728. 30 Apr 18717729. 30 Apr 18717729a. 30 Apr [1872]7729f. 30 Apr 18717730. Cancel: postscript to 7765.7731. 1 May 18717732. 1 May 18717733. 2 May 18717734. 2 May 18717735. 3 May 18717736. 3 May 18717737. 3 May 18717738. Cancel: see footnotes to 7733.



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List of letters xiii

7739. 4 May [1871]7740. 6 May 18717741. 6 May 18717742. 6 May [1873]7743. 7 May 18717744. 8 May 18717745. 8 May 18717746. 9 May [1871]7747. 10 May [1871]7748. 10 May 18717749. 10 May [1871]7750. 10 May 18717751. 10 May 18717752. 10 May 18717753. 11 May 18717754. 12 May 18717755. 12 May [1871]7756. 13 May 18717757. [14 May 1871]7758. 14 May 18717759. 16 May [1871]7760. 16 May 18717761. 16 May [1871]7761f. [after 16 May 1871]7761g. [after 22 May 1871]7762. 17 May [1871]7763. 19 May [1871]7764. 19 May 18717765. 21 May [1871]7765g. [after 22 May 1871]7766. 23 May [1871]7767. 25 May 18717768. 26 May 18717769. 26 May [1871]7770. 26 May 18717771. 27 May [1871]7772. 27 May [1871]7773. 28 May [1871]7774. 28 May 18717775. 28 May [1871]7776. 29 May [1871]7777. 29 May 18717778. 29 May 18717778f. 29 May 18717779. Cancel: part of 7777.7780. 30 May 18717781. 30 May [1871]7782. 30 May 18717783. 30 May 18717784. 31 May [1871]7785. [23 June 1871]7786. [2–5 June 1871]7787. [after 20 May 1871?]7788. [before 22] June 1871

7789. [19 Nov 1870]. To be published in next supplement.7790. [1–4 April 1871]7791. [after 13 June 1871]7792. 1 June [1871]7792f. 2 June [1871]7793. 1 June [1871]7794. 1 June [1871]7795. 1 June 18717796. 2 June [1871]7797. 2 June 18717798. 3 June [1871]7799. 3 June 18717800. 4 June [1871]7801. 5 June 18717802. 5 June 18717803. 6 June [1871]7804. 6 June [1871]7805. 6 June 18717806. 6 June [1871]7807. 7 June 18717808. 7 June 18717809. 8 June [1871]7810. 8 June 18717811. 8 June 18717812. 8 June 18717813. 9 June [1871]7814. 10 June 18717815. 11 June [1858]7816. 12 June 18717817. 12 June 18717818. [13 June 1871]7819. 14 June [1871]7820. 14 June 18717821. 16 June 18717822. 17 [ July] 18717823. 18 June 18717824. 19 June 18717825. 19 June 18717826. 19 June 18717827. Cancel: postscript to 7826.7828. 21 June [1871]7829. 21 June 18717829a. 21 June 18717830. 22 June [1871]7831. 25 June 18717832. 26 June [1871]7833. 26 June 18717834. [26 June 1871]7835. 27 June [1871]7836. 28 June [1871]7836f. 28 June [1871]7837. 29 [ June 1871]7838. 29 [ June 1871]7839. 29 June 1871



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xiv List of letters

7839a. Cancel: part of 7520a.7840. Cancel: enclosure to 10699.7841. [17 July 1871]7842. July 18717843. 1 July [1871]7844. 1 July 18717845. 1 July [1871]7846. 1 July [1871]7846f. 1 July [1871]7847. 2 July 18717848. 3 July 18717849. 4 July [1871]7850. 5 July [1871]7851. 6 July 18717852. 6 July [1871]7853. 7 July 18717854. [5–8 July 1871]7854f. 8 July [1871]7855. 9 July [1871]7856. 9 July [1871]7857. 11 July 18717858. 12 July [1871]7859. 12 July [1871]7860. 12 July [1871]7861. 12 July 18717862. 12 July 18717863. 13 July [1871]7864. 13 July 18717865. 13–14 July [1871]7866. 15 July 18717867. 16 July [1871]7868. 16 July 18717868a. 16 July 18717869. 17 July [1871]7870. 17 July [1871]7871. 18 July [1871]7872. 18 July 18717873. 18 July 18717874. 19 July [1871]7875. 20 July 18717876. 21 July 18717877. 22 July 18717878. 23 July [1871]7879. 23 July 18717880. 24 May [1871]7880f. 24 July [1871]7881. 26 July [1871]7882. 26 July 18717883. 26 July 18717884. 27 July 18717885. 28 July 18717886. 29 July [1871?]7887. [after 29 July 1871?]7888. 30 July 1871

7889. 1 Aug [1871]7890. 1 Aug 18717891. 1 Aug 18717891f. [1 Aug 1871]7892. 2 Aug [1871]7893. 2 Aug [1871]7893a. [2 Aug 1871]7894. 3 Aug 18717895. 4 Aug [1871]7896. 5 Aug 18717897. 5 Aug 18717898. 6 Aug [1871]7899. 7 Aug 18717900. 8 Aug [1871]7901. 5 Aug 18717902. 10 Aug [1871]7903. 11 Aug 18717904. 12 Aug [1871]7905. 15 Aug 18717906. 17 Aug 18717907. 17 Aug [1871]7908. 17 Aug 18717909. 18 Aug 18717910. 18 Aug 18717911. 19 Aug [1871]7912. 20 Aug 18717913. 21 Aug 18717914. 21 Aug [1871]7915. [21] Aug [1871]7916. [22 Aug 1871]7917. 23 Aug 18717918. 27 Aug 18717918f. 29 Aug 18717919. 31 Aug 18717920. Cancel: third-party letter.7921. 2 Sept [1871]7922. 4 Sept [1871]7923. 4 Sept 18717924. 6 Sept [1871]7925. 7 Sept 18717926. 8 Sept 18717926f. 8 Sept [1871]7927. [before 9 Sept 1871]7928. 9 Sept 18717929. 9 Sept 18717929a. 9 Sept [1871]7930. 10 Sept 18717931. 10 Sept [1871]7932. 10 Sept [1871 or 1873]7932a. 10 Sept [1871]7933. 12 Sept 18717934. 12 Sept [1871]7935. 12 [Sept 1871]7936. 12 Sept 1871



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List of letters xv

7937. 13 Sept [1871]7938. 13 Sept 18717939. 13 Sept [1871]7940. 13 Sept 18717941. 13 Sept 18717942. 13 Sept 18717943. 15 Sept 18717944. 15 Sept 18717945. 15 Sept 18717946. [after 13 Sept 1871]7947. 15 Sept 18717948. 15 Sept 18717949. 16 Sept [1871]7950. 18 Sept 18717951. 19 Sept 18717952. 20 Sept [1871]7953. 20 Sept 18717954. 20 Sept 18717955. 20 Sept 18717956. 20 Sept 18717957. 20 Sept 18717958. 21 Sept [1871]7959. 21 Sept 18717960. 21 Sept 18717961. 22 Sept 18717962. 22 Sept [1871]7963. 22 Sept [1871]7963f. 29 Sept 18717964. 23 Sept [1871]7965. [24] Sept [1871]7966. 24 Sept [1871]7967. 24 Sept 18717968. 25 Sept 18717969. 25 Sept 18717970. 26 Sept 18717971. 26 Sept 18717972. 27 Sept [1871]7973. 28 Sept 18717974. 28 Sept [1871]7975. 29 Sept 18717976. 30 Sept [1871]7977. 30 Sept [1871]7978. 30 Sept 18717979. Cancel: enclosure to 7980.7980. 1 Oct 18717981. [2 Oct 1871]7982. 2 Oct [1871]7983. 3 Oct [1871]7984. 4 Oct [1871]7985. 4 Oct 18717986. 4 Oct 18717987. 5 Oct [1871]7988. 6 Oct [1871]7989. 6 Oct 1871

7990. 6 Oct 18717991. 7 Oct 18717992. 7 Oct [1871]7993. 8 Oct 18717994. 8 Oct [1871]7995. 9 Oct [1871]7996. 9 Oct 18717997. 9 Oct 18717998. 9 Oct 18717999. 10 Oct [1871]8000. 10 Oct 18718001. 10 Oct 18718002. 11 Oct 18718003. 12 Oct [1871]8004. 12 Oct 18718005. 12 Oct 18718005a. 12 Oct [1871]8006. 13 Oct 18718007. 13 Oct [1871]8008. 13 Oct [1871]8009. 14 Oct 18718010. 15 Oct [1871]8011. 16 Oct 18718012. 16 Oct 18718013. 16 Oct 18718014. 16 Oct [1871]8015. 18 Oct 18718016. 18 Oct 18718017. 18 Oct 18718018. 19 Oct 18718019. 19 Oct 18718019a. 19 Oct [1871]8020. 20 Oct 18718021. 20 Oct 18718022. [20 Oct 1871]8023. 20 [Oct 1871]8024. 20 Oct 18718025. [20 Oct 1871]8026. 20 Oct 18718027. 22 Oct 18718028. 22 Oct 18718029. 22 Oct 18718030. 23 Oct 18718031. 24 Oct 18718031a. 25 Oct [1871]8032. 27 Oct 18718032f. [after 31 Oct? 1871]8033. 28 Oct 18718034. 30 Oct 18718035. 30 Oct 18718036. 31 Oct 18718037. 31 Oct 18718038. 31 Oct 18718038f. 31 [Oct 1871]



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xvi List of letters

8039. [after 11 Nov 1871]8040. [after 5] Nov 18718041. [after 5 Nov 1871]8042. [Nov 1871]8043. 1 Nov 18718044. 1 Nov 18718045. 1 Nov 18718045a. 1 Nov [1871]8046. 2 Nov 18718047. 2 Nov [1871]8048. 3 [Nov 1871]8049. 3 Nov 18718049f. 3 Nov [1872]8050. 4 Nov 18718051. [4 Nov 1871]8052. 4 Nov 18718053. 4 Nov 18718053f. [5 Nov 1871]8054. [6 Nov 1871]8055. 7 Nov 18718055a. 7 Nov [1871]8056. 8 Nov 18718057. 8 Nov 18718058. 9 Nov 18718059. Cancel: same as 74328060. 10 [Dec] 18718061. 11 Nov 18718062. 11 Nov 18718063. 11 Nov 18718064. 13 Nov [1871]8065. 13 Nov 18718066. 14 Nov [1871]8067. 14 Nov 18718068. 15 Nov 18718069. 15 Nov 18718070. 16 Nov [1871]8071. 16 Nov 18718072. 17 Nov 18718073. 17 Nov 18718074. 17 Nov 18718074f. 17 Nov 18718075. 18 Nov [1871?]8076. 20 Nov [1871]8077. 20 Nov 18718078. 20 Nov 18718079. 20 Nov [1871]8080. 21 Nov 18718081. 22 Nov [1871]8082. 22 Nov 18718083. 23 Nov [1871]8084. 24 Nov 18718085. 24 Nov 18718086. 25 Nov 18718086a. 26 Nov 1871

8087. 28 Nov [1871]8088. 29 Nov 18718089. 2 Dec [1871]8090. 2 Dec 18718091. 3 Dec [1871]8092. 3 Dec 18718093. 3 Dec 18718094. 4 Dec 18718094a. 4 Dec 18718095. 5 Dec 18718096. 5 Dec 18718097. 5 Dec 18718098. 5 Dec 18718099. 7 Dec [1871]8100. 8 Dec 18718101. 9 Dec 18718102. 9 Dec 18718103. [after 9 Dec 1871]8104. 10 Dec 18718105. 12 Dec 18718106. 15 [Dec 1871]8107. [15 Dec 1871]8107a. 15 Dec 18718108. [17 Dec 1871]8108a. 17 Dec [1871]8109. [18 Dec 1871]8110. 19 Dec [1871]8111. 19 Dec [1871]8112. 20 Dec [1871]8113. 20 Dec 18718114. 21 Dec 18718115. 21 Dec [1871]8116. 21 Dec [1871]8117. 22 Dec 18718118. 22 Dec 18718118a. 23 Dec 18718118b. 23 Dec [1871]8119. 24 Dec 18718120. 25 Dec 18718121. 27 Dec 18718122. 27 Dec 18718122f. 27 Dec [1871]8123. 29 Dec 18718124. 30 Dec 18718125. 30 Dec 18718125f. 30 Dec 18718126. [after 22 Dec 1871]8127. [Mar 1871?]8129. [before 2 Dec 1871]8134. [before 2 Dec 1871]8205. 9 Feb [1871]8208. 11 Feb [1871]8253. 26 Mar [1871]9998. 28 May 1871



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List of letters xvii

11936. 15 Mar [1871]13770. [after 24 Feb 1871?]13771. [after 18 Feb 1871]

13789. 7 Sept [1871]13849. [after 11 Mar 1871]13889. 19 May [1871]



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INTRODUCTION

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the

publication of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man and selection

in relation to sex. He wrote to his indexer, William Sweetland Dallas, on 27 January,

‘Good God how glad I shall be when I can drive the whole of the confounded book

out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year

was devoted to correspondence about Descent, as he discussed the details of its pub-

lication in February, the reprintings at intervals throughout the year, the various

translations that were already under way, and the initial reception of the book in the

press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from readers who were eager to contribute

new facts and observations to his work, and who occasionally offered sharp criticism

or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be well abused’,

he wrote to his friend Joseph Dalton Hooker on 21 January, ‘for as my son Frank

says, “you treat man in such a bare-faced manner.”’ The most lively debate centred

on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the ‘higher’ faculties of human nature: reason,

conscience, and aesthetic taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped

Darwin to clarify, and in some cases modify, his conclusions. The other main preoc-

cupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin

continued to investigate the mechanisms of various emotions, such as grief, shame,

and astonishment, drawing on the expertise of physicians and physiologists, as well

as zoo-keepers, pet owners, and parents of young children. He also made contact

with commercial photographers, hoping that various expressions might be captured

with this relatively new technology for the purpose of illustrating his book.

The year also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest

daughter Henrietta was married in August. The event was bittersweet for Darwin,

as feelings of hope for her future happiness combined with a sense of loss.

As Darwin was finishing corrections to the page-proofs of Descent, he wrote to

Philip Lutley Sclater on 4 January, ‘Heaven knows, whether the book is worth one

quarter of the labour which it has cost me, though the collecting [of] the facts, dur-

ing several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working

fairly continuously on the book since the publication of Variation in February 1868,

but many of the topics, such as the evolution of mind, language, and morality, had

been long-running interests, beginning with his work on species theory in the late

1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material on sexual se-

lection across the animal kingdom. He had briefly mentioned sexual selection in

Origin, and had come to regard it as important in explaining characteristics that



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xx Introduction

distinguished males from females of the same species, as well as the physical features

of different human races. The material on this subject became so extensive that it

filled nearly two-thirds of the book. Indeed the number of pages devoted exclusively

to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing

kinship with animals at every level of structure and behaviour.

Descent was published on 24 February, and all 2500 copies were sold in a week.

‘Murray says he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his

son Francis on 28 February. Demand continued throughout the year, and Murray

produced three more printings, 2000 in March, 2000 in April, and a further 1000 in

December. The level of interest in the book overseas was shown by the number of for-

eign editions and translations, and the speed at which they appeared. Arrangements

for a US edition had been in place since December 1869, while German, Russian,

French, and Dutch translations were being prepared from the proof-sheets, rather

than waiting for the bound copies. Hooker suggested one of the reasons behind the

book’s popularity: ‘I hear that Ladies think it delightful reading, but that it does

not do to talk about it, which no doubt promotes the sale’ (letter from J. D. Hooker,

26 March 1871). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After receiving sums to-

talling £1470 for the first two printings, Darwin wrote to Murray on 20 March 1871,

‘It is quite a grand trade to be a scientific man.’

As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable reception. He

suggested various journals for review, and ordered a large number of presentation

copies, sending around eighty books to leading men of science and collaborators

who had assisted him, as well as to his extended family and friends (see Appendix

IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his daughter Henrietta, who had

contributed substantially as a critic and commentator, received a special acknowl-

edgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had been able

to achieve in ‘lucid vigorous style’, as well as for the book’s ‘arrangement, not to

mention still more important aids in the reasoning’. He decided to give her around

£25 so that she might buy something to her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’

(letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871).

Recipients of his presentation copies began to write in February, usually send-

ing their compliments and praise. The asylum director James Crichton-Browne

described the book as ‘strong as iron and clear as crystal’, and had forsaken his

lunch and dinner in order to read it (letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 Febru-

ary 1871). The African explorer and writer William Winwood Reade thought the

publication of so bold a theory would ‘encourage many in their writings to tell what

they believe to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21February 1871). The geologist William Boyd Dawkins remarked on Darwin’s books’

reception amongst ‘artisans and mill-hands of Manchester and Oldham . . . They

club together to buy them’ (letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871). Thomas

Henry Huxley marvelled that Darwin had been able to link the periodicity of certain

bodily phenomena with the lunar cycle: ‘Fancy lunacy & menstruation coming out

of the primary fact that one’s nth. ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ (letter from



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Introduction xxi

T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871). Asa Gray remarked, somewhat reservedly, ‘almost

thou persuadest me to have been “a hairy quadruped, of arboreal habits, furnished

with a tail and pointed ears”’ (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871).

Like his previous book, Variation, Descent inspired many to write to Darwin with

small corrections or contributions. A German emigrant in St Louis claimed that

new races arriving in America began to ‘elongate’ owing to sheer ‘will-power’ and

the heavy use of their arms and legs (letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871).

Samples of hair arrived from several correspondents, including William Bernhard

Tegetmeier, who remarked that he had often been falsely accused of dying his beard

in order to make it darker than the hair on his head (letter from W. B. Tegetmeier,

[before 25 April 1871]). Hinrich Nitsche, ‘the lucky owner of a pair of well developed

atavistic ears’, enclosed photographs together with an image of an orang-utan foetus

(letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871). Darwin thought he might use the pho-

tographs in a second edition of Descent, and enclosed one of himself, adding that it

made a ‘very poor return’ (letter to Hinrich Nitsche, 25 April [1871]). Animal anec-

dotes appeared in great quantity: a koala who smoked pipe tobacco ‘in a state of

dreamy enjoyment’, a parrot who addressed family members by name and scolded

another parrot who escaped his cage and helped himself to food (‘how dare you Sir’),

a perfidious dog who crept silently onto a forbidden sofa each night, returning to its

allotted space each morning (letter from Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871; letter from

B. J. Sulivan, 11 March 1871; letter from Hermann Hoffmann, 17 April 1871).

A number of correspondents took issue with Darwin’s evolutionary explanation

of the ‘higher’ faculties and his insistence that the differences between humans and

other animals were differences only in degree, not kind. Several objected to his at-

tribution of aesthetic sense to animals, arguing that beauty for humans involved rea-

soned judgement. The American poet Emily Pfeiffer suggested that beauty might

have evolved as an ‘incidental result’ of the selection of characteristics that ‘fascinate

and allure’, thus birds might be captivated by particular objects, as if under a spell,

without having a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty (letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [be-

fore 26 April 1871]). Roland Trimen, a long-time correspondent and contributor

of observations on South African butterflies and beetles to Descent, could not extend

Darwin’s evolutionary theory beyond man’s ‘bodily frame’, maintaining that humans

must have received a ‘special endowment of spiritual life’ at some time in the past

(letter from Roland Trimen, 17 and 18 April 1871).

Candid disagreement regarding human ancestry was expressed by Darwin’s old

friend, the former vicar of Down, John Brodie Innes. Darwin and Innes had re-

mained on good terms over the years despite their widely divergent views on politics,

religion, and science. Darwin had written to Innes on 18 January, ‘you are one of

those rare mortals, from whom one can differ & yet feel no shade of animosity,—&

that is a thing which I shd feel very proud of, if anyone cd. say of me.’ After the

publication of Descent, these differences were raised to a high pitch, as Innes wrote

on 26 May 1871 about the darker races arising through degeneration: ‘I hold to the

old belief that a man was made a man though developed into niggurs who must be



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xxii Introduction

made to work and better men able to make them, if those radicals did not interfere

with the salutary chastisment needful, neglecting the lesson taught by the black ants

slaves to the white’. Darwin thanked Innes for his ‘pleasant letter’, but asserted his

antipathy to human bondage: ‘my views do not lead me to such conclusions about

negros & slavery as yours do: I consider myself a good way ahead of you, as far as

this goes’ (letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871]).

Others objected to Darwin’s theory on purely religious grounds. The Christian

publisher George Morrish urged Darwin to rest the uniqueness of humans on their

fallen nature: sin has infected the being of humans, ‘whereas the baboon is as the

Creator made it’ (letter from George Morrish, 18 March 1871). Darwin received an

anonymous letter headed ‘A Message, from God unto thee’, accusing him of trying

to prove God a liar, and promising that He who had redeemed the world, could also

redeem the wayward author of Descent (letter from a child of God, [after 24 Febru-

ary 1871]). Yet some continued to find Darwin’s theories consistent with religious

belief, whether liberal or orthodox. The American philosopher and journalist Fran-

cis Ellingwood Abbot incorporated Darwinian theory into his campaign for ‘free

religion’: ‘it contains nothing inconsistent with the most deep and tender religious

feeling’ (letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871). The Anglican clergyman and natu-

ralist George Henslow reported that he had been defending Darwin against charges

of atheism amongst his ‘clerical brethren’ (letter from George Henslow, 3 Decem-

ber 1871). Ernst Haeckel boasted of his month spent at a Franciscan monastery while

working on sponges in Dalmatia, having been hosted by a monk who announced on

Haeckel’s arrival, ‘Darwin is right . . . we are all of us descended from one and the

same catarrhine monkey!’ (letter from Ernst Haeckel, 21 December 1871).

Descent was extensively reviewed in the periodical press, including religious jour-

nals, literary magazines, and daily newspapers (see Appendix V). Not surprisingly, it

was Darwin’s naturalistic theory of the evolution of morals from the animal instincts

of sympathy and love that proved most controversial. The Times rebuked Darwin for

undermining the foundations of social order, namely ‘those elementary principles of

duty which are independent of all times and all circumstances’ (8 April 1871, p. 5).

Darwin condemned the author of the review as ‘a windbag full of metaphysics &

classics’ (letter to John Murray, 13 April [1871]). But a similar point was made by

the religious writer Frances Power Cobbe, who praised the charm of Darwin’s book,

but found highly objectionable his suggestion that, if, for example, bees developed

moral instincts, they might consider the killing of some members of a hive a duty

(Cobbe 1871, pp. 174, 188–9). Darwin was particularly interested in an anonymous

review in the Pall Mall Gazette, and wrote to its author, who turned out to be John

Morley, a leading advocate of associationist philosophy and utilitarian ethics. Morley

thought that Darwin had attributed to natural selection what was properly due to

‘Social Selection’. Moral progress, he held, was achieved through ‘the medium of

opinion, positive law &c’, and transmitted by culture, not biology (letter from John

Morley, 30 March 1871).

Darwin engaged with critical readers within his own family circle, especially his



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Introduction xxiii

cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood, whom Darwin had cited on the origin of language

in animal sounds. In Descent, Darwin had argued that conscience arose in humans

through a conflict between enduring social feelings and more fleeting desires and

passions. He had used the example of an English pointer, who ‘if able to reflect on

his past conduct would say to himself, I ought (as indeed we say for him) to have

pointed at that hare and not have yielded to the passing temptation of hunting it’

(Descent 2: 392). Wedgwood, however, denied that a simple comparison between

instincts, one enduring and one fleeting, could produce regret or remorse. The true

essence of conscience, according to Wedgwood, was shame, and he went so far as to

attribute ‘a distinct sense of sin’ to the naughty dog when it was confronted by the

presence of its master. (Letter from Hensleigh Wedgwood, [3–9 March 1871].)

Some of Darwin’s correspondence on evolution and ethics was circulated within

the family and commented upon by his wife and children. William offered his assess-

ment of John Stuart Mill’s theory of utilitarianism to assist his father in answering

Morley. George and Henrietta remarked upon his dispute with Wedgwood. Dar-

win’s theory of the moral sense was especially troubling to Emma, as indicated in a

letter that she wrote to Cobbe on 25 February: ‘Speaking in my private capacity . . .

I think the course of all modern thought is “desolating” as removing God further

off. . . . So you see I am a traitor in the camp.’

Because Darwin’s scientific work was situated in the home, and because he relied

extensively upon friends and family for scientific assistance, he was acutely mindful

of this immediate circle of readers to whom he was emotionally and morally bound.

In one particularly long letter to Wedgwood, Darwin alluded to the pain of disagree-

ment and the pleasure of consensus, as he tried to establish common ground with his

cousin, often through considerable labour: ‘Every point of agreement is a satisfaction

to me’ (letter to Hensleigh Wedgwood, 9 March 1871).

By far the most vexing critic for Darwin was the zoologist St George Jackson Mi-

vart. An expert on primates and a former protegé of Huxley’s, Mivart had written

several articles the previous year that questioned the capacity of the theory of nat-

ural selection to explain various animal structures and homologies. Mivart’s views

were published in expanded form in Genesis of species (Mivart 1871a), which appeared

just prior to Descent in early 1871. ‘I daresay it will tell heavily against natural se-

lection’, Darwin wrote to Hooker on 21 January. Darwin read the book in just a

few days, and was particularly concerned that his own views on evolution had been

misrepresented. Mivart had ignored his continued reliance on mechanisms other

than natural selection, such as the inherited effects of use and disuse, and the direct

action of ‘conditions of life’. He had also accused Darwin of being ‘dogmatic’ in his

assertions. Darwin pressed this last point with Mivart, insisting that he had hunted

through two chapters of Variation and the fifth edition of Origin and found only the

‘most guarded expressions’ (letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 January [1871]).

Darwin’s letter to Mivart was part of a long exchange in which the men sought

with increasing difficulty to remain on cordial terms. Mivart repeatedly affirmed his

deep respect for the elder naturalist, inquired after Darwin’s health, and expressed



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xxiv Introduction

his desire to meet so that their differences might be patched up. He claimed that

his attacks on the theory of natural selection were directed primarily against some

of Darwin’s supporters and their ‘irreligious deductions’ (letter from St G. J. Mivart,

24 January 1871). The men did meet in London at the end of February, and Darwin’s

impression was highly favourable: ‘He is really a charming man & we were the best

of friends’, he wrote to his son Francis on 28 February. However, later in the year,

Mivart wrote an even more hostile article in the Quarterly Review ([Mivart] 1871c). It

was published anonymously, as was common practice, but Darwin quickly guessed

the author from the tone and manner of argumentation, full of the ‘greatest scorn &

animosity’. ‘He makes me the most arrogant, odious beast that ever lived,’ Darwin

wrote to Hooker on 16 September. Darwin suspected that Mivart’s sense of honour

and fairness had been corrupted by his devotion to Roman Catholicism: ‘I suppose

that accursed religious bigotry is at the root of it’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 16 September

[1871]).

While struggling to maintain politeness in his private correspondence, Darwin

took measures to address Mivart’s objections to the theory of natural selection. He

arranged for a highly critical review of Genesis of species to be reprinted in London

(Wright 1871b). The article was by the American mathematician Chauncey Wright,

a colleague of Asa Gray’s at Harvard University. Darwin financed the publication of

750 copies, requesting 250 for himself so that he could distribute them privately, for he

suspected that very few would actually sell (letters to John Murray, 17 August [1871]

and 13 September 1871). Darwin also began to gather new material to answer Mi-

vart’s criticisms. Alexander Agassiz, Abraham Dee Bartlett, Albert Günther, George

Busk, T. H. Huxley, Osbert Salvin, and William Henry Flower all provided Darwin

with information on transitional forms and modified structures. Darwin eventually

incorporated this material into a new chapter of the sixth edition of Origin, published

the following year. Darwin was also pleased that Huxley came to his defence in an

article in the Contemporary Review attacking Mivart’s misreading and misquoting of

both Darwin and Catholic theology (T. H. Huxley 1871). Huxley judged Mivart to

be not ‘a bad fellow’, but thought his mind had been poisoned by ‘accursed Popery

and fear for his soul’ (letter from T. H. Huxley and H. A. Huxley, 20 September 1871).

Darwin’s other main preoccupation of the year was the completion of Expression.

‘I care for nothing in the world except. laughing. crying grinning pouting &c. &c’,

he wrote to Hooker on 21 March. Darwin engaged leading anatomists and eye

specialists Frans Cornelis Donders, William Bowman, and Erasmus Wilson, to in-

vestigate the mechanisms of weeping and the production of tears during spasmodic

movements of the eye-muscles, apologising for troubling his correspondents with his

‘ludicrous’ or ‘absurd & trifling’ questions (letter to William Bowman, [before 26]

January [1871]). He was particularly keen to get photographs of infants crying, and

wrote to the studio photographer Adolph Diedrich Kindermann of Hamburg on

27 March for one of a baby of one or two months ‘screaming with the eyes firmly

closed’. He consulted another photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander, who had be-

come famous for images of ragged children, paying a visit to his studio in April.



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Introduction xxv

Rejlander took a keen interest in Darwin’s work, sending him notes on various emo-

tional expressions. He eventually contributed a number of photographs to Darwin’s

book, and persuaded Darwin to pose for him in turn, as partial exchange for his

services.

Darwin made extensive inquiries about blushing, trying to establish whether it was

a purely instinctual response, and whether it could be produced by an operation of

the mind. He wrote to James Crichton-Browne on 28 March to ask whether blush-

ing was evident in asylum patients, and later wondered whether Crichton-Browne’s

sister-in-law had ever blushed when alone in the dark (Crichton-Browne had re-

ported some of her remarks on the subject of blushing to Darwin): ‘I have long

thought that Shakspear was in error (though this is high treason) when he makes

Juliet say to Romeo “Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face, else would a

maiden blush bepaint my cheek”’ (letter to James Crichton-Browne, 18 April 1871).

He pursued a similar query with the artist Thomas Woolner, inquiring on 7 April

whether ‘young and inexperienced’ models blushed and how far down the body the

blush extended. He asked more difficult questions regarding the possible effects of

the mind on the circulation of the blood. The physiologist Michael Foster offered a

lengthy speculation about how the exercise of attention might alter the flow of blood

to various parts of the body indirectly, by giving rise to a particular emotion (such as

embarrassment) that could then produce physiological changes (letter from Michael

Foster, 4 June [1871]).

For over a year, Darwin had been receiving regular reports from his cousin Francis

Galton on the progress of experiments that were designed to test Darwin’s hypothesis

of heredity, pangenesis. The experiments involved transfusing blood between rabbits

that were differently coloured, and then observing any changes in coloration in the

offspring. In a paper presented at the Royal Society of London in March, Galton

announced that the results of his experiments tended to disprove Darwin’s hypothe-

sis. Darwin quickly responded with a letter to Nature, questioning one of the central

assumptions of Galton’s work, namely that the material of hereditary transmission

(what Darwin had called ‘gemmules’) was located in the blood. Darwin insisted that

he had never made such an assumption, for he had intended his theory to apply to

plants as well as animals. He remarked, however, that he had not reflected suffi-

ciently on the subject when he first learned of Galton’s experiments and he praised

Galton’s ‘ingenuity and perseverance’, adding that pangenesis had not yet ‘received

its death blow’ (letter to Nature, [before 27 April 1871]). The misunderstanding seems

to have caused no ill feelings between the cousins. Galton continued to pursue his ex-

periments, and described in graphic detail how he was turning his attention to rats,

and employing a surgical assistant to ‘siamese’ them together in order to facilitate

cross-circulation (letter from Francis Galton, 13 September 1871).

During the summer months, Darwin was plagued by illness, and he complained

more about poor health than he had done in recent years. The family rented a house

in Albury, Surrey, from 28 July to 25 August in the hope that it would improve his

condition; but it only worsened, and they had to return home early. Darwin wrote



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Documents

Cambridge U nive rsity Press Editors Frederick Burkhardt