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- Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 -- Correspondence (x)
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Show moreDarwin writes to Innes concerning the color of rabbits. He also talks about schools and mutual friends. Darwin also mentions that he is correcting a proof of 'Insectivorous plants'. Transcription: "May 10 1875 Down, Beckenham, Kent. Railway Station Orpington.S.E.R. Dear Innes Your case of the rabbit is a curious one; but there is something very off about the colours of young rabbits. There are [], which are invariably white [] [] + them became almost black; + [other] breeds which are at first black + then became almost white. Most of them were [] [] breeds, + I shd suspect that the parents of Mrs Innes-Brodie rather were of [] origin. Your account of your schools has interested Mr [] + all the more [] [] [], who as L advocates [] your school-boards, was [] her, + was talking much about the Scotch schools. He was remarking how odd it was that the voters who taxed themselves now spent vert much more in the schools than was [] done. He did not know anything about the relative advantages of Scotch + English primary schools.- I have no news whatever to tell you about the neighbourhood, as I see, if this be possible, even fewer people than [].- Mr Duck, you will have heard, is dead, + we have had to appoint a new [Finister] to the Friendly Club in his place, + the committee elected Mr Pearson.- By the way here is a wonderful piece of news, Mr Ffinden has forgiven Mr Pearson, + they are reconciled.- I have not been very well of late + have been working too hard in connecting the prep of another of my evolutionary books [] on Insectivorous Plants which contain hardly anything about evolution. We never cease to wish you had not left us. yours very sincerely Ch. Darwin My wife desires me [] that the plants of your [] are doing well, but not [] [] as Innes." Letter, signed by sender. Sent from Down House, near Beckenham, Kent, England. Envelope included.
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Show moreDarwin thanks to Dr. Reuben Vance for valuable letter [11232]. Darwin says he is "too ignorant of anatomy to form a decided opinion", but is inclined to attribute the spiral folds to reversion and the valves to partial abortion of the fold. Darwin asks Dr. Vance to verify his claim by examining lower intestine of an opossum for the structure. If Dr. Vance can prove the nature of these remnants, then it would be a conclusion of much interest. Transcription: "Dec 4 1877 Beckenham Dear Sir, I am obliged for your long and valuable letter. I am too ignorant of anatomy to form any decided opinion of the subject; but if I had met with your statements I should have been inclined to attribute the spiral folds to reversion and the valves to the partial [absolution] of the fold. I should have formed their opinion from the analogous structure in fishes of the non-generalized kind, and to the great variability of the parts in question, Could you not procure an opossum and examine the lower intestine; for if it presents no trace of the structure in question I should hesitate if I were in your place to allude to reversion. If marsupials do exhibit any [veolige] I would examine one [filter] lower placeutal mammals a rabbit for instance and afterwards a monkey. If you could [satir] factorily prove the nature of these remnants it would be a conclusion of much interest. As I have already referred to my ignorance of anatomy you will of course not refer to the remarks which I have hazarded. Dear Sir Yours faithfully Ch. Darwin" Letter, signed by sender. Sent from Down House, near Beckenham, Kent, England. Envelope included.
The Robert M. Stecher Collection of Charles Darwin Books and Manuscripts
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Show moreTranscription: "My dear Sir I shd. be very much obliged to you, if you would take the trouble to inform me, (if you know, or can find out without much trouble) a reference to Kölliker's Paper on the male Argonautf1 which you showed me in Brit. Museum. I read it somewhere, & I believe in Annales des Sciences, & made an extract, but I have unfortunately lost it.— I cannot remember hardly anything about them: are they permanently fixed on the female? Will you just tell me this, for it will be a chance whether I can borrow any Book with an account, & I want to refer to this creature soon. Also how does the Male get to the female & how does it obtain its food? I hope you will excuse this trouble, which I cause by having in the most provoking way lost an extract which I well remember making— Kindest Remembrances to Waterhouse. My dear Sir, Yours sincerely, C. Darwin" Letter, signed by sender. Sent from Down House, near Beckenham, Kent, England.
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Show moreTranscription: "My dear Mr Yarrell The Pigeons are all quite well, vigorous, & in good spirits. They are really quite beautiful. I have now 15 kinds of Pigeons! Pray give my very sincere & cordial thanks to Mrs. Cotton. I send with this the Book & your Cage. Pray believe me, Yours most truly obliged, Charles Darwin" Letter, signed by sender. Sent from Down House, near Beckenham, Kent, England.
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Show moreRequests return of August Weismann's letter which refers to eggs. Curious about the drawing of the [caterpillar] Transcription: "Post Card Beckenham The Address only to be written on this side. W.H. Bates Esq B. Geograph. Sqr. Savilla Row London.- From Mr. C. Darwin, Down, Beckenham. Please return my Prof. Weismann's letter, as it contains informa about eggs. I shall be curious to hear some time how you [] in your negotiations about the []- C.D. Feb 6 1877" Postcard, signed by sender to [Henry Walter Bates].
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Show moreWallace writes to Allen on the subject of color perception of animals, including man. Significance of colored flowers and fruits interested Wallace especially. He also discusses Gladstone's paper on Homer's color terms in the letter. Transcription: "Rosehill,[Dorking]? Oct 7th. 1877 My dear Sir I have read the passages you marked, as well as a good many other parts of your book with much pleasure. I was particularly pleased with your suggestion (which had not occurred to me) that fruits, in our sense of the word, are more recent tdevelopments than flowers because they attract chiefly mammals + birds instead of insects. There is I admit a partial contradiction between the view that red excites animals on account of its glaring contrast, + that yet the perception of it by man is recent. The latter view [] I believe be incorrect, + should be stated I think more hypothetically that I have put it. I have just been reading Mr. Gladstone's interesting paper which is almost wholly on flowers' colour terms or rather the absence of them. The evidence is most curious, but I think it only goes to show that language was imperfect, and that colour was too infinitely [] + of too little importance to early man, to have received a systematic nomenclature. Flowers + birds + insects were despised, + the colours of more important objects as the sea [] earth, iron, brass etc. were not only not pure colours (generally) but subject to endless fluctuations. Your remarks on nuts are very good. I quite overlooked that case + shall refer to you when I [] my papers with there is a volume shortly. I think all the coloured fruits which are poisonous to man are eatable to some birds etc. They are far too numerous to be accounted for otherwise. With many thanks Believe me yours faithfully Alfred R. Wallace Grant Allen Esq." Letter, signed by sender. Written from Rosehill, Dorking.
The Robert M. Stecher Collection of Charles Darwin Books and Manuscripts
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Show moreWallace writes to Allen about the color vision theory that was put forth in Allen's recent book ('The colour-sense: its origin and development; an essay in comparitive psychology', London 1879), which Wallace has just read. Transcription: "Waldron Sage, Duppas Hill, [Grogdan?] Feb. 17th. 1879 Dear Sir Very many thanks for your book on "The Colour []". I have just finished reading it through + I have seldom read a book with more pleasure. It is full of original and suggestive matter, and is admirable in its clearness and the thorough manner in which many aspects of the subjects are discussed. Of course I totally dissent from your adoption of "sexual selection" as a vera causa though of course you are quite justified in following Darwin rather than we as an authority. I think you [] many parts of your argument especially the connection of bright colours in animals with the colours of the food. I also think you lay far too great stress on our knowledge of the first appearance of certain groups of plants + insects, but I shall probably deal with these questions in a [] I may write of your book. I must say I do not see the least force in what you say on the probably identity of colour sense in ourselves + which. For it is clear that the optical [] of these two, have been developed separately, and if the causations were alike it would be a coincidence which we have no reason to expect. The fact that insects differentiate most of the contrasted colours, by us means [] a [] afford any probability, that their causations are any thing like ours, and I still maintain that the probability is they are unlike. With birds + ourselves, on the contrary, we may be almost sure the causations are similar, because our eyes + nervous systems are derived probably from a common ancestor who had both well fairly developed. A day or two ago I received from a gentleman reading in Germany a very clever article on the "Origins of the Colour Sense", in which he shows physiological grounds for the belief in the great inferiority of the colour sense in all mammals, + the inferiority even of ourshelves + birds. I am trying to get it publised w/ one of the Reviews. I am very sorry you did not put a good index to your book. It is most difficult to find any special point you want + causes endless trouble. I feel so strongly on this that I think the publication of indexless books should be felony without benefit of []! I will not wish your book success, for it is sure to be successful, as it well deserves to be. Believe me. yours very faithfully Alfred R. Wallace. Grant Allen Esq. P.S. In my original paper in [Macmillains Mags??] I spoke doubtfully about the [] work of colour sense because the subject came upon me suddenly just as I had finished my paper. I still think however that colour blindness is an indication of imperfection, + I hope evidence will soon be obtained as to its equal prevalence or absence in some civilized rave. I doubt its being a product of civilization, since civilized man makes more uses of colour than savage man. It is an interesting and important question. A.R.W." Letter, signed by sender. Written from Waldron Edge, Duppus Hill, Croydan.
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Show moreWallace encourages Allen to write a novel with an "enthusiastic socialist" as the hero, after reading Allen's "At market value". Wallace continues to say that he is simulated by reading Craig's "Ralahine", and adds that it is "perhaps the most interesting and successful experiment in cooperation and socialism ever tried". Transcription: "Parkstone, Dorset April 4th 1899 My dear Grant Allen When I read Mrs. H.Ward's "Marcella", a few years back, + I saw how thoroughly she had got up the arguments of the Socialists + how in all discussions she made Marcella have the best of it, I said to myself, how at last we shall have a Socialist in a Novel who does something worthy, + does not turn out a fool or a []! But alas! When the opportunity came, Marcella did no more than apply the usual plaisters + palli"atives" of the parliamentary philistine. Now, I have been reading your "At market Value" - which I enjoyed very much as a story, and also admired the character of the self-sacrificing hero - who I am glad to see you made to recognize that he had not acted heroically at all, but had wickedly thrown away a great opportunity of doing good by his self-sacrifice. Now why did you (who know so much better) follow the weak example of Mrs. H. Ward? Is it impossible that a sensible socialist should inherit wealth, and do something with it worthy of his creed? Surely it would not be difficult to make his struggles + trouble and efforts to do good both successful + interesting. I have been led to write this by reading Craig's "Ralahime" - perhaps the most interesting + successful experiment in Cooperation + Socialism ever tried, but narrated in such a confused and discursive way as to be puzzling to most readers. Now why do not you write a novel of an enthusiastic Socialist - the outcast of his family - who yet inherits a great lauded estate - + uses it to teach cooperation, land- nationalisation + socialism? He might try many methods. Lord Carrington's plan of giving small plats on farms to all who wants them. then gradually bringing them to cooperate, or real socialistic cooperation as at Ralahime, and also one or more of Mr. Howard's "Garden Cities" in which the Municipality gradually takes over all public work, + then absorbs all private manufacture, resulting in a Socialistic City! I admit it would be difficult to make this generally interesting, but I think you could do it. With best wishes yours very faithfully Alfred R. Wallace" Letter, signed by sender. Written from Parkstone, Dorset.
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Show moreLyell tells Mallet that political impediments must be overcome to carry through his project of geologizing in the area of Naples, Italy. Transcription: " 53 Harley St. London [] 4.[] My dear sir I have spoken with the Pres. + with a member of the Council in favour of your proposition provided you can get Government countenance + help, I have said all I can. The difficulties must be looked in the face. Time is of no value in the eyes of Neapoli- tenas. To get competent ------------ interpreters no easy matter. The first idea to be overcome is to show that you do not go to produce a political [] -quarter of which they, the authorities, live in dread. I was advised when there a month ago [] to attempt to geologize south of Naples because of the state of the country, but I suspect that they alluded to Calabria. S. of where you would have to go. Difficulties may disappear when boldly confronted but I fear official + po- litical impediments where time is so limited. However I think the object so good of one that I only state the obstacles in the hope of them being overcome. [] [] Cha [Leyell] R. Mallet Esq?" Letter, signed by sender. Written from 53 Harley St, London.
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