RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Down House notebook 1.1. EH88202321. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 11.2006; transcription checked by Kees Rookmaaker, 4.2007, further revised by van Wyhe and Rookmaaker 1.2011. Corrections and additions by Christine Chua 8.2023. RN3
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here.
This notebook is bound in brown leather with a floral embossed border: the brass clasp is intact. No watermarks are visible; the pages (9.5 cm wide) are blue with marbled edges. The front cover of the notebook is labeled in ink 'Ch. Darwin / 6. Queen St / Cavendish Square'. The notebook is in very good condition, showing very little wear. Darwin wrote from both ends of the notebook and later excised pages from both ends with short scissors. Only one leaf with writing remains.
The notebook was formerly believed to be one of the Beagle field notebooks and hence was deposited at Down House. However analysis of its fragmentary and almost illegible contents reveals that it is entirely post voyage. Some of the remaining page stubs retain traces of writing, in pencil and brown ink, some pages written parallel, others perpendicular, to the spine. The address on the front cover No. 6 Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square, London, was the home of Darwin's brother Erasmus from 1852. Darwin stayed at this address many times between 1861-1881. See the itinerary in Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021.
The contents of the notebook give some clues as to its dates of use and original contents. Some of its excised pages might remain to be identified in the Darwin Archive in Cambridge University Library. From the group of many excised pages at the front of the notebook a few legible words on the remaining stubs show that the notebook was used to record experiments leading to the publication of Insectivorous plants in 1875. One word appears to read 'thermometer', another reads 'Temp 0 5°' and the last gives the only surviving date in the notebook: 'July 9- 74'. Many other notes relating to these botanical experiments carried out by Darwin and his son Francis on insectivorous plants from this period can be see in Darwin Online here. The remaining leaf with writing dates from a different period, most likely 1878-1880, as they refer to 'Smithia' and 'Oxalis' which were discussed by Darwin in Movement in plants (1880). Other notes in the Darwin Archive that refer to Smithia are here.
John van Wyhe 1.2011
Reproduced with the permission of English Heritage (Darwin Collection at Down House) and William Huxley Darwin.
[front cover]
[scroll up to see introduction]
Ch. Darwin
6. Queen St
Cavendish Square
[inside front cover]
1.1.
88202321
This page is not in Darwin's hand but consists of archival catalogue numbers.
[37 leaves excised, traces of writing on the page stubs are mostly in pencil, some in ink. Most written perpendicular to the spine.]
[page stub 2]
[See Ras for]1
1 Possibly a reference to Darwin's brother Erasmus 'Ras' Darwin- whose address is given on the front cover and inside back cover of the notebook.
page in pencil, written horizontally to the spine.
[page stub]
[2-3 words illeg?] [thermometer]
page in pencil, written horizontally to the spine.
[page stub]
Temp 0 5°
Temp 0 5°] in pencil, written horizontally to the spine.
[page stub]
July 9-74
July 9-74] in pencil, written horizontally to the spine.
[21 contiguous following leaves are blank]
[page 38]
All 12 leaves of Smithia yellowish on the opposite leaves which had been cleaned, but difference only slight
Sometimes [dipping]— leaves in warm water
[other] leaf a little inflected
Cotyledon no injury
Oxalis — both leaves brown specks
[3 words illeg] 7 cleaned leaflets dryed off
no injury from water
Robinia much injury probably from immersion
6 (or 7 [3 words illeg])
8 [2 words illeg]
page in pencil, cancelled in blue ink.
[page 39]
Cassia 9 leaflets
6 plainly [injured]
2 [highly] [2 words illeg]
1 not-
page in pencil cancelled in blue ink.
[14 excised pages]
[inside back cover]
C. Darwin
6 Queen Anne St.
Cavendish Sq
[Printed label on green paper:]
HALLIFAX & Co.
Stationers,
& ACCOUNT BOOK MAKERS.
315, OXFORD STREET,
W.
C. Darwin...Cavendish Sq] in pencil.
[back cover]
[The Down House notebook identifiers were re-set in January 2021 meaning the page counters were reset to 0.]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 7 August, 2023