The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 11.1844. [Notes on reading Vestiges]. CUL-DAR205.5.108. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR205.5 contains notes on the principle of divergence, transitional organs and instincts.

Robert Chambers (1802-1871), publisher, naturalist, and author of the anonymous Vestiges (1844). It has often been claimed that the hostile reception of this evolutionary popular science book caused Darwin to put away his 1844 essay (CUL-DAR7) and so avoid/delay publishing his theory of evolution. In fact, Darwin had already finished the 1844 essay and returned to work on his Beagle publications before Vestiges was published. It had no effect on Darwin's publication trajectory or timing or resolve. This idea is a 20th century invention. See Mind the gap (2007) and Dispelling the darkness (2013), chapter 10. It remains an unanswerable fact that 'Darwin's delay' is a mid-20th century innovation. Neither Darwin himself, nor his contemporaries or even writers for 70 years after his death, described the 20 years of work on his theory as a delay or postponement. Nor was there any notion of excessive fear of reactions or any dark secret in the story of Darwin's life and work.

[108]

Nov/:—/44/. After the "Vestiges of Nat Hist Creation", I see it will be necessary to advert to Quinary System, because he brings it to show that Lamarck's willing (& consequently my selection) must be erroneous — I had better rest my defence on few English, sound anatomical naturalists assenting & hardly any foreign.— Advert to this subject, after Chapter on classification, & then show, from our ignorance of comparative value of groups, source of error—

Explanation of numbers from elements.—

Difficulties in classification. Myself on cirripedes— Milne Edwards & Dana. a Feather wd turn Balance

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)