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Dialogues with Darwin: An Exhibition of Historical Documents and Contemporary Art

From Darwin's Journeys: The Making of a Naturalist

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Darwin to Lyell, 1 Sept. 1844

In these letters written to his friend and renowned geologist Charles Lyell, Darwin discussed geological theories and observations. He sketched volcanic activity and marine fossils found in mountains.  Throughout his career, Darwin weighed in on the primary geological debate of his time: Was the earth’s history a sequence of catastrophic disasters or of gradual changes brought about by an accumulation of simple causes like rain and wind? Darwin, following Lyell, believed the latter.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Letter to Charles Lyell, September 1, 1844.

Read the transcript of this letter.

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