Iamlivingveryquietly，andthereforepleasantly，andamcrawlingonslowlybutsteadilywithmywork。Ihavecometooneconclusion，whichyouwillthinkprovesmetobeaverysensibleman，namely，thatwhateveryousayprovesright;andasaproofofthis，Iamcomingintoyourwayofonlyworkingabouttwohoursataspell;Ithengooutanddomybusinessinthestreets，returnandsettoworkagain，andthusmaketwoseparatedaysoutofone。Thenewplananswerscapitally;afterthesecondhalfdayisfinishedIgoanddineattheAthenaeumlikeagentleman，orratherlikealord，forIamsurethefirsteveningIsatinthatgreatdrawing—room，allonasofabymyself，Ifeltjustlikeaduke。IamfullofadmirationattheAthenaeum，onemeetssomanypeopletherethatonelikestosee。TheveryfirsttimeIdinedthere（i。e。lastweek）ImetDr。Fitton（W。H。
Fitton（1780—1861）wasaphysicianandgeologist，andsometimepresidentoftheGeologicalSociety。Heestablishedthe’Proceedings，’amodeofpublicationafterwardsadoptedbyothersocieties。）atthedoor，andhegottogetherquiteaparty——RobertBrown，whoisgonetoParisandAuvergne，Macleay[？]andDr。Boott。（FrancisBoott（1792—1863）ischieflyknownasabotanistthroughhisworkonthegenusCarex。Hewasalsowell—knowninconnectionwiththeLinneanSocietyofwhichhewasformanyyearsanoffice—bearer。Heisdescribed（inabiographicalsketchpublishedinthe\"Gardener’sChronicle\"，1864）ashavingbeenoneofthefirstphysiciansinLondonwhogaveupthecustomaryblackcoat，knee—breechesandsilkstockings，andadoptedtheordinarydressoftheperiod，abluecoatwithbrassbuttons，andabuffwaiscoat，acostumewhichhecontinuedtoweartothelast。Aftergivinguppractice，whichhedidearlyinlife，hespentmuchofhistimeinactsofunpretendingphilanthropy。）YourhelpingmeintotheAthenaeumhasnotbeenthrownaway，andIenjoyitthemorebecauseIfullyexpectedtodetestit。
Iamwritingyouamostunmercifulletter，butIshallgetOwentotakeittoNewcastle。IfyouhaveamindtobeaverygenerousmanyouwillwritetomefromKinnordy（ThehouseofLyell’sfather。），andtellmesomeNewcastlenews，aswellasabouttheCraig，andaboutyourselfandMrs。
Lyell，andeverythingelseintheworld。IwillsendbyHallthe’EntomologicalTransactions，’whichIhaveborrowedforyou;youwillbedisappointedin——’spapers，thatisifyousupposemydearfriendhasasingleclearideauponanyonesubject。HehassoinvolvedrecentinsectsandtruefossilinsectsinonetablethatIfearyouwillnotmakemuchoutofit，thoughitisasubjectwhichoughtIshouldthinktocomeintothe’Principles。’Youwillbeamusedatsomeoftheridiculo—sublimepassagesinthepapers，andnodoubtwillfeelacutelyasneerthereisatyourself。
IhaveheardfrommorethanonequarterthatquarrellingisexpectedatNewcastle（AtthemeetingoftheBritishAssociation。）;Iamsorrytohearit。Imetold——thiseveningattheAthenaeum，andhemutteredsomethingaboutwritingtoyouorsomeoneonthesubject;Iamhoweverallinthedark。Isuppose，however，Ishallbeilluminated，forIamgoingtodinewithhiminafewdays，asmyinventivepowersfailedinmakinganyexcuse。
Afriendofminedinedwithhimtheotherday，apartyoffour，andtheyfinishedtenbottlesofwine——apleasantprospectforme;butIamdeterminednoteventotastehiswine，partlyforthefunofseeinghisinfinitedisgustandsurprise……
Ipityyoutheinflictionofthismostunmercifulletter。PrayremembermemostkindlytoMrs。LyellwhenyouarriveatKinnordy。Isawhernameinthelandlord’sbookofInverorum。TellMrs。Lyelltoreadthesecondseriesof’Mr。SlickofSlickville’sSayings。’……Healmostbeats\"Samivel，\"
thatprinceofheroes。Goodnight，mydearLyell;youwillthinkIhavebeendrinkingsomestrongdrinktowritesomuchnonsense，butIdidnoteventasteMinerva’ssmallbeerto—day。
Yoursmostsincerely，CHAS。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Fridaynight，September13th[1838]。
MydearLyell，Iwasastonishedanddelightedatyourgloriouslylongletter，andIamsureIamverymuchobligedtoMrs。Lyellforhavingtakenthetroubletowritesomuch。（Lyelldictatedmuchofhiscorrespondence。）Imeantohaveagoodhour’senjoymentandscribbleawaytoyou，whohavesomuchgeologicalsympathythatIdonotcarehowegotisticallyIwrite……
IhavegotsomuchtosayaboutallsortsoftriflingthingsthatIhardlyknowwhattobeginabout。IneednotsayhowpleasedIamtohearthatMr。
Lyell（Fatherofthegeologist。）likesmyJournal。Tohearsuchtidingsisakindofresurrection，forIfeeltowardsmyfirst—bornchildasifithadlongsincebeendead，buried，andforgotten;butthepastisnothingandthefutureeverythingtousgeologists，asyoushowinyourcapitalmottotothe’Elements。’Bytheway，haveyoureadthearticle，inthe’EdinburghReview，’onM。Comte，’CoursdelaPhilosophie’（orsomesuchtitle）？Itiscapital;therearesomefinesentencesabouttheveryessenceofsciencebeingprediction，whichremindedmeof\"itslawbeingprogress。\"
Iwillnowbeginandgothroughyourletterseriatim。IdaresayyourplanofputtingtheEliedeBeaumont’schapterseparatelyandearlywillbeverygood;anyhow，itisshowingaboldfrontinthefirsteditionwhichistobetranslatedintoFrench。Itwillbeacuriouspointtogeologistshereaftertonotehowlongaman’snamewillsupportatheorysocompletelyexposedasthatofDeBeaumont’shasbeenbyyou;yousayyou\"begintohopethatthegreatprinciplesthereinsistedonwillstandthetestoftime。\"BEGINTOHOPE:why，thePOSSIBILITYofadoubthasnevercrossedmymindformanyaday。Thismaybeveryunphilosophical，butmygeologicalsalvationisstakedonit。AfterhavingjustcomebackfromGlenRoy，andfoundhowdifficultiessmoothawayunderyourprinciples，itmakesmequiteindignantthatyoushouldtalkofHOPING。Withrespecttothequestion，howfarmycoraltheorybearsonDeBeaumont’stheory，I
thinkitwouldbeprudenttoquotemewithgreatcautionuntilmywholeaccountispublished，andthenyou（andothers）canjudgehowfarthereisfoundationforsuchgeneralisation。Mind，Idonotdoubtitstruth;buttheextensionofanyviewoversuchlargespaces，fromcomparativelyfewfacts，mustbereceivedwithmuchcaution。Idonotmyselftheleastdoubtthatwithintherecent（orasyou，muchtomyannoyment，wouldcallit，\"NewPliocene\"）period，tortuousbands——notallthebandsparalleltoeachother——havebeenelevatedandcorrespondingonessubsided，thoughwithinthesameperiodsomepartsprobablyremainedforatimestationary，orevensubsided。Idonotbelieveamoreutterlyfalseviewcouldhavebeeninventedthangreatstraightlinesbeingsuddenlythrownup。
WhenmybookonVolcanoesandCoralReefswillbepublishedIhardlyknow;
Ifearitwillbeatleastfourorfivemonths;though，mind，thegreaterpartiswritten。Ifindsomuchtimeislostincorrectingdetailsandascertainingtheiraccuracy。TheGovernmentZoologicalworkisamillstoneroundmyneck，andtheGlenRoypaperhaslostmesixweeks。Iwillnot，however，saylost;for，supposingIcanprovetoothers’satisfactionwhatIhaveconvincedmyselfisthecase，theinferenceIthinkyouwillallowtobeimportant。Icannotdoubtthatthemoltenmatterbeneaththeearth’scrustpossessesahighdegreeoffluidity，almostliketheseabeneaththeblockice。Bytheway，IhopeyouwillgivemesomeSwedishcasetoquote，ofshellsbeingpreservedonthesurface，butnotincontemporaneousbedsofgravel……
RememberwhatIhaveoftenheardyousay:thecountryisverybadfortheintellects;theScotchmistswillputoutsomevolcanicspeculations。YouseeIamaffectingtobecomeveryCockneyfied，andtodespisethepoorcountry—folk，whobreathfreshairinsteadofsmoke，andseethegoodlyfieldsinsteadofthebrickhousesinMarlboroughStreet，theverysightofwhichIconfessIabhor。IamgladtohearwhatafavourablereportyougiveoftheBritishAssociation。IamthemorepleasedbecauseIhavebeenfightingitsbattleswithBasilHall，Stokes，andseveralothers，havingmadeupmymind，fromthereportinthe\"Athenaeum\"，thatitmusthavebeenanexcellentmeeting。IhavebeenmuchamusedwithanaccountIhavereceivedofthewarsofDonRoderick（Murchison。）andBabbage。Whatagrievouspityitisthatthelattershouldbesoimplacable……Thisisamostrigmaroleletter，foraftereachsentenceItakebreath，andyouwillhaveneedofitinreadingit……
IwishwithallmyheartthatmyGeologicalbookwasout。Ihaveeverymotivetoworkhard，andwill，followingyoursteps，workjustthatdegreeofhardnesstokeepwell。Ishouldlikemyvolumetobeoutbeforeyourneweditionof’Principles’appears。BesidestheCoraltheory，thevolcanicchapterswill，Ithink，containsomenewfacts。Ihavelatelybeensadlytemptedtobeidle——thatis，asfaraspuregeologyisconcerned——bythedelightfulnumberofnewviewswhichhavebeencominginthicklyandsteadily，——ontheclassificationandaffinitiesandinstinctsofanimals——bearingonthequestionofspecies。Note—bookafternote—bookhasbeenfilledwithfactswhichbegintogroupthemselvesCLEARLYundersub—laws。
Goodnight，mydearLyell。IhavefilledmyletterandenjoyedmytalktoyouasmuchasIcanwithouthavingyouinpropriapersona。Thinkofthebadeffectsofthecountry——sooncemoregoodnight。
Everyours，CHAS。DARWIN。
PrayagaingivemybestthankstoMrs。Lyell。
[Therecordofwhathewroteduringtheyeardoesnotgiveatrueindexofthemostimportantworkthatwasinprogress，——thelayingofthefoundation—stonesofwhatwastobetheachievementofhislife。ThisisshownintheforegoinglettertoLyell，wherehespeaksofbeing\"idle，\"
andthefollowingextractfromalettertoFox，writteninJune，isofinterestinthispointofview:
\"Iamdelightedtohearyouaresuchagoodmanasnottohaveforgottenmyquestionsaboutthecrossingofanimals。Itismyprimehobby，andI
reallythinksomedayIshallbeabletodosomethinginthatmostintricatesubject，speciesandvarieties。\"]
1839—1841。
[Inthewinterof1839{January29）myfatherwasmarriedtohiscousin，EmmaWedgwood。（DaughterofJosiahWedgwoodofMaer，andgrand—daughterofthefounderoftheEtruriaPotteryWorks。）Thehouseinwhichtheylivedforthefirstfewyearsoftheirmarriedlife，No。12UpperGowerStreet，wasasmallcommon—placeLondonhouse，withadrawing—roominfront，andasmallroombehind，inwhichtheylivedforthesakeofquietness。Inlateryearsmyfatherusedtolaughoverthesurpassinguglinessofthefurniture，carpets，etc。，oftheGowerStreethouse。TheonlyredeemingfeaturewasabettergardenthanmostLondonhouseshave，astripaswideasthehouse，andthirtyyardslong。EventhissmallspaceofdingygrassmadetheirLondonhousemoretolerabletoitstwocountry—bredinhabitants。
OfhislifeinLondonhewritestoFox（October1839）:\"Wearelivingalifeofextremequietness;Delamereitself，whichyoudescribeassosecludedaspot，is，Iwillanswerforit，quitedissipatedcomparedwithGowerStreet。Wehavegivenupallparties，fortheyagreewithneitherofus;andifoneisquietinLondon，thereisnothinglikeitsquietness——
thereisagrandeuraboutitssmokyfogs，andthedulldistantsoundsofcabsandcoaches;infactyoumayperceiveIambecomingathorough—pacedCockney，andIgloryinthoughtsthatIshallbehereforthenextsixmonths。\"
TheentriesofillhealthintheDiaryincreaseinnumberduringtheseyears，andasaconsequencetheholidaysbecomelongerandmorefrequent。
>FromApril26toMay13，1839，hewasatMaerandShrewsbury。Again，fromAugust23toOctober2hewasawayfromLondonatMaer，Shrewsbury，andatBirminghamforthemeetingoftheBritishAssociation。
TheentryunderAugust1839is:\"DuringmyvisittoMaer，readalittle，wasmuchunwellandscandalouslyidle。Ihavederivedthismuchgood，thatNOTHINGissointolerableasidleness。\"
Attheendof1839hiseldestchildwasborn，anditwasthenthathebeganhisobservationsultimatelypublishedinthe’ExpressionoftheEmotions。’
Hisbookonthissubject，andtheshortpaperpublishedin’Mind，’（July1877。）showhowcloselyheobservedhischild。Heseemstohavebeensurprisedathisownfeelingsforayoungbaby，forhewrotetoFox（July1840）:\"He[i。e。thebaby]issocharmingthatIcannotpretendtoanymodesty。Idefyanybodytoflatterusonourbaby，forIdefyanyonetosayanythinginitspraiseofwhichwearenotfullyconscious……Ihadnotthesmallestconceptiontherewassomuchinafive—monthbaby。YouwillperceivebythisthatIhaveafinedegreeofpaternalfervour。\"
Duringtheseyearsheworkedintermittentlyat’CoralReefs，’beingconstantlyinterruptedbyillhealth。Thushespeaksof\"recommencing\"thesubjectinFebruary1839，andagainintheOctoberofthesameyear，andoncemoreinJuly1841，\"aftermorethanthirteenmonths’interval。\"HisotherscientificworkconsistedofacontributiontotheGeologicalSociety（’Geol。Soc。Proc。’iii。1842，and’Geol。Soc。Trans。’vi），onthebouldersand\"till\"ofSouthAmerica，aswellasafewotherminorpapersongeologicalsubjects。HealsoworkedbusilyattheornithologicalpartoftheZoologyofthe\"Beagle\"，i。e。thenoticeofthehabitsandrangesofthebirdswhichweredescribedbyGould。]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Wednesdaymorning[February1840]。
MydearLyell，Manythanksforyourkindnote。Iwillsendforthe\"Scotsman\"。Dr。
Hollandthinkshehasfoundoutwhatisthematterwithme，andnowhopesheshallbeabletosetmegoingagain。Isitnotmortifying，itisnownineweekssinceIhavedoneawholeday’swork，andnotmorethanfourhalfdays。ButIwon’tgrumbleanymore，thoughitishardworktopreventdoingso。SincereceivingyournoteIhavereadovermychapteronCoral，andfindIampreparedtostandbyalmosteverything;itismuchmorecautiouslyandaccuratelywrittenthanIthought。Ihadsetmyheartuponhavingmyvolumecompletedbeforeyournewedition，butnot，youmaybelieveme，foryoutonoticeanythingnewinit（forthereisverylittlebesidesdetails），butyouaretheonemaninEuropewhoseopinionofthegeneraltruthofatoughishargumentIshouldbealwaysmostanxioustohear。MyMS。isinsuchconfusion，otherwiseIamsureyoushouldmostwillinglyifithadbeenworthyourwhile，havelookedatanypartyouchoose……
[InalettertoFox（January1841）heshowsthathis\"Specieswork\"wasstilloccupyinghismind:——
\"IfyouattendatalltoNaturalHistoryIsendyouthisP。S。asamemento，thatIcontinuetocollectallkindsoffactsabout’VarietiesandSpecies，’formysome—dayworktobesoentitled;thesmallestcontributionsthankfullyaccepted;descriptionsofoffspringofallcrossesbetweenalldomesticbirdsandanimals，dogs，cats，etc。，etc。，veryvaluable。Don’tforget，ifyourhalf—bredAfricancatshoulddiethatI
shouldbeverymuchobligedforitscarcasesentupinalittlehamperfortheskeleton;it，oranycross—bredpigeons，fowl，duck，etc。，etc。，willbemoreacceptablethanthefinesthaunchofvenison，orthefinestturtle。\"
Laterintheyear（September）hewritestoFoxabouthishealth，andalsowithreferencetohisplanofmovingintothecountry:——
\"Ihavesteadilybeengainingground，andreallybelievenowIshallsomedaybequitestrong。IwritedailyforacoupleofhoursonmyCoralvolume，andtakealittlewalkorrideeveryday。Igrowverytiredintheevenings，andamnotabletogooutatthattime，orhardlytoreceivemynearestrelations;butmylifeceasestobeburdensomenowthatIcandosomething。WearetakingstepstoleaveLondon，andliveabouttwentymilesfromitonsomerailway。\"]
1842。
[Therecordofworkincludeshisvolumeon’CoralReefs’（AnoticeoftheCoralReefworkappearedintheGeograph。Soc。Journal，xii。，page115。），themanuscriptofwhichwasatlastsenttotheprintersinJanuaryofthisyear，andthelastproofcorrectedinMay。Hethuswritesoftheworkinhisdiary:——
\"Icommencedthisworkthreeyearsandsevenmonthsago。Outofthisperiodabouttwentymonths（besidesworkduring\"Beagle’s\"voyage）hasbeenspentonit，andbesidesit，IhaveonlycompiledtheBirdpartofZoology;
AppendixtoJournal，paperonBoulders，andcorrectedpapersonGlenRoyandearthquakes，readingonspecies，andrestalllostbyillness。\"
InMayandJunehewasatShrewsburyandMaer，whencehewentontomakethelittletourinWales，ofwhichhespokeinhis’Recollections，’andofwhichtheresultswerepublishedas\"NotesontheeffectsproducedbytheancientglaciersofCaernarvonshire，andontheBoulderstransportedbyfloatingIce。\"（’PhilosophicalMagazine，’1842，page352。）
Mr。ArchibaldGeikiespeaksofthispaperasstanding\"almostatthetopofthelonglistofEnglishcontributionstothehistoryoftheIceAge。\"
CharlesDarwin，’Nature’Series，page23。）
ThelatterpartofthisyearbelongstotheperiodincludingthesettlementatDown，andisthereforedealtwithinanotherchapter。]
CHAPTER1。VIII。
RELIGION。
[Thehistoryofthispartofmyfather’slifemayjustlyincludesomementionofhisreligiousviews。Foralthough，ashepointsout，hedidnotgivecontinuoussystematicthoughttoreligiousquestions，yetweknowfromhisownwordsthataboutthistime（1836—39）thesubjectwasmuchbeforehismind。
Inhispublishedworkshewasreticentonthematterofreligion，andwhathehasleftonthesubjectwasnotwrittenwithaviewtopublication。（Asanexceptionmaybementioned，afewwordsofconcurrencewithDr。Abbot’s’TruthsfortheTimes，’whichmyfatherallowedtobepublishedinthe\"Index\"。）
Ibelievethathisreticencearosefromseveralcauses。Hefeltstronglythataman’sreligionisanessentiallyprivatematter，andoneconcerninghimselfalone。Thisisindicatedbythefollowingextractfromaletterof1879:——（AddressedtoMr。J。Fordyce，andpublishedbyhiminhis’AspectsofScepticism，’1883。）
\"Whatmyownviewsmaybeisaquestionofnoconsequencetoanyonebutmyself。But，asyouask，Imaystatethatmyjudgmentoftenfluctuates……InmymostextremefluctuationsIhaveneverbeenanAtheistinthesenseofdenyingtheexistenceofaGod。Ithinkthatgenerally（andmoreandmoreasIgrowolder），butnotalways，thatanAgnosticwouldbethemorecorrectdescriptionofmystateofmind。\"
Henaturallyshrankfromwoundingthesensibilitiesofothersinreligiousmatters，andhewasalsoinfluencedbytheconsciousnessthatamanoughtnottopublishonasubjecttowhichhehasnotgivenspecialandcontinuousthought。ThathefeltthiscautiontoapplytohimselfinthematterofreligionisshowninalettertoDr。F。E。Abbot，ofCambridge，U。S。（September6，1871）。Afterexplainingthattheweaknessarisingfromhisbadhealthpreventedhimfromfeeling\"equaltodeepreflection，onthedeepestsubjectwhichcanfillaman’smind，\"hegoesontosay:\"Withrespecttomyformernotestoyou，Iquiteforgettheircontents。Ihavetowritemanyletters，andcanreflectbutlittleonwhatIwrite;butI
fullybelieveandhopethatIhaveneverwrittenaword，whichatthetimeIdidnotthink;butIthinkyouwillagreewithme，thatanythingwhichistobegiventothepublicoughttobematurelyweighedandcautiouslyput。
Itneveroccurredtomethatyouwouldwishtoprintanyextractfrommynotes:ifithad，Iwouldhavekeptacopy。Iput’private’fromhabit，onlyasyetpartiallyacquired，fromsomehastynotesofminehavingbeenprinted，whichwerenotintheleastdegreeworthprinting，thoughotherwiseunobjectionable。Itissimplyridiculoustosupposethatmyformernotetoyouwouldbeworthsendingtome，withanypartmarkedwhichyoudesiretoprint;butifyouliketodoso，IwillatoncesaywhetherI
shouldhaveanyobjection。Ifeelinsomedegreeunwillingtoexpressmyselfpubliclyonreligioussubjects，asIdonotfeelthatIhavethoughtdeeplyenoughtojustifyanypublicity。\"
ImayalsoquotefromanotherlettertoDr。Abbot（November16，1871），inwhichmyfathergivesmorefullyhisreasonsfornotfeelingcompetenttowriteonreligiousandmoralsubjects:——
\"IcansaywithentiretruththatIfeelhonouredbyyourrequestthatI
shouldbecomeacontributortothe\"Index\"，andammuchobligedforthedraft。Ifully，also，subscribetothepropositionthatitisthedutyofeveryonetospreadwhathebelievestobethetruth;andIhonouryoufordoingso，withsomuchdevotionandzeal。ButIcannotcomplywithyourrequestforthefollowingreasons;andexcusemeforgivingtheminsomedetail，asIshouldbeverysorrytoappearinyoureyesungracious。Myhealthisveryweak:INEVERpass24hourswithoutmanyhoursofdiscomfort，whenIcandonothingwhatever。Ihavethus，also，losttwowholeconsecutivemonthsthisseason。Owingtothisweakness，andmyheadbeingoftengiddy，Iamunabletomasternewsubjectsrequiringmuchthought，andcandealonlywitholdmaterials。AtnotimeamIaquickthinkerorwriter:whateverIhavedoneinsciencehassolelybeenbylongpondering，patienceandindustry。
\"NowIhaveneversystematicallythoughtmuchonreligioninrelationtoscience，oronmoralsinrelationtosociety;andwithoutsteadilykeepingmymindonsuchsubjectsforaLONGperiod，Iamreallyincapableofwritinganythingworthsendingtothe’Index’。\"
Hewasmorethanonceaskedtogivehisviewsonreligion，andhehad，asarule，noobjectiontodoingsoinaprivateletter。ThusinanswertoaDutchstudenthewrote（April2，1873）:——
\"Iamsureyouwillexcusemywritingatlength，whenItellyouthatI
havelongbeenmuchoutofhealth，andamnowstayingawayfrommyhomeforrest。
\"Itisimpossibletoansweryourquestionbriefly;andIamnotsurethatI
coulddoso，evenifIwroteatsomelength。ButImaysaythattheimpossibilityofconceivingthatthisgrandandwondrousuniverse，withourconsciousselves，arosethroughchance，seemstomethechiefargumentfortheexistenceofGod;butwhetherthisisanargumentofrealvalue，Ihaveneverbeenabletodecide。Iamawarethatifweadmitafirstcause，themindstillcravestoknowwhenceitcame，andhowitarose。NorcanI
overlookthedifficultyfromtheimmenseamountofsufferingthroughtheworld。Iam，also，inducedtodefertoacertainextenttothejudgmentofthemanyablemenwhohavefullybelievedinGod;buthereagainIseehowpooranargumentthisis。Thesafestconclusionseemstomethatthewholesubjectisbeyondthescopeofman’sintellect;butmancandohisduty。\"
Againin1879hewasappliedtobyaGermanstudent，inasimilarmanner。
Theletterwasansweredbyamemberofmyfather’sfamily，whowrote:——
\"Mr。Darwinbegsmetosaythathereceivessomanyletters，thathecannotanswerthemall。
\"HeconsidersthatthetheoryofEvolutionisquitecompatiblewiththebeliefinaGod;butthatyoumustrememberthatdifferentpersonshavedifferentdefinitionsofwhattheymeanbyGod。\"
This，however，didnotsatisfytheGermanyouth，whoagainwrotetomyfather，andreceivedfromhimthefollowingreply:——
\"Iammuchengaged，anoldman，andoutofhealth，andIcannotsparetimetoansweryourquestionsfully，——norindeedcantheybeanswered。SciencehasnothingtodowithChrist，exceptinsofarasthehabitofscientificresearchmakesamancautiousinadmittingevidence。Formyself，Idonotbelievethatthereeverhasbeenanyrevelation。Asforafuturelife，everymanmustjudgeforhimselfbetweenconflictingvagueprobabilities。\"
Thepassageswhichherefollowareextracts，somewhatabbreviated，fromapartoftheAutobiography，writtenin1876，inwhichmyfathergivesthehistoryofhisreligiousviews:——
\"Duringthesetwoyears（October1836toJanuary1839。）Iwasledtothinkmuchaboutreligion。Whilstonboardthe’Beagle’Iwasquiteorthodox，andIrememberbeingheartilylaughedatbyseveraloftheofficers（thoughthemselvesorthodox）forquotingtheBibleasanunanswerableauthorityonsomepointofmorality。Isupposeitwasthenoveltyoftheargumentthatamusedthem。ButIhadgraduallycomebythistime，i。e。1836to1839，toseethattheOldTestamentwasnomoretobetrustedthanthesacredbooksoftheHindoos。Thequestionthencontinuallyrosebeforemymindandwouldnotbebanished，——isitcrediblethatifGodwerenowtomakearevelationtotheHindoos，hewouldpermitittobeconnectedwiththebeliefinVishnu，Siva，etc。，asChristianityisconnectedwiththeOldTestament？Thisappearedtomeutterlyincredible。
\"ByfurtherreflectingthattheclearestevidencewouldberequisitetomakeanysanemanbelieveinthemiraclesbywhichChristianityissupported，——andthatthemoreweknowofthefixedlawsofnaturethemoreincredibledomiraclesbecome，——thatthemenatthattimewereignorantandcreduloustoadegreealmostincomprehensiblebyus，——thattheGospelscannotbeprovedtohavebeenwrittensimultaneouslywiththeevents，——thattheydifferinmanyimportantdetails，fartooimportant，asitseemedtome，tobeadmittedastheusualinaccuraciesofeye—witnesses;——bysuchreflectionsasthese，whichIgivenotashavingtheleastnoveltyorvalue，butastheyinfluencedme，IgraduallycametodisbelieveinChristianityasadivinerevelation。Thefactthatmanyfalsereligionshavespreadoverlargeportionsoftheearthlikewild—firehadsomeweightwithme。
\"ButIwasveryunwillingtogiveupmybelief;Ifeelsureofthis，forI
canwellrememberoftenandofteninventingday—dreamsofoldlettersbetweendistinguishedRomans，andmanuscriptsbeingdiscoveredatPompeiiorelsewhere，whichconfirmedinthemoststrikingmannerallthatwaswrittenintheGospels。ButIfounditmoreandmoredifficult，withfreescopegiventomyimagination，toinventevidencewhichwouldsufficetoconvinceme。Thusdisbeliefcreptovermeataveryslowrate，butwasatlastcomplete。TheratewassoslowthatIfeltnodistress。
\"AlthoughIdidnotthinkmuchabouttheexistenceofapersonalGoduntilaconsiderablylaterperiodofmylife，IwillheregivethevagueconclusionstowhichIhavebeendriven。TheoldargumentfromdesigninNature，asgivenbyPaley，whichformerlyseemedtomesoconclusive，fails，nowthatthelawofnaturalselectionhasbeendiscovered。Wecannolongerarguethat，forinstance，thebeautifulhingeofabivalveshellmusthavebeenmadebyanintelligentbeing，likethehingeofadoorbyman。Thereseemstobenomoredesigninthevariabilityoforganicbeings，andintheactionofnaturalselection，thaninthecoursewhichthewindblows。ButIhavediscussedthissubjectattheendofmybookonthe’VariationsofDomesticatedAnimalsandPlants’（Myfatheraskswhetherwearetobelievethattheformsarepreordainedofthebrokenfragmentsofrocktumbledfromaprecipicewhicharefittedtogetherbymantobuildhishouses。Ifnot，whyshouldwebelievethatthevariationsofdomesticanimalsorplantsarepreordainedforthesakeofthebreeder？\"Butifwegiveuptheprincipleinonecase，……noshadowofreasoncanbeassignedforthebeliefthatvariations，alikeinnatureandtheresultofthesamegenerallaws，whichhavebeenthegroundworkthroughnaturalselectionoftheformationofthemostperfectlyadaptedanimalsintheworld，manincluded，wereintentionallyandspeciallyguided。\"——’TheVariationofAnimalsandPlants，’1stEditionvolumeii。page431。——F。D。），andtheargumenttheregivenhasnever，asfarasIcansee，beenanswered。
\"Butpassingovertheendlessbeautifuladaptationswhichweeverywheremeetwith，itmaybeaskedhowcanthegenerallybeneficentarrangementoftheworldbeaccountedfor？Somewritersindeedaresomuchimpressedwiththeamountofsufferingintheworld，thattheydoubt，ifwelooktoallsentientbeings，whetherthereismoreofmiseryorofhappiness;whethertheworldasawholeisagoodorbadone。Accordingtomyjudgmenthappinessdecidedlyprevails，thoughthiswouldbeverydifficulttoprove。
Ifthetruthofthisconclusionbegranted，itharmoniseswellwiththeeffectswhichwemightexpectfromnaturalselection。Ifalltheindividualsofanyspecieswerehabituallytosuffertoanextremedegree，theywouldneglecttopropagatetheirkind;butwehavenoreasontobelievethatthishasever，oratleastoftenoccurred。Someotherconsiderations，moreover，leadtothebeliefthatallsentientbeingshavebeenformedsoastoenjoy，asageneralrule，happiness。
\"Everyonewhobelieves，asIdo，thatallthecorporealandmentalorgans（exceptingthosewhichareneitheradvantageousnordisadvantageoustothepossessor）ofallbeingshavebeendevelopedthroughnaturalselection，orthesurvivalofthefittest，togetherwithuseorhabit，willadmitthattheseorganshavebeenformedsothattheirpossessorsmaycompetesuccessfullywithotherbeings，andthusincreaseinnumber。Nowananimalmaybeledtopursuethatcourseofactionwhichismostbeneficialtothespeciesbysuffering，suchaspain，hunger，thirst，andfear;orbypleasure，asineatinganddrinking，andinthepropagationofthespecies，etc。;orbybothmeanscombined，asinthesearchforfood。Butpainorsufferingofanykind，iflongcontinued，causesdepressionandlessensthepowerofaction，yetiswelladaptedtomakeacreatureguarditselfagainstanygreatorsuddenevil。Pleasurablesensations，ontheotherhand，maybelongcontinuedwithoutanydepressingeffect;onthecontrary，theystimulatethewholesystemtoincreasedaction。Henceithascometopassthatmostorallsentientbeingshavebeendevelopedinsuchamanner，throughnaturalselection，thatpleasurablesensationsserveastheirhabitualguides。Weseethisinthepleasurefromexertion，evenoccasionallyfromgreatexertionofthebodyormind，——inthepleasureofourdailymeals，andespeciallyinthepleasurederivedfromsociability，andfromlovingourfamilies。Thesumofsuchpleasuresasthese，whicharehabitualorfrequentlyrecurrent，give，asIcanhardlydoubt，tomostsentientbeingsanexcessofhappinessovermisery，althoughmanyoccasionallysuffermuch。SuchsufferingisquitecompatiblewiththebeliefinNaturalSelection，whichisnotperfectinitsaction，buttendsonlytorendereachspeciesassuccessfulaspossibleinthebattleforlifewithotherspecies，inwonderfullycomplexandchangingcircumstances。
\"Thatthereismuchsufferingintheworldnoonedisputes。Somehaveattemptedtoexplainthiswithreferencetomanbyimaginingthatitservesforhismoralimprovement。Butthenumberofmenintheworldisasnothingcomparedwiththatofallothersentientbeings，andtheyoftensuffergreatlywithoutanymoralimprovement。ThisveryoldargumentfromtheexistenceofsufferingagainsttheexistenceofanintelligentFirstCauseseemstomeastrongone;whereas，asjustremarked，thepresenceofmuchsufferingagreeswellwiththeviewthatallorganicbeingshavebeendevelopedthroughvariationandnaturalselection。
\"AtthepresentdaythemostusualargumentfortheexistenceofanintelligentGodisdrawnfromthedeepinwardconvictionandfeelingswhichareexperiencedbymostpersons。
\"FormerlyIwasledbyfeelingssuchasthosejustreferredto（althoughI
donotthinkthatthereligioussentimentwaseverstronglydevelopedinme），tothefirmconvictionoftheexistenceofGod，andoftheimmortalityofthesoul。InmyJournalIwrotethatwhilststandinginthemidstofthegrandeurofaBrazilianforest，\"itisnotpossibletogiveanadequateideaofthehigherfeelingsofwonder，admiration，anddevotion，whichfillandelevatethemind。\"Iwellremembermyconvictionthatthereismoreinmanthanthemerebreathofhisbody。Butnowthegrandestsceneswouldnotcauseanysuchconvictionsandfeelingstoriseinmymind。ItmaybetrulysaidthatIamlikeamanwhohasbecomecolour—blind，andtheuniversalbeliefbymenoftheexistenceofrednessmakesmypresentlossofperceptionofnottheleastvalueasevidence。ThisargumentwouldbeavalidoneifallmenofallraceshadthesameinwardconvictionoftheexistenceofoneGod;butweknowthatthisisveryfarfrombeingthecase。ThereforeIcannotseethatsuchinwardconvictionsandfeelingsareofanyweightasevidenceofwhatreallyexists。Thestateofmindwhichgrandscenesformerlyexcitedinme，andwhichwasintimatelyconnectedwithabeliefinGod，didnotessentiallydifferfromthatwhichisoftencalledthesenseofsublimity;andhoweverdifficultitmaybetoexplainthegenesisofthissense，itcanhardlybeadvancedasanargumentfortheexistenceofGod，anymorethanthepowerfulthoughvagueandsimilarfeelingsexcitedbymusic。