第18章
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  [Aquotationfromanotherletter(1846)toFitz—Roymaybeworthgiving,asshowingmyfather’saffectionateremembranceofhisoldCaptain。

  \"Farewell,dearFitz—Roy,Ioftenthinkofyourmanyactsofkindnesstome,andnotseldomestonthetime,nodoubtquiteforgottenbyyou,when,beforemakingMadeira,youcameandarrangedmyhammockwithyourownhands,andwhich,asIafterwardsheard,broughttearsintomyfather’seyes。\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。

  [Down,September5,1843。]

  Mondaymorning。

  MydearFox,WhenIsentofftheglacierpaper,Iwasjustgoingoutandsohadnotimetowrite。Ihopeyourfriendwillenjoy(andIwishyouweregoingtherewithhim)histourasmuchasIdid。Itwasakindofgeologicalnovel。

  Butyourfriendmusthavepatience,forhewillnotgetagoodGLACIALEYE

  forafewdays。MurchisonandCountKeyserlingRUSHEDthroughNorthWalesthesameautumnandcouldseenothingexcepttheeffectsofraintricklingovertherocks!Icross—examinedMurchisonalittle,andevidentlysawhehadlookedcarefullyatnothing。IfeelCERTAINabouttheglacier—effectsinNorthWales。Getupyoursteam,ifthisweatherlasts,andhavearambleinWales;itsgloriousscenerymustdoeveryone’sheartandbodygood。IwishIhadenergytocometoDelamereandgowithyou;butasyouobserve,youmightaswellaskSt。Paul’s。WheneverIgivemyselfatrip,itshallbe,Ithink,toScotland,tohuntformoreparallelroads。MymarinetheoryfortheseroadswasforatimeknockedontheheadbyAgassizice—work,butitisnowrevivingagain……

  Farewell,——wearegettingnearlyfinished——almostalltheworkmengone,andthegravellayingdownonthewalks。AveMaria!howthemoneydoesgo。

  TherearetwiceasmanytemptationstoextravaganceinthecountrycomparedwithLondon。Adios。

  Yours,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down[1844?]……Ihavealsoreadthe’Vestiges,’(’TheVestigesoftheNaturalHistoryofCreation’waspublishedanonymouslyin1844,andisconfidentlybelievedtohavebeenwrittenbythelateRobertChambers。Myfather’scopygivessignsofhavingbeencarefullyread,alonglistofmarkedpassagesbeingpinnedinattheend。Oneusefullessonheseemstohavelearnedfromit。

  Hewrites:\"Theideaofafishpassingintoareptile,monstrous。Iwillnotspecifyanygenealogies——muchtoolittleknownatpresent。\"HerefersagaintothebookinalettertoFox,February,1845:\"Haveyoureadthatstrange,unphilosophicalbutcapitally—writtenbook,the’Vestiges’:ithasmademoretalkthananyworkoflate,andhasbeenbysomeattributedtome——atwhichIoughttobemuchflatteredandunflattered。\"),buthavebeensomewhatlessamusedatitthanyouappeartohavebeen:thewritingandarrangementarecertainlyadmirable,buthisgeologystrikesmeasbad,andhiszoologyfarworse。Ishouldbeverymuchobliged,ifatanyfutureorleisuretimeyoucouldtellmeonwhatyougroundyourdoubtfulbeliefinimaginationofamotheraffectingheroffspring。(ThisreferstothecaseofarelativeofSirJ。Hooker’s,whoinsistedthatamole,whichappearedononeofherchildren,wastheeffectoffrightuponherselfonhaving,beforethebirthofthechild,blottedwithsepiaacopyofTurner’s’LiberStudiorum’thathadbeenlenttoherwithspecialinjunctionstobecareful。)Ihaveattendedtotheseveralstatementsscatteredabout,butdonotbelieveinmorethanaccidentalcoincidences。

  W。Huntertoldmyfather,theninalying—inhospital,thatinmanythousandcases,hehadaskedthemother,BEFOREHERCONFINEMENT,whetheranythinghadaffectedherimagination,andrecordedtheanswers;andabsolutelynotonecasecameright,though,whenthechildwasanythingremarkable,theyafterwardsmadethecaptofit。Reproductionseemsgovernedbysuchsimilarlawsinthewholeanimalkingdom,thatIammostloth[tobelieve]……

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。M。HERBERT。

  Down[1844or1845]。

  MydearHerbert,Iwasverygladtoseeyourhandwritingandhearabitofnewsaboutyou。

  Thoughyoucannotcomeherethisautumn,IdohopeyouandMrs。Herbertwillcomeinthewinter,andwewillhavelotsoftalkofoldtimes,andlotsofBeethoven。

  Ihavelittleorrathernothingtosayaboutmyself;welivelikeclock—

  work,andinwhatmostpeoplewouldconsiderthedullestpossiblemanner。

  Ihaveoflatebeenslavingextrahard,tothegreatdiscomfitureofwretcheddigestiveorgans,atSouthAmerica,andthankallthefates,I

  havedonethree—fourthsofit。WritingplainEnglishgrowswithmemoreandmoredifficult,andneverattainable。Asforyourpretendingthatyouwillreadanythingsodullasmypuregeologicaldescriptions,laynotsuchaflatteringunctiononmysoul(OnthesamesubjecthewrotetoFitz—Roy:

  \"Ihavesentmy’SouthAmericanGeology’toDoverStreet,andyouwillgetit,nodoubt,inthecourseoftime。Youdonotknowwhatyouthreatenwhenyouproposetoreadit——itispurelygeological。Isaidtomybrother,’Youwillofcoursereadit,’andhisanswerwas,’Uponmylife,I

  wouldsoonerevenbuyit。’\")foritisincredible。Ihavelongdiscoveredthatgeologistsneverreadeachother’sworks,andthattheonlyobjectinwritingabookisaproofofearnestness,andthatyoudonotformyouropinionswithoutundergoinglabourofsomekind。Geologyisatpresentveryoral,andwhatIheresayistoagreatextentquitetrue。ButIamgivingyouadiscussionaslongasachapterintheodiousbookitself。

  IhavelatelybeentoShrewsbury,andfoundmyfathersurprisinglywellandcheerful。

  Believeme,mydearoldfriend,everyours,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,Monday[February10th,1845]。

  MydearHooker,Iammuchobligedforyourveryagreeableletter;itwasverygood—natured,inthemidstofyourscientificandtheatricaldissipation,tothinkofwritingsolongalettertome。Iamastonishedatyournews,andImustcondolewithyouinyourPRESENTviewoftheProfessorship(SirJ。D。HookerwasacandidatefortheProfessorshipofBotanyatEdinburghUniversity。),andmostheartilydeploreitonmyownaccount。Thereissomethingsochillinginaseparationofsomanyhundredmiles,thoughwedidnotseemuchofeachotherwhennearer。YouwillhardlybelievehowdeeplyI

  regretforMYSELFyourpresentprospects。Ihadlookedforwardto[our]

  seeingmuchofeachotherduringourlives。Itisaheavydisappointment;

  andinamereselfishpointofview,asaidingmeinmywork,yourlossisindeedirreparable。But,ontheotherhand,Icannotdoubtthatyoutakeatpresentadesponding,insteadofbright,viewofyourprospects:surelytherearegreatadvantages,aswellasdisadvantages。Theplaceisoneofeminence;andreallyitappearstometherearesomanyindifferentworkers,andsofewreaders,thatitisahighadvantage,inapurelyscientificpointofview,foragoodworkertoholdapositionwhichleadsotherstoattendtohiswork。IforgetwhetheryouattendedEdinburgh,asastudent,butinmytimetherewasaknotofmenwhowerefarfrombeingtheindifferentanddulllistenerswhichyouexpectforyouraudience。

  ReflectwhatasatisfactionandhonouritwouldbetoMAKEagoodbotanist——withyourdispositionyouwillbetomanywhatHenslowwasatCambridgetomeandothers,amostkindfriendandguide。Thenwhatafinegarden,andhowgoodaPublicLibrary!why,ForbesalwaysregretstheadvantagesofEdinburghforwork:thinkoftheinestimableadvantageofgettingwithinashortwalkofthosenoblerocksandhillsandsandyshoresnearEdinburgh!

  Indeed,Icannotpityyoumuch,thoughIpitymyselfexceedinglyinyourloss。Surelylecturingwill,inayearortwo,withyourGREATcapacityforwork(whateveryoumaybepleasedtosaytothecontrary)becomeeasy,andyouwillhaveafairtimeforyourAntarcticFloraandgeneralviewsofdistribution。IfIthoughtyourProfessorshipwouldstopyourwork,I

  shouldwishitandallthegoodworldlyconsequencesatelDiavolo。IknowIshalllivetoseeyouthefirstauthorityinEuropeonthatgrandsubject,thatalmostkeystoneofthelawsofcreation,GeographicalDistribution。Well,thereisonecomfort,youwillbeatKew,nodoubt,everyyear,soIshallfinishbyforcingdownyourthroatmysincerecongratulations。Thanksforallyournews。IgrievetohearHumboldtisfailing;onecannothelpfeeling,thoughunrightly,thatsuchanendishumiliating:evenwhenIsawhimhetalkedbeyondallreason。Ifyouseehimagain,praygivehimmymostrespectfulandkindcompliments,andsaythatIneverforgetthatmywholecourseoflifeisduetohavingreadandre—readasayouthhis’PersonalNarrative。’Howtrueandpleasingareallyourremarksonhiskindness;thinkhowmanyopportunitiesyouwillhave,inyournewplace,ofbeingaHumboldttoothers。AskhimabouttheriverinN。E。Europe,withtheFloraverydifferentonitsoppositebanks。I

  havegotandreadyourWilkes;whatafeeblebookinmatterandstyle,andhowsplendidlygotup!DowritemealinefromBerlin。Alsothanksfortheproof—sheets。Idonot,however,meanproofplates;Ivaluethem,assavingmecopyingextracts。Farewell,mydearHooker,withaheavyheartI

  wishyoujoyofyourprospects。

  Yoursincerefriend,C。DARWIN。

  [Thesecondeditionofthe’Journal,’towhichthefollowingletterrefers,wascompletedbetweenApril25thandAugust25th。ItwaspublishedbyMr。

  Murrayinthe’ColonialandHomeLibrary,’andinthismoreaccessibleformsoonhadalargesale。

  UptothetimeofhisfirstnegotiationswithMr。Murrayforitspublicationinthisform,hehadreceivedpaymentonlyintheformofalargenumberofpresentationcopies,andheseemstohavebeengladtosellthecopyrightofthesecondeditiontoMr。Murrayfor150pounds。

  Thepointsofdifferencebetweenitandthefirsteditionareofinterestchieflyinconnectionwiththegrowthoftheauthor’sviewsonevolution,andwillbeconsideredlater。]

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down[July,1845]。

  MydearLyell,Isendyouthefirstpart(Nodoubtproof—sheets。)ofthenewedition[ofthe’JournalofResearches’],whichIsoentirelyowetoyou。YouwillseethatIhaveventuredtodedicateittoyou(Thededicationofthesecondeditionofthe’JournalofResearches,’isasfollows:——\"ToCharlesLyell,Esq。,F。R。S。,thissecondeditionisdedicatedwithgratefulpleasure——asanacknowledgmentthatthechiefpartofwhateverscientificmeritthisJournalandtheotherworksoftheAuthormaypossess,hasbeenderivedfromstudyingthewell—knownandadmirable’PrinciplesofGeology。’\"),andItrustthatthiscannotbedisagreeable。Ihavelongwished,notsomuchforyoursake,asformyownfeelingsofhonesty,toacknowledgemoreplainlythanbymerereference,howmuchIgeologicallyoweyou。Thoseauthors,however,wholikeyou,educatepeople’smindsaswellasteachthemspecialfacts,cannever,Ishouldthink,havefulljusticedonethemexceptbyposterity,forthemindthusinsensiblyimprovedcanhardlyperceiveitsownupwardascent。IhadintendedputtinginthepresentacknowledgmentinthethirdpartofmyGeology,butitssaleissoexceedinglysmallthatIshouldnothavehadthesatisfactionofthinkingthatasfaraslayinmypowerIhadowned,thoughimperfectly,mydebt。

  PraydonotthinkthatIamsosilly,astosupposethatmydedicationcananywaysgratifyyou,exceptsofarasItrustyouwillreceiveit,asamostsinceremarkofmygratitudeandfriendship。IthinkIhaveimprovedthisedition,especiallythesecondpart,whichIhavejustfinished。I

  haveaddedagooddealabouttheFuegians,andcutdownintohalfthemercilesslylongdiscussiononclimateandglaciers,etc。Idonotrecollectanythingaddedtothefirstpart,longenoughtocallyourattentionto;thereisapageofdescriptionofaverycuriousbreedofoxeninBandaOriental。Ishouldlikeyoutoreadthefewlastpages;

  thereisalittlediscussiononextinction,whichwillnotperhapsstrikeyouasnew,thoughithassostruckme,andhasplacedinmymindallthedifficultieswithrespecttothecausesofextinction,inthesameclasswithotherdifficultieswhicharegenerallyquiteoverlookedandundervaluedbynaturalists;Iought,however,tohavemademydiscussionlongerandshewnbyfacts,asIeasilycould,howsteadilyeveryspeciesmustbecheckedinitsnumbers。

  IreceivedyourTravels(’TravelsinNorthAmerica,’2volumes,1845。)

  yesterday;andIlikeexceedinglyitsexternalandinternalappearance;I

  readonlyaboutadozenpageslastnight(forIwastiredwithhay—making),butIsawquiteenoughtoperceivehowVERYmuchitwillinterestme,andhowmanypassageswillbescored。IampleasedtofindagoodsprinklingofNaturalHistory;Ishallbeastonishedifitdoesnotsellverylargely……

  HowsorryIamtothinkthatweshallnotseeyouhereagainforsolong;I

  wishyoumayknockyourselfalittlebitupbeforeyoustartandrequireaday’sfreshair,beforetheoceanbreezesblowonyou……

  Everyours,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,Saturday[August1st,1845]。

  MydearLyell,Ihavebeenwishingtowritetoyouforaweekpast,buteveryfiveminutes’worthofstrengthhasbeenexpendedingettingoutmysecondpart。

  (Ofthesecondeditionofthe’JournalofResearches。’)YournotepleasedmeagooddealmoreIdaresaythanmydedicationdidyou,andIthankyoumuchforit。Yourworkhasinterestedmemuch,andIwillgiveyoumyimpressions,though,asIneverthoughtyouwouldcaretohearwhatI

  thoughtofthenon—scientificparts,Imadenonotes,nortookpainstorememberanyparticularimpressionoftwo—thirdsofthefirstvolume。ThefirstimpressionIshouldsaywouldbewithmost(thoughIhaveliterallyseennotonesoulsincereadingit)regretattherenotbeingmoreofthenon—scientific[parts]。Iamnotagoodjudge,forIhavereadnothing,i。e。non—scientificaboutNorthAmerica,butthewholestruckmeasverynew,fresh,andinteresting。Yourdiscussionsboretomymindtheevidentstampofmaturedthought,andofconclusionsdrawnfromfactsobservedbyyourself,andnotfromtheopinionsofthepeoplewhomyoumet;andthisI

  suspectiscomparativelyrare。

  Yourslavediscussiondisturbedmemuch;butasyouwouldcarenomoreformyopiniononthisheadthanfortheashesofthisletter,Iwillsaynothingexceptthatitgavemesomesleepless,mostuncomfortablehours。

  YouraccountofthereligiousstateoftheStatesparticularlyinterestedme;IamsurprisedthroughoutatyourveryproperboldnessagainsttheClergy。InyourUniversitychaptertheClergy,andnottheStateofEducation,aremostseverelyandjustlyhandled,andthisIthinkisverybold,forIconceiveyoumightcrushaleaden—headedoldDon,asaDon,withmoresafety,thantouchthefingerofthatCorporateAnimal,theClergy。WhatacontrastinEducationdoesEnglandshowitself!Yourapology(usingtheterm,liketheoldreligionistswhomeantanythingbutanapology)forlectures,struckmeasveryclever;butalltheargumentsintheworldonyourside,arenotequaltoonecourseofJamieson’sLecturesontheotherside,whichIformerlyformysinsexperienced。

  AlthoughIhadreadaboutthe’CoalfieldsinNorthAmerica,’Ineverinthesmallestdegreereallycomprehendedtheirarea,theirthicknessandfavourableposition;nothinghardlyastoundedmemoreinyourbook。

  Somefewpartsstruckmeasratherheterogeneous,butIdonotknowwhethertoanextentthatatallsignified。Imissedhowever,agooddeal,somegeneralheadingtothechapters,suchasthetwoorthreeprincipalplacesvisited。Onehasnorighttoexpectanauthortowritedowntothezeroofgeographicalignoranceofthereader;butInotknowingasingleplace,wasoccasionallyratherplaguedintracingyourcourse。Sometimesinthebeginningofachapter,inoneparagraphyourcoursewastracedthroughahalfdozenplaces;anyone,asignorantasmyself,ifhecouldbefound,wouldprefersuchadisturbingparagraphleftout。Icutyourmaploose,andIfoundthatagreatcomfort;Icouldnotfollowyourengravedtrack。

  Ithinkinasecondedition,interspaceshereandthereofonelineopen,wouldbeanimprovement。Bytheway,ItakecredittomyselfingivingmyJournalalessscientificairinhavingprintedallnamesofspeciesandgenerainRomans;theprintinglooks,also,better。Alltheillustrationsstrikemeascapital,andthemapisanadmirablevolumeinitself。Ifyour’Principles’hadnotmetwithsuchuniversaladmiration,Ishouldhavefearedtherewouldhavebeentoomuchgeologyinthisforthegeneralreader;certainlyallthatthemostclearandlightstylecoulddo,hasbeendone。Tomyselfthegeologywasanexcellent,well—condensed,well—

  digestedresumeofallthathasbeenmadeoutinNorthAmerica,andeverygeologistoughttobegratefultoyou。ThesummingupoftheNiagarachapterappearedtomethegrandestpart;IwasalsodeeplyinterestedbyyourdiscussionontheoriginoftheSilurianformations。IhavemadescoresofSCORESmarkingpassageshereafterusefultome。

  Allthecoaltheoryappearedtomeverygood;butitisnousegoingonenumeratinginthismanner。IwishtherehadbeenmoreNaturalHistory;I

  likedALLthescatteredfragments。Ihavenowgivenyouanexacttranscriptofmythoughts,buttheyarehardlyworthyourreading……

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,August25th[1845]。

  MydearLyell,ThisisliterallythefirstdayonwhichIhavehadanytimetospare;andIwillamusemyselfbybeginningalettertoyou……

  IwasdelightedwithyourletterinwhichyoutouchonSlavery;Iwishthesamefeelingshadbeenapparentinyourpublisheddiscussion。ButIwillnotwriteonthissubject,Ishouldperhapsannoyyou,andmostcertainlymyself。IhaveexhaledmyselfwithaparagraphortwoinmyJournalonthesinofBrazilianslavery;youperhapswillthinkthatitisinanswertoyou;butsuchisnotthecase。IhaveremarkedonnothingwhichIdidnothearonthecoastofSouthAmerica。Myfewsentences,however,aremerelyanexplosionoffeeling。Howcouldyourelatesoplacidlythatatrocioussentiment(Inthepassagereferredto,Lyelldoesnotgivehisownviews,butthoseofaplanter。)aboutseparatingchildrenfromtheirparents;andinthenextpagespeakofbeingdistressedatthewhitesnothavingprospered;Iassureyouthecontrastmademeexclaimout。ButIhavebrokenmyintention,andsonomoreonthisodiousdeadlysubject。

  Thereisafavourable,butnotstrongenoughreviewonyou,inthe\"Gardeners’Chronicle\"。IamsorrytoseethatLindleyabidesbythecarbonicacidgastheory。Bytheway,IwasmuchpleasedbyLindleypickingoutmyextinctionparagraphsandgivingthemuncurtailed。Tomymind,puttingthecomparativerarityofexistingspeciesinthesamecategorywithextinctionhasremovedagreatweight;thoughofcourseitdoesnotexplainanything,itshowsthatuntilwecanexplaincomparativerarity,weoughtnottofeelanysurpriseatnotexplainingextinction……

  Iammuchpleasedtohearofthecallforaneweditionofthe’Principles’:whatgloriousgoodthatworkhasdone。Ifearthistimeyouwillnotbeamongsttheoldrocks;howIshallrejoicetolivetoseeyoupublishanddiscoveranotherstagebelowtheSilurian——itwouldbethegrandeststeppossible,Ithink。IamverygladtohearwhatprogressBunburyismakinginfossilBotany;thereisafinehiatusforhimtofillupinthiscountry。Iwillcertainlycallonhimthiswinter……FromwhatlittleIsawofhim,Icanquitebelieveeverythingwhichyousayofhistalents……

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Shrewsbury[1845?]。

  MydearHooker,Ihavejustreceivedyournote,whichhasastonishedme,andhasmosttrulygrievedme。Ineverforoneminutedoubtedofyoursuccess,forImosterroneouslyimagined,thatmeritwassuretogaintheday。Ifeelmostsurethatthedaywillcomesoon,whenthosewhohavevotedagainstyou,iftheyhaveanyshameorconscienceinthem,willbeashamedathavingallowedpoliticstoblindtheireyestoyourqualifications,andthosequalificationsvouchedforbyHumboldtandBrown!Well,thosetestimonialsmustbeaconsolationtoyou。Prohpudor!Iamvexedandindignantbyturns。IcannoteventakecomfortinthinkingthatIshallseemoreofyou,andextractmoreknowledgefromyourwell—arrangedstock。Iampleasedtothink,thatafterhavingreadafewofyourletters,IneveroncedoubtedthepositionyouwillultimatelyholdamongstEuropeanBotanists。Icanthinkaboutnothingelse,otherwiseIshouldlike[to]

  discuss’Cosmos’(AtranslationofHumboldt’s’Kosmos。’)withyou。ItrustyouwillpaymeandmywifeavisitthisautumnatDown。IshallbeatDownonthe24th,andtillthenmovingabout。

  MydearHooker,allowmetocallmyselfYourverytruefriend,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  October8th[1845],Shrewsbury……IhavelatelybeentakingalittletourtoseeafarmIhavepurchasedinLincolnshire(HespeaksofhisLincolnshirefarminalettertoHenslow(July4th):——\"IhaveboughtafarminLincolnshire,andwhenIgotherethisautumn,ImeantoseewhatIcandoinprovidinganycottageonmysmallestatewithgardens。Itisahopelessthingtolookto,butI

  believefewthingswoulddothiscountrymoregoodinfutureagesthanthedestructionofprimogeniture,soastolessenthedifferenceinland—

  wealth,andmakemoresmallfreeholders。Howatrociouslyunjustarethestamplaws,whichrenderitsoexpensiveforthepoormantobuyhisquarterofanacre;itmakesone’sbloodburnwithindignation。\")andthentoYork,whereIvisitedtheDeanofManchester(Hon。andRev。W。Herbert。

  ThevisitismentionedinalettertoDr。Hooker:——\"Ihavebeentakingalittletour,partlyonbusiness,andvisitedtheDeanofManchester,andhadverymuchinterestingtalkwithhimonhybrids,sterility,andvariation,etc。,etc。Heisfullofself—gainedknowledge,butknowssurprisinglylittlewhatothershavedoneonthesamesubjects。Heisveryheterodoxon’species’:notmuchbetterasmostnaturalistswouldesteemit,thanpoorMr。Vestiges。\")thegreatmakerofHybrids,whogavememuchcuriousinformation。IalsovisitedWatertonatWaltonHall,andwasextremelyamusedwithmyvisitthere。Heisanamusingstrangefellow;atourearlydinner,ourpartyconsistedoftwoCatholicpriestsandtwoMulattresses!Heispastsixtyyearsold,andthedaybeforerandownandcaughtaleveretinaturnip—field。Itisafineoldhouse,andthelakeswarmswithwater—fowl。IthensawChatsworth,andwasintransportwiththegreathothouse;itisaperfectfragmentofatropicalforest,andthesightmademethinkwithdelightofoldrecollections。Mylittleten—daytourmademefeelwonderfullystrongatthetime,butthegoodeffectsdidnotlast。Mywife,Iamsorrytosay,doesnotgetverystrong,andthechildrenarethehopeofthefamily,fortheyareallhappy,life,andspirits。IhavebeenmuchinterestedwithSedgwick’sreview(Sedgwick’sreviewofthe’VestigesofCreation’inthe’EdinburghReview,’July,1845。)thoughIfinditfarfrompopularwithourscientificreaders。I

  thinksomefewpassagessavourofthedogmatismofthepulpit,ratherthanofthephilosophyoftheProfessor’sChair;andsomeofthewitstrikesmeasonlyworthyof——inthe’Quarterly。’Nevertheless,itisagrandpieceofargumentagainstmutabilityofspecies,andIreaditwithfearandtrembling,butwaswellpleasedtofindthatIhadnotoverlookedanyofthearguments,thoughIhadputthemtomyselfasfeeblyasmilkandwater。

  Haveyouread’Cosmos’yet?TheEnglishtranslationiswretched,andthesemi—metaphysico—politicodescriptionsinthefirstpartarebarelyintelligible;butIthinkthevolcanicdiscussionwellworthyourattention,ithasastonishedmebyitsvigourandinformation。IgrievetofindHumboldtanadorerofVonBuch,withhisclassificationofvolcanos,cratersofelevation,etc。,etc。,andcarbonicacidgasatmosphere。Heisindeedawonderfulman。

  IhopetogethomeinafortnightandsticktomywearyfulSouthAmericatillIfinishit。IshallbeveryanxioustohearhowyougetonfromtheHorners,butyoumustnotthinkofwastingyourtimebywritingtome。Weshallmiss,indeed,yourvisitstoDown,andIshallfeelalostmaninLondonwithoutmymorning\"houseofcall\"atHartStreet……

  Believeme,mydearLyell,everyours,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,Farnborough,Kent。

  Thursday,September,1846。

  MydearHooker,IhopethisletterwillcatchyouatClifton,butIhavebeenpreventedwritingbybeingunwell,andhavinghadtheHornershereasvisitors,which,withmyabominablepress—work,hasfullyoccupiedmytime。Itis,indeed,alongtimesincewewrotetoeachother;though,Ibegtotellyou,thatIwrotelast,butwhataboutIcannotremember,except,Iknow,itwasafterreadingyourlastnumbers(SirJ。D。Hooker’sAntarcticBotany。),andIsendyouauniquelylaudatoryepistle,consideringitwasfromamanwhohardlyknowsaDaisyfromaDandeliontoaprofessedBotanist……

  Icannotrememberwhatpapershavegivenmetheimpression,butIhavethat,whichyoustatetobethecase,firmlyfixedonmymind,namely,thelittlechemicalimportanceofthesoiltoitsvegetation。Whatastrongfactitis,asR。Brownonceremarkedtome,ofcertainplantsbeingcalcareousoneshere,whicharenotsounderamorefavourableclimateontheContinent,orthereverse,forIforgetwhich;butyou,nodoubt,willknowtowhatIrefer。By—the—way,therearesomesuchcasesinHerbert’spaperinthe’HorticulturalJournal。’(’JournaloftheHorticulturalSociety,’1846。)Haveyoureadit:itstruckmeasextremelyoriginal,andbearsDIRECTLYonyourpresentresearches。(SirJ。D。Hookerwasatthistimeattendingtopolymorphism,variability,etc。)ToaNON—BOTANIST

  thechalkhasthemostpeculiaraspectofanyflorainEngland;whywillyounotcomeheretomakeyourobservations?WEgotoSouthampton,ifmycourageandstomachdonotfail,fortheBrit。Assoc。(Doyounotconsiderityourdutytobethere?)AndwhycannotyoucomehereafterwardandWORK?……

  THEMONOGRAPHOFTHECIRRIPEDIA,October1846toOctober1854。

  [WritingtoSirJ。D。Hookerin1845,myfathersays:\"IhopethisnextsummertofinishmySouthAmericanGeology,thentogetoutalittleZoology,andhurrahformyspecieswork……\"ThispassageservestoshowthathehadatthistimenointentionofmakinganexhaustivestudyoftheCirripedes。Indeeditwouldseemthathisoriginalintentionwas,asI

  learnfromSirJ。D。Hooker,merelytoworkoutonespecialproblem。ThisisquiteinkeepingwiththefollowingpassageintheAutobiography:\"WhenonthecoastofChile,Ifoundamostcuriousform,whichburrowedintotheshellsofConcholepas,andwhichdifferedsomuchfromallotherCirripedesthatIhadtoformanewsub—orderforitssolereception……TounderstandthestructureofmynewCirripedeIhadtoexamineanddissectmanyofthecommonforms;andthisgraduallyledmeontotakeupthewholegroup。\"Inlateryearsheseemstohavefeltsomedoubtastothevalueoftheseeightyearsofwork,——forinstancewhenhewroteinhisAutobiography——\"Myworkwasofconsiderableusetome,whenIhadtodiscussinthe’OriginofSpecies,’theprinciplesofanaturalclassification。NeverthelessIdoubtwhethertheworkwasworththeconsumptionofsomuchtime。\"YetIlearnfromSirJ。D。Hookerthathecertainlyrecognisedatthetimeitsvaluetohimselfassystematictraining。SirJosephwritestome:\"Yourfatherrecognisedthreestagesinhiscareerasabiologist:themerecollectoratCambridge;thecollectorandobserverinthe\"Beagle\",andforsomeyearsafterwards;andthetrainednaturalistafter,andonlyaftertheCirripedework。Thathewasathinkerallalongistrueenough,andthereisavastdealinhiswritingsprevioustotheCirripedesthatatrainednaturalistcouldbutemulate……Heoftenalludedtoitasavalueddiscipline,andaddedthateventhe’hateful’workofdiggingoutsynonyms,andofdescribing,notonlyimprovedhismethodsbutopenedhiseyestothedifficultiesandmeritsoftheworksofthedullestofcataloguers。Oneresultwasthathewouldneverallowadepreciatoryremarktopassunchallengedonthepoorestclassofscientificworkers,providedthattheirworkwashonest,andgoodofitskind。Ihavealwaysregardeditasoneofthefinesttraitsofhischaracter,——thisgenerousappreciationofthehod—menofscience,andoftheirlabours……anditwasmonographingtheBarnaclesthatbroughtitabout。\"

  ProfessorHuxleyallowsmetoquotehisopinionastothevalueoftheeightyearsgiventotheCirripedes:——

  \"InmyopinionyoursagaciousfatherneverdidawiserthingthanwhenhedevotedhimselftotheyearsofpatienttoilwhichtheCirripede—bookcosthim。

  \"Liketherestofus,hehadnopropertraininginbiologicalscience,andithasalwaysstruckmeasaremarkableinstanceofhisscientificinsight,thathesawthenecessityofgivinghimselfsuchtraining,andofhiscourage,thathedidnotshirkthelabourofobtainingit。

  \"Thegreatdangerwhichbesetsallmenoflargespeculativefaculty,isthetemptationtodealwiththeacceptedstatementsoffactsinnaturalscience,asiftheywerenotonlycorrect,butexhaustive;asiftheymightbedealtwithdeductively,inthesamewayaspropositionsinEuclidmaybedealtwith。Inreality,everysuchstatement,howevertrueitmaybe,istrueonlyrelativelytothemeansofobservationandthepointofviewofthosewhohaveenunciatedit。Sofaritmaybedependedupon。Butwhetheritwillbeareveryspeculativeconclusionthatmaybelogicallydeducedfromit,isquiteanotherquestion。

  \"Yourfatherwasbuildingavastsuperstructureuponthefoundationsfurnishedbytherecognisedfactsofgeologicalandbiologicalscience。InPhysicalGeography,inGeologyproper,inGeographicalDistribution,andinPalaeontology,hehadacquiredanextensivepracticaltrainingduringthevoyageofthe\"Beagle\"。Heknewofhisownknowledgethewayinwhichtherawmaterialsofthesebranchesofscienceareacquired,andwasthereforeamostcompetentjudgeofthespeculativestraintheywouldbear。Thatwhichheneeded,afterhisreturntoEngland,wasacorrespondingacquaintancewithAnatomyandDevelopment,andtheirrelationtoTaxonomy——

  andheacquiredthisbyhisCirripedework。

  \"Thus,inmyapprehension,thevalueoftheCirripedemonographliesnotmerelyinthefactthatitisaveryadmirablepieceofwork,andconstitutedagreatadditiontopositiveknowledge,butstillmoreinthecircumstancethatitwasapieceofcriticalself—discipline,theeffectofwhichmanifesteditselfineverythingyourfatherwroteafterwards,andsavedhimfromendlesserrorsofdetail。

  \"Sofarfromsuchworkbeingalossoftime,Ibelieveitwouldhavebeenwellworthhiswhile,haditbeenpracticable,tohavesupplementeditbyaspecialstudyofembryologyandphysiology。Hishandswouldhavebeengreatlystrengthenedtherebywhenhecametowriteoutsundrychaptersofthe’OriginofSpecies。’Butofcourseinthosedaysitwasalmostimpossibleforhimtofindfacilitiesforsuchwork。\"

  NoonecanlookathetwovolumesontherecentCirripedes,of399and684

  pagesrespectively(nottospeakofthevolumesonthefossilspecies),withoutbeingstruckbytheimmenseamountofdetailedworkwhichtheycontain。Thefortyplates,someofthemwiththirtyfigures,andthefourteenpagesofindexinthetwovolumestogether,givesomeroughideaofthelabourspentonthework。(ThereaderunacquaintedwithZoologywillfindsomeaccountofthemoreinterestingresultsinMr。Romanes’

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