\"Allanimalsofsamespeciesareboundtogetherjustlikebudsofplants,whichdieatonetime,thoughproducedeithersoonerorlater。Proveanimalslikeplants——tracegradationbetweenassociatedandnon—associatedanimals——andthestorywillbecomplete。\"
Herewehavetheviewalreadyalludedtoofatermoflifeimpressedonaspecies。
Butinthefollowingnotewegetextinctionconnectedwithunfavourablevariation,andthusahintisgivenofnaturalselection:
\"Withrespecttoextinction,wecaneasilyseethat[a]varietyof[the]
ostrich(Petise),maynotbewelladapted,andthusperishout;or,ontheotherhand,likeOrpheus[aGalapagosbird],beingfavourable,manymightbeproduced。Thisrequires[the]principlethatthepermanentvariationsproducedbyconfinedbreedingandchangingcircumstancesarecontinuedandproducedaccordingtotheadaptationofsuchcircumstance,andthereforethatdeathofspeciesisaconsequence(contrarytowhatwouldappearfromAmerica)ofnon—adaptationofcircumstances。\"
Thefirstpartofthenextextracthasasimilarbearing。Theendofthepassageisofmuchinterest,asshowingthathehadatthisearlydatevisionsofthefar—reachingcharacterofthetheoryofevolution:——
\"Withbeliefoftransmutationandgeographicalgrouping,weareleadtoendeavourtodiscoverCAUSESofchange;themannerofadaptation(wishofparents??),instinctandstructurebecomesfullofspeculationandlinesofobservation。Viewofgenerationbeingcondensation(Iimaginehimtomeanthateachgenerationis\"condensed\"toasmallnumberofthebestorganizedindividuals。)testofhighestorganisationintelligible……Mytheorywouldgivezesttorecentandfossilcomparativeanatomy;itwouldleadtothestudyofinstincts,heredity,andmind—heredity,whole[of]metaphysics。
\"Itwouldleadtoclosestexaminationofhybridityandgeneration,causesofchangeinordertoknowwhatwehavecomefromandtowhatwetend——towhatcircumstancesfavourcrossingandwhatpreventsit——this,anddirectexaminationofdirectpassagesofstructureinspecies,mightleadtolawsofchange,whichwouldthenbe[the]mainobjectofstudy,toguideourspeculations。\"
Thefollowingtwoextractshaveasimilarinterest;thesecondisespeciallyinteresting,asitcontainsthegermofconcludingsentenceofthe’OriginofSpecies’:(’OriginofSpecies’(1stedition),page490:——
\"Thereisagrandeurinthisviewoflife,withitsseveralpowers,havingbeenoriginallybreathedintoafewformsorintoone;andthatwhilstthisplanethasgonecyclingonaccordingtothefixedlawofgravity,fromsosimpleabeginningendlessformsmostbeautifulandmostwonderfulhavebeen,andarebeingevolved。\")——
\"Beforetheattractionofgravitydiscovereditmighthavebeensaiditwasasgreatadifficultytoaccountforthemovementofall[planets]byonelaw,astoaccountforeachseparateone;sotosaythatallmammaliawerebornfromonestock,andsincedistributedbysuchmeansaswecanrecognise,maybethoughttoexplainnothing。
\"AstronomersmightformerlyhavesaidthatGodfore—orderedeachplanettomoveinitsparticulardestiny。InthesamemannerGodorderseachanimalcreatedwithcertainformsincertaincountries,buthowmuchmoresimpleandsublime[a]power——letattractionactaccordingtocertainlaw,suchareinevitableconsequences——letanimalsbecreated,thenbythefixedlawsofgeneration,suchwillbetheirsuccessors。
\"Letthepowersoftransportalbesuch,andsowillbetheformsofonecountrytoanother——letgeologicalchangesgoatsucharate,sowillbethenumberanddistributionofthespecies!!\"
Thethreenextextractsareofmiscellaneousinterest:——
\"Whenoneseesnippleonman’sbreast,onedoesnotsaysomeuse,butsexnothavingbeendetermined——sowithuselesswingsunderelytraofbeetles——
bornfrombeetleswithwings,andmodified——ifsimplecreationmerely,wouldhavebeenbornwithoutthem。\"
\"Inadecreasingpopulationatanyonemomentfewercloselyrelated(fewspeciesofgenera);ultimatelyfewgenera(forotherwisetherelationshipwouldconvergesooner),andlastly,perhaps,someonesingleone。Willnotthisaccountfortheoddgenerawithfewspecieswhichstandbetweengreatgroups,whichweareboundtoconsidertheincreasingones?\"
ThelastextractwhichIshallquotegivesthegermofhistheoryoftherelationbetweenalpineplantsinvariouspartsoftheworld,inthepublicationofwhichhewasforestalledbyE。Forbes(seevolumei。page72)。Hesays,inthe1837note—book,thatalpineplants,\"formerlydescendedlower,therefore[theyare]speciesoflowergeneraaltered,ornorthernplants。\"
WhenweturntotheSketchofhistheory,writtenin1844(stillthereforebeforethesecondeditionofthe’Journal’wascompleted),wefindanenormousadvancemadeonthenote—bookof1837。TheSketchisanfactasurprisinglycompletepresentationoftheargumentafterwardsfamiliartousinthe’OriginofSpecies。’ThereissomeobscurityastothedateoftheshortSketchwhichformedthebasisofthe1844Essay。Weknowfromhisownwords(volumei。,page68),thatitwasinJune1842thathefirstwroteoutashortsketchofhisviews。(ThisversionIcannotfind,anditwasprobablydestroyed,likesomuchofhisMS。,afterithadbeenenlargedandre—copiedin1844。)Thisstatementisgivenwithsomuchcircumstancethatitisalmostimpossibletosupposethatitcontainsanerrorofdate。
ItagreesalsowiththefollowingextractfromhisDiary。
1842。May18th。WenttoMaer。
\"June15thtoShrewsbury,andon18thtoCapelCurig。DuringmystayatMaerandShrewsbury(fiveyearsaftercommencement)wrotepencil—sketchofspeciestheory。\"
Againintheintroductiontothe’Origin,’page1,hewrites,\"afteranintervaloffiveyears’work\"[from1837,i。e。in1842],\"Iallowedmyselftospeculateonthesubject,anddrewupsomeshortnotes。\"
NeverthelessinthelettersignedbySirC。LyellandSirJ。D。Hooker,whichservesasanintroductiontothejointpaperofMessrs。C。DarwinandA。Wallaceonthe’TendencyofSpeciestoformVarieties,’(’Linn。Soc。
Journal,’1858,page45。)theessayof1844(extractsfromwhichformpartofthepaper)issaidtohavebeen\"sketchedin1839,andcopiedin1844。\"
Thisstatementisobviouslymadeontheauthorityofanotewritteninmyfather’shandacrosstheTableofContentsofthe1844Essay。Itistothefollowingeffect:\"Thiswassketchedin1839,andcopiedoutinfull,asherewrittenandreadbyyouin1844。\"Iconcludethatthisnotewasaddedin1858,whentheMS。wassenttoSirJ。D。Hooker(seeLetterofJune29,1858,page476)。Thereisalsosomefurtherevidenceonthissideofthequestion。WritingtoMr。Wallace(January25,1859)myfathersays:——
\"EveryonewhomIhaveseenhasthoughtyourpaperverywellwrittenandinteresting。Itputsmyextracts(writtenin1839,nowjusttwentyyearsago!),whichImustsayinapologywereneverforaninstantintendedforpublication;intotheshade。\"Thestatementthattheearliestsketchwaswrittenin1839hasbeenfrequentlymadeinbiographicalnoticesofmyfather,nodoubtontheauthorityofthe’LinneanJournal,’butitmust,I
think,beconsideredaserroneous。Theerrormaypossiblyhaveariseninthisway。InwritingontheTableofContentsofthe1844MS。thatitwassketchedin1839,Ithinkmyfathermayhaveintendedtoimplythattheframeworkofthetheorywasclearlythoughtoutbyhimatthatdate。IntheAutobiographyhespeaksofthetime,\"about1839,whenthetheorywasclearlyconceived,\"meaning,nodoubt,theendof1838andbeginningof1839,whenthereadingofMalthushadgivenhimthekeytotheideaofnaturalselection。ButthisexplanationdoesnotapplytothelettertoMr。Wallace;andwithregardtothepassage(Myfathercertainlysawtheproofsofthepaper,forheaddedafoot—noteapologisingforthestyleoftheextracts,onthegroundthatthe\"workwasneverintendedforpublication。\")inthe’LinneanJournal’itisdifficulttounderstandhowitshouldhavebeenallowedtoremainasitnowstands,conveying,asitclearlydoes,theimpressionthat1839wasthedateofhisearliestwrittensketch。
Thesketchof1844iswritteninaclerk’shand,intwohundredandthirty—
onepagesfolio,blankleavesbeingalternatedwiththeMS。withaviewtoamplification。Thetexthasbeenrevisedandcorrected,criticismsbeingpencilledbyhimselfonthemargin。Itisdividedintotwoparts:I。\"OnthevariationofOrganicBeingsunderDomesticationandintheirNaturalState。\"II。\"OntheEvidencefavourableandopposedtotheviewthatSpeciesarenaturallyformedracesdescendedfromcommonStocks。\"Thefirstpartcontainsthemainargumentofthe’OriginofSpecies。’Itisfounded,asistheargumentofthatwork,onthestudyofdomesticanimals,andboththeSketchandthe’Origin’openwithachapteronvariationunderdomesticationandonartificialselection。Thisisfollowed,inbothessays,bydiscussionsonvariationundernature,onnaturalselection,andonthestruggleforlife。Here,anycloseresemblancebetweenthetwoessayswithregardtoarrangementceases。ChapterIII。oftheSketch,whichconcludesthefirstpart,treatsofthevariationswhichoccurintheinstinctsandhabitsofanimals,andthuscorrespondstosomeextentwithChapterVII。ofthe’Origin’(1stedition)。Itthusformsacomplementtothechapterswhichdealwithvariationinstructure。ItseemstohavebeenplacedthusearlyintheEssaytopreventthehastyrejectionofthewholetheorybyareadertowhomtheideaofnaturalselectionactingoninstinctsmightseemimpossible。Thisisthemoreprobable,astheChapteronInstinctinthe’Origin’isspeciallymentioned(Introduction,page5)
asoneofthe\"mostapparentandgravestdifficultiesonthetheory。\"
MoreoverthechapterintheSketchendswithadiscussion,\"whetheranyparticularcorporealstructures……aresowonderfulastojustifytherejectionprimafacieofourtheory。\"Underthisheadingcomesthediscussionoftheeye,whichinthe’Origin’findsitsplaceinChapterVI。
under\"DifficultiesoftheTheory。\"Thesecondpartseemstohavebeenplannedinaccordancewithhisfavouritepointofviewwithregardtohistheory。ThisisbrieflygiveninalettertoDr。AsaGray,November11th,1859:\"Icannotpossiblybelievethatafalsetheorywouldexplainsomanyclassesoffacts,asIthinkitcertainlydoesexplain。OnthesegroundsI
dropmyanchor,andbelievethatthedifficultieswillslowlydisappear。\"
Onthisprinciple,havingstatedthetheoryinthefirstpart,heproceedstoshowtowhatextentvariouswideseriesoffactscanbeexplainedbyitsmeans。
ThusthesecondpartoftheSketchcorrespondsroughlytothenineconcludingChaptersoftheFirstEditionofthe’Origin。’ButwemustexcludeChapterVII。(’Origin’)onInstinct,whichformsachapterinthefirstpartoftheSketch,andChapterVIII。(’Origin’)onHybridism,asubjecttreatedintheSketchwith’VariationunderNature’inthefirstpart。
ThefollowinglistofthechaptersofthesecondpartoftheSketchwillillustratetheircorrespondencewiththefinalchaptersofthe’Origin。’
ChapterI。\"Onthekindofintermediatenessnecessary,andthenumberofsuchintermediateforms。\"Thisincludesageologicaldiscussion,andcorrespondstopartsofChaptersVI。andIX。ofthe’Origin。’
ChapterII。\"Thegradualappearanceanddisappearanceoforganicbeings。\"
CorrespondstoChapterX。ofthe’Origin。’
ChapterIII。\"GeographicalDistribution。\"CorrespondstoChaptersXI。andXII。ofthe’Origin。’
ChapterIV。\"AffinitiesandClassificationofOrganicbeings。\"
ChapterV。\"UnityofType,\"Morphology,Embryology。
ChapterVI。RudimentaryOrgans。
ThesethreechapterscorrespondtoChapterXII。ofthe’Origin。’
ChapterVII。RecapitulationandConclusion。ThefinalsentenceoftheSketch,whichwesawinitsfirstroughformintheNoteBookof1837,closelyresemblesthefinalsentenceofthe’Origin,’muchofitbeingidentical。The’Origin’isnotdividedintotwo\"Parts,\"butweseetracesofsuchadivisionhavingbeenpresentinthewriter’smind,inthisresemblancebetweenthesecondpartoftheSketchandthefinalchaptersofthe’Origin。’Thatheshouldspeak(’Origin,’Introduction,page5。)ofthechaptersontransition,oninstinct,onhybridism,andonthegeologicalrecord,asformingagroup,maybeduetothedivisionofhisearlyMS。intotwoparts。
Mr。Huxley,whowasgoodenoughtoreadtheSketchatmyrequest,whileremarkingthatthe\"mainlinesofargument,\"andtheillustrationsemployedarethesame,pointsoutthatinthe1844Essay,\"muchmoreweightisattachedtotheinfluenceofexternalconditionsinproducingvariation,andtotheinheritanceofacquiredhabitsthanintheOrigin。’\"
ItisextremelyinterestingtofindintheSketchthefirstmentionofprinciplesfamiliartousinthe’OriginofSpecies。’ForemostamongthesemaybementionedtheprincipleofSexualSelection,whichisclearlyenunciated。Theimportantformofselectionknownas\"unconscious,\"isalsogiven。Herealsooccursastatementofthelawthatpeculiaritiestendtoappearintheoffspringatanagecorrespondingtothatatwhichtheyoccurredintheparent。
ProfessorNewton,whowassokindastolookthroughthe1844Sketch,tellsmethatmyfather’sremarksonthemigrationofbirds,incidentallygiveninmorethanonepassage,showthathehadanticipatedtheviewsofsomelaterwriters。
WithregardtothegeneralstyleoftheSketch,itisnottobeexpectedthatitshouldhaveallthecharacteristicsofthe’Origin,’andwedonot,infact,findthatbalanceandcontrol,thatconcentrationandgrasp,whicharesostrikingintheworkof1859。
IntheAutobiography(page68,volume1)myfatherhasstatedwhatseemedtohimthechiefflawofthe1844Sketch;hehadoverlooked\"oneproblemofgreatimportance,\"theproblemofthedivergenceofcharacter。Thispointisdiscussedinthe’OriginofSpecies,’but,asitmaynotbefamiliartoallreaders,Iwillgiveashortaccountofthedifficultyanditssolution。Theauthorbeginsbystatingthatvarietiesdifferfromeachotherlessthanspecies,andthengoeson:\"Nevertheless,accordingtomyview,varietiesarespeciesinprocessofformation……Howthendoesthelesserdifferencebetweenvarietiesbecomeaugmentedintothegreaterdifferencebetweenspecies?\"(’Origin,’1stedition,page111。)Heshowshowananalogousdivergencetakesplaceunderdomesticationwhereanoriginallyuniformstockofhorseshasbeensplitupintorace—horses,dray—horses,etc。,andthengoesontoexplainhowthesameprincipleappliestonaturalspecies。\"Fromthesimplecircumstancethatthemorediversifiedthedescendantsfromanyonespeciesbecomeinstructure,constitution,andhabits,bysomuchwilltheybebetterenabledtoseizeonmanyandwidelydiversifiedplacesinthepolityofnature,andsobeenabledtoincreaseinnumbers。\"
Theprincipleisexemplifiedbythefactthatifononeplotofgroundasinglevarietyofwheatbesown,andontoanotheramixtureofvarieties,inthelattercasetheproduceisgreater。Moreindividualshavebeenabletoexistbecausetheywerenotallofthesamevariety。Anorganismbecomesmoreperfectandmorefittedtosurvivewhenbydivisionoflabourthedifferentfunctionsoflifeareperformedbydifferentorgans。Inthesamewayaspeciesbecomesmoreefficientandmoreabletosurvivewhendifferentsectionsofthespeciesbecomedifferentiatedsoastofilldifferentstations。
InreadingtheSketchof1844,IhavefounditdifficulttorecognisetheabsenceofanydefinitestatementoftheprincipleofdivergenceasaflawintheEssay。Descentwithmodificationimpliesdivergence,andwebecomesohabituatedtoabeliefindescent,andthereforeindivergence,thatwedonotnoticetheabsenceofproofthatdivergenceisinitselfanadvantage。AsshownintheAutobiography,myfatherin1876foundithardlycrediblethatheshouldhaveoverlookedtheproblemanditssolution。
Thefollowingletterwillbemoreinplaceherethanitschronologicalposition,sinceitshowswhatwasmyfather’sfeelingastothevalueoftheSketchatthetimeofitscompletion。]
CHARLESDARWINTOMRS。DARWIN。
Down,July5,1844。
Ihavejustfinishedmysketchofmyspeciestheory。If,asIbelieve,mytheoryintimebeacceptedevenbyonecompetentjudge,itwillbeaconsiderablestepinscience。
Ithereforewritethisincaseofmysuddendeath,asmymostsolemnandlastrequest,whichIamsureyouwillconsiderthesameasiflegallyenteredinmywill,thatyouwilldevote400poundstoitspublication,andfurther,willyourself,orthroughHensleigh(Mr。H。Wedgwood。),taketroubleinpromotingit。Iwishthatmysketchbegiventosomecompetentperson,withthissumtoinducehimtotaketroubleinitsimprovementandenlargement。IgivetohimallmybooksonNaturalHistory,whichareeitherscoredorhavereferencesattheendtothepages,begginghimcarefullytolookoverandconsidersuchpassagesasactuallybearing,orbypossibilitybearing,onthissubject。Iwishyoutomakealistofallsuchbooksassometemptationtoaneditor。Ialsorequestthatyouwillhandover[to]himallthosescrapsroughlydividedineightortenbrownpaperportfolios。Thescraps,withcopiedquotationsfromvariousworks,arethosewhichmayaidmyeditor。Ialsorequestthatyou,orsomeamanuensis,willaidindecipheringanyofthescrapswhichtheeditormaythinkpossiblyofuse。Ileavetotheeditor’sjudgmentwhethertointerpolatethesefactsinthetext,orasnotes,orunderappendices。Asthelookingoverthereferencesandscrapswillbealonglabour,andastheCORRECTINGandenlargingandalteringmysketchwillalsotakeconsiderabletime,Ileavethissumof400poundsassomeremuneration,andanyprofitsfromthework。Iconsiderthatforthistheeditorisboundtogetthesketchpublishedeitheratapublisher’sorhisownrisk。Manyofthescrapintheportfolioscontainsmererudesuggestionsandearlyviews,nowuseless,andmanyofthefactswillprobablyturnoutashavingnobearingonmytheory。
Withrespecttoeditors,Mr。Lyellwouldbethebestifhewouldundertakeit;Ibelievehewouldfindtheworkpleasant,andhewouldlearnsomefactsnewtohim。Astheeditormustbeageologistaswellasanaturalist,thenextbesteditorwouldbeProfessorForbesofLondon。Thenextbest(andquitebestinmanyrespects)wouldbeProfessorHenslow。
Dr。HookerwouldbeVERYgood。Thenext,Mr。Strickland。(AfterMr。
Strickland’snamecomesthefollowingsentence,whichhasbeenerasedbutremainedlegible。\"ProfessorOwenwouldbeverygood;butIpresumehewouldnotundertakesuchawork。\"Ifnoneofthesewouldundertakeit,I
wouldrequestyoutoconsultwithMr。Lyell,orsomeothercapablemanforsomeeditor,ageologistandnaturalist。Shouldoneotherhundredpoundsmakethedifferenceofprocuringagoodeditor,requestearnestlythatyouwillraise500pounds。
MyremainingcollectionsinNaturalHistorymaybegiventoanyoneoranymuseumwhereitwouldbeaccepted……
[Thefollowingnoteseemstohaveformedpartoftheoriginalletter,butmayhavebeenoflaterdate:
\"Lyell,especiallywiththeaidofHooker(andofanygoodzoologicalaid),wouldbebestofall。Withoutaneditorwillpledgehimselftogiveuptimetoit,itwouldbeofnousepayingsuchasum。
\"Ifthereshouldbeanydifficultyingettinganeditorwhowouldgothoroughlyintothesubject,andthinkofthebearingofthepassagesmarkedinthebooksandcopiedoutofscrapsofpaper,thenletmysketchbepublishedasitis,statingthatitwasdoneseveralyearsago(Thewords\"severalyearsagoand,\"seemtohavebeenaddedatalaterdate。)
andfrommemorywithoutconsultinganyworks,andwithnointentionofpublicationinitspresentform。\"
TheideathattheSketchof1844mightremain,intheeventofhisdeath,astheonlyrecordofhiswork,seemstohavebeenlonginhismind,forinAugust1854,whenhehadfinishedwiththeCirripedes,andwasthinkingofbeginninghis\"specieswork,\"headdedonthebackoftheaboveletter,\"Hookerbyfarbestmantoeditmyspeciesvolume。August1854。\"]
CHAPTER1。XI。
THEGROWTHOFTHE’ORIGINOFSPECIES。’
LETTERS,1843—1856。
[Thehistoryofmyfather’slifeistoldmorecompletelyinhiscorrespondencewithSirJ。D。Hookerthaninanyotherseriesofletters;
andthisisespeciallytrueofthehistoryofthegrowthofthe’OriginofSpecies。’This,therefore,seemsanappropriateplaceforthefollowingnotes,whichSirJosephHookerhaskindlygivenme。Theygive,moreover,aninterestingpictureofhisearlyfriendshipwithmyfather:——
\"MyfirstmeetingwithMr。Darwinwasin1839,inTrafalgarSquare。Iwaswalkingwithanofficerwhohadbeenhisshipmateforashorttimeinthe\"Beagle\"sevenyearsbefore,butwhohadnot,Ibelieve,sincemethim。I
wasintroduced;theinterviewwasofcoursebrief,andthememoryofhimthatIcarriedawayandstillretainwasthatofarathertallandratherbroad—shoulderedman,withaslightstoop,anagreeableandanimatedexpressionwhentalking,beetlebrows,andahollowbutmellowvoice;andthathisgreetingofhisoldacquaintancewassailor—like——thatis,delightfullyfrankandcordial。Iobservedhimwell,forIwasalreadyawareofhisattainmentsandlabours,derivedfromhavingreadvariousproof—sheetsofhisthenunpublished’Journal。’ThesehadbeensubmittedtoMr。(afterwardsSirCharles)LyellbyMr。Darwin,andbyhimsenttohisfather,Ch。Lyell,Esq。,ofKinnordy,who(beingaveryoldfriendofmyfatherandtakingakindinterestinmyprojectedcareerasanaturalist)
hadallowedmetoperusethem。AtthistimeIwashurryingonmystudies,soastotakemydegreebeforevolunteeringtoaccompanySirJamesRossintheAntarcticExpedition,whichhadjustbeendeterminedonbytheAdmiralty;andsopressedfortimewasI,thatIusedtosleepwiththesheetsofthe’Journal’undermypillow,thatImightreadthembetweenwakingandrising。Theyimpressedmeprofoundly,Imightsaydespairingly,withthevarietyofacquirements,mentalandphysical,requiredinanaturalistwhoshouldfollowinDarwin’sfootsteps,whilsttheystimulatedmetoenthusiasminthedesiretotravelandobserve。
\"IthasbeenapermanentsourceofhappinesstomethatIknewsomuchofMr。Darwin’sscientificworksomanyyearsbeforethatintimacybeganwhichripenedintofeelingsasneartothoseofreverenceforhislife,works,andcharacterasisreasonableandproper。ItonlyremainstoaddtothislittleepisodethatIreceivedacopyofthe’Journal’complete,——agiftfromMr。Lyell,——afewdaysbeforeleavingEngland。
\"VerysoonafterthereturnoftheAntarcticExpeditionmycorrespondencewithMr。Darwinbegan(December,1843)byhissendingmealongletter,warmlycongratulatingmeonmyreturntomyfamilyandfriends,andexpressingawishtohearmoreoftheresultsoftheexpedition,ofwhichhehadderivedsomeknowledgefromprivatelettersofmyown(writtentoorcommunicatedthroughMr。Lyell)。Then,plungingatonceintoscientificmatters,hedirectedmyattentiontotheimportanceofcorrelatingtheFuegianFlorawiththatoftheCordilleraandofEurope,andinvitedmetostudythebotanicalcollectionswhichhehadmadeintheGalapagosIslands,aswellashisPatagonianandFuegianplants。
\"ThisledtomesendinghimanoutlineoftheconclusionsIhadformedregardingthedistributionofplantsinthesouthernregions,andthenecessityofassumingthedestructionofconsiderableareasoflandtoaccountfortherelationsofthefloraoftheso—calledAntarcticIslands。
Idonotsupposethatanyoftheseideaswerenewtohim,buttheyledtoananimatedandlengthycorrespondencefullofinstruction。\"
Herefollowstheletter(1843)toSirJ。D。Hookerabovereferredto。]
MydearSir,Ihadhopedbeforethistimetohavehadthepleasureofseeingyouandcongratulatingyouonyoursafereturnfromyourlongandgloriousvoyage。
ButasIseldomgotoLondon,wemaynotyetmeetforsometime——withoutyouareledtoattendtheGeologicalMeetings。
Iamanxioustoknowwhatyouintenddoingwithallyourmaterials——Ihadsomuchpleasureinreadingpartsofsomeofyourletters,thatIshallbeverysorryifI,asoneofthepublic,havenoopportunityofreadingagooddealmore。Isupposeyouareverybusynowandfullofenjoyment:
howwellIrememberthehappinessofmyfirstfewmonthsofEngland——itwasworthallthediscomfortsofmanyagale!ButIhaverunfromthesubject,whichmademewrite,ofexpressingmypleasurethatHenslow(asheinformedmeafewdayssincebyletter)hassenttoyoumysmallcollectionofplants。YoucannotthinkhowmuchpleasedIam,asIfearedtheywouldhavebeenalllost,andfewastheyare,theycostmeagooddealoftrouble。Thereareaveryfewnotes,whichIbelieveHenslowhasgot,describingthehabitats,etc。,ofsomefewofthemoreremarkableplants。
IpaidparticularattentiontotheAlpineflowersofTierradelFuego,andIamsureIgoteveryplantwhichwasinflowerinPatagoniaattheseasonswhenwewerethere。IhavelongthoughtthatsomegeneralsketchoftheFloraofthepointofland,stretchingsofarintothesouthernseas,wouldbeverycurious。DomakecomparativeremarksonthespeciesalliedtotheEuropeanspecies,fortheadvantageofbotanicalignoramuseslikemyself。
Ithasoftenstruckmeasacuriouspointtofindout,whethertherearemanyEuropeangenerainTierradelFuegowhicharenotfoundalongtheridgeoftheCordillera;theseparationinsuchcasewouldbesoenormous。
Dopointoutinanysketchyoudrawup,whatgeneraareAmericanandwhatEuropean,andhowgreatthedifferencesofthespeciesare,whenthegeneraareEuropean,forthesakeoftheignoramuses。
IhopeHenslowwillsendyoumyGalapagosplants(aboutwhichHumboldtevenexpressedtomeconsiderablecuriosity)——ItookmuchpainsincollectingallIcould。AFloraofthisarchipelagowould,Isuspect,offeranearlyparallelcasetothatofSt。Helena,whichhassolongexcitedinterest。
Prayexcusethislongramblingnote,andbelieveme,mydearsir,yoursverysincerely,C。DARWIN。
WillyoubesogoodastopresentmyrespectfulcomplimentstoSirW。
Hooker。
[ReferringtoSirJ。D。Hooker’sworkontheGalapagosFlora,myfatherwrotein1846:
\"IcannottellyouhowdelightedandastonishedIamattheresultsofyourexamination;howwonderfullytheysupportmyassertiononthedifferencesintheanimalsofthedifferentislands,aboutwhichIhavealwaysbeenfearful。\"
Againhewrote(1849):——
\"IreceivedafewweeksagoyourGalapagospapers(ThesepapersincludetheresultsofSirJ。D。Hooker’sexaminationofmyfather’sGalapagosplants,andwerepublishedbytheLinneanSocietyin1849。),andIhavereadthemsincebeinghere。Ireallycannotexpresstoostronglymyadmirationofthegeographicaldiscussion:tomyjudgmentitisaperfectmodelofwhatsuchapapershouldbe;ittookmefourdaystoreadandthinkover。HowinterestingtheFloraoftheSandwichIslandsappearstobe,howIwishtherewerematerialsforyoutotreatitsfloraasyouhavedonetheGalapagos。IntheSystematicpaperIwasratherdisappointedinnotfindinggeneralremarksonaffinities,structures,etc。,suchasyouoftengiveinconversation,andsuchasDeCandolleandSt。Hilaireintroducedinalmostalltheirpapers,andwhichmaketheminterestingeventoanon—
Botanist。\"
\"Verysoonafterwards[continuesSirJ。D。Hooker]inaletterdatedJanuary1844,thesubjectofthe’OriginofSpecies’wasbroughtforwardbyhim,andIbelievethatIwasthefirsttowhomhecommunicatedhisthennewideasonthesubject,andwhichbeingofinterestasacontributiontothehistoryofEvolution,Iherecopyfromhisletter\":——]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
[January11th,1844。]
Besidesageneralinterestaboutthesouthernlands,Ihavebeennoweversincemyreturnengagedinaverypresumptuouswork,andIknownooneindividualwhowouldnotsayaveryfoolishone。IwassostruckwiththedistributionoftheGalapagosorganisms,etc。etc。,andwiththecharacteroftheAmericanfossilmammifers,etc。etc。,thatIdeterminedtocollectblindlyeverysortoffact,whichcouldbearanywayonwhatarespecies。
Ihavereadheapsofagriculturalandhorticulturalbooks,andhaveneverceasedcollectingfacts。Atlastgleamsoflighthavecome,andIamalmostconvinced(quitecontrarytotheopinionIstartedwith)thatspeciesarenot(itislikeconfessingamurder)immutable。HeavenforfendmefromLamarcknonsenseofa\"tendencytoprogression,\"\"adaptationsfromtheslowwillingofanimals,\"etc。!ButtheconclusionsIamledtoarenotwidelydifferentfromhis;thoughthemeansofchangearewhollyso。I
thinkIhavefoundout(here’spresumption!)thesimplewaybywhichspeciesbecomeexquisitelyadaptedtovariousends。Youwillnowgroan,andthinktoyourself,\"onwhatamanhaveIbeenwastingmytimeandwritingto。\"Ishould,fiveyearsago,havethoughtso……
[ThefollowingletterwrittenonFebruary23,1844,showsthattheacquaintanceshipwithSirJ。D。Hookerwasthenfastripeningintofriendship。Theletterischieflyofinterestasshowingthesortofproblemsthenoccupyingmyfather’smind:]
DearHooker,Ihopeyouwillexcusethefreedomofmyaddress,butIfeelthatasco—
circum—wanderersandasfellowlabourers(thoughmyselfaveryweakone)wemaythrowasidesomeoftheold—worldformality……Ihavejustfinishedalittlevolumeonthevolcanicislandswhichwevisited。Idonotknowhowfaryoucarefordrysimplegeology,butIhopeyouwillletmesendyouacopy。IsupposeIcansenditfromLondonbycommoncoachconveyance……IamgoingtoaskyousomeMOREquestions,thoughIdaresay,withoutaskingthem,Ishallseeanswersinyourwork,whenpublished,whichwillbequitetimeenoughformypurposes。FirstfortheGalapagos,youwillseeinmyJournal,thattheBirds,thoughpeculiarspecies,haveamostobviousS。Americanaspect:Ihavejustascertainedthesamethingholdsgoodwiththesea—shells。Itissowiththoseplantswhicharepeculiartothisarchipelago;youstatethattheirnumericalproportionsarecontinental(isnotthisaverycuriousfact?)butaretheyrelatedinformstoS。America。Doyouknowofanyothercaseofanarchipelago,withtheseparateislandspossessingdistinctrepresentativespecies?Ihavealwaysintended(buthavenotyetdoneso)toexamineWebbandBerthelotontheCanaryIslandsforthisobject。TalkingwithMr。Bentham,hetoldmethattheseparateislandsoftheSandwichArchipelagopossesseddistinctrepresentativespeciesofthesamegeneraofLabiatae:wouldnotthisbeworthyourenquiry?HowisitwiththeAzores;tobesuretheheavywesterngaleswouldtendtodiffusethesamespeciesoverthatgroup。
Ihopeyouwill(Idaresaymyhopeisquitesuperfluous)attendtothisgeneralkindofaffinityinisolatedislands,thoughIsupposeitismoredifficulttoperceivethissortofrelationinplants,thaninbirdsorquadrupeds,thegroupsofwhichare,Ifancy,rathermoreconfined。CanSt。Helenabeclassed,thoughremotely,eitherwithAfricaorS。America?
>Fromsomefacts,whichIhavecollected,IhavebeenledtoconcludethatthefaunaofmountainsareEITHERremarkablysimilar(sometimesinthepresenceofthesamespeciesandatothertimesofsamegenera),ORthattheyareremarkablydissimilar;andithasoccurredtomethatpossiblypartofthispeculiarityoftheSt。HelenaandGalapagosflorasmaybeattributedtoagreatpartofthesetwoFlorasbeingmountainFloras。I
fearmynoteswillhardlyservetodistinguishmuchofthehabitatsoftheGalapagosplants,buttheymayinsomecases;most,ifnotall,ofthegreen,leafyplantscomefromthesummitsoftheislands,andthethinbrownleaflessplantscomefromtheloweraridparts:wouldyoubesokindastobearthisremarkinmind,whenexaminingmycollection。
Iwilltroubleyouwithonlyoneotherquestion。IndiscussionwithMr。
Gould,Ifoundthatinmostofthegeneraofbirdswhichrangeoverthewholeorgreaterpartoftheworld,theindividualspecieshavewiderranges,thustheOwlismundane,andmanyofthespecieshaveverywideranges。SoIbelieveitiswithlandandfresh—watershells——andImightadduceothercases。IsitnotsowithCryptogamicplants;havenotmostofthespecieswideranges,inthosegenerawhicharemundane?Idonotsupposethattheconverseholds,viz。——thatwhenaspecieshasawiderange,itsgenusalsorangeswide。Willyousofarobligemebyoccasionallythinkingoverthis?Itwouldcostmevasttroubletogetalistofmundanephanerogamicgeneraandthensearchhowfarthespeciesofthesegeneraareapttorangewideintheirseveralcountries;butyoumightoccasionally,inthecourseofyourpursuits,justbearthisinmind,thoughperhapsthepointmaylongsincehaveoccurredtoyouorotherBotanists。Geologyisbringingtolightinterestingfacts,concerningtherangesofshells;Ithinkitisprettywellestablished,thataccordingasthegeographicalrangeofaspeciesiswide,soisitspersistenceanddurationintime。Ihopeyouwilltrytogrudgeaslittleasyoucanthetroubleofmyletters,andpraybelievemeverytrulyyours,C。DARWIN。