第36章
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  Ifyourdevelopmentproducedthesuccessivemodificationofthebeeanditscells(whichnomortalcanprove),finalcausewouldstandgoodasthedirectingcauseunderwhichthesuccessivegenerationsactedandgraduallyimproved。Passagesinyourbook,likethattowhichIhavealluded(andthereareothersalmostasbad),greatlyshockedmymoraltaste。Ithink,inspeculatingonorganicdescent,youOVER—statetheevidenceofgeology;

  andthatyouUNDER—stateitwhileyouaretalkingofthebrokenlinksofyournaturalpedigree:butmypaperisnearlydone,andImustgotomylecture—room。Lastly,then,Igreatlydisliketheconcludingchapter——notasasummary,forinthatlightitappearsgood——butIdislikeitfromthetoneoftriumphantconfidenceinwhichyouappealtotherisinggeneration(inatoneIcondemnedintheauthorofthe’Vestiges’)andprophesyofthingsnotyetinthewomboftime,nor(ifwearetotrusttheaccumulatedexperienceofhumansenseandtheinferencesofitslogic)everlikelytobefoundanywherebutinthefertilewombofman’simagination。Andnowtosayawordaboutasonofamonkeyandanoldfriendofyours:Iambetter,farbetter,thanIwaslastyear。Ihavebeenlecturingthreedaysaweek(formerlyIgavesixaweek)withoutmuchfatigue,butIfindbythelossofactivityandmemory,andofallproductivepowers,thatmybodilyframeissinkingslowlytowardstheearth。ButIhavevisionsofthefuture。Theyareasmuchapartofmyselfasmystomachandmyheart,andthesevisionsaretohavetheirantitypeinsolidfruitionofwhatisbestandgreatest。Butononeconditiononly——thatIhumblyacceptGod’srevelationofHimselfbothinhisworksandinHisword,anddomybesttoactinconformitywiththatknowledgewhichHeonlycangiveme,andHeonlycansustainmeindoing。IfyouandIdoallthisweshallmeetinheaven。

  Ihavewritteninahurry,andinaspiritofbrotherlylove,thereforeforgiveanysentenceyouhappentodislike;andbelieveme,spiteofanydisagreementinsomepointsofthedeepestmoralinterest,yourtrue—

  heartedoldfriend,A。SEDGWICK。

  CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。

  Down,December25th[1859]。

  MydearHuxley,OnepartofyournotehaspleasedmesomuchthatImustthankyouforit。

  NotonlySirH。H。[Holland],butseveralothers,haveattackedmeaboutanalogyleadingtobeliefinoneprimordialCREATEDform。(’Origin,’

  editioni。page484。——\"ThereforeIshouldinferfromanalogythatprobablyalltheorganicbeingswhichhaveeverlivedonthisearthhavedescendedfromsomeoneprimordialform,intowhichlifewasfirstbreathed。\")(BywhichImeanonlythatweknownothingasyet[of]howlifeoriginates。)I

  thoughtIwasuniversallycondemnedonthishead。ButIansweredthatthoughperhapsitwouldhavebeenmoreprudentnottohaveputitin,I

  wouldnotstrikeitout,asitseemedtomeprobable,andIgiveitonnoothergrounds。Youwillseeinyourmindthekindofargumentswhichmademethinkitprobable,andnoonefacthadsogreataneffectonmeasyourmostcuriousremarksontheapparenthomologiesoftheheadofVertebrataandArticulata。

  YouhavedonearealgoodturnintheAgencybusiness(\"MyGeneralAgent\"

  wasasobriquetappliedatthistimebymyfathertoMr。Huxley。)(Ineverbeforeheardofahard—working,unpaidagentbesidesyourself),intalkingwithSirH。H。,forhewillhavegreatinfluenceovermany。Heflooredmefrommyignoranceaboutthebonesoftheear,andImadeamentalnotetoaskyouwhatthefactswere。

  Withheartythanksandrealadmirationforyourgenerouszealforthesubject。

  Yoursmosttruly,C。DARWIN。

  YoumaysmileaboutthecareandprecautionsIhavetakenaboutmyuglyMS。

  (ManuscriptleftwithMr。Huxleyforhisperusal。);itisnotsomuchthevalueIsetonthem,buttheremembranceoftheintolerablelabour——forinstance,intracingthehistoryofthebreedsofpigeons。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,25th[December,1859]……IshallnotwritetoDecaisne(WithregardtoNaudin’spaperinthe’RevueHorticole,’1852。);Ihavealwayshadastrongfeelingthatnoonehadbetterdefendhisownpriority。IcannotsaythatIamasindifferenttothesubjectasIoughttobe,butonecanavoiddoinganythinginconsequence。

  Idonotbelieveoneiotaaboutyourhavingassimilatedanyofmynotionsunconsciously。Youhavealwaysdonememorethanjustice。ButIdothinkIdidyouabadturnbygettingyoutoreadtheoldMS。,asitmusthavecheckedyourownoriginalthoughts。ThereisonethingIamfullyconvincedof,thatthefutureprogress(whichisthereallyimportantpoint)ofthesubjectwillhavedependedonreallygoodandwell—knownworkers,likeyourself,Lyell,andHuxley,havingtakenupthesubject,thanonmyownwork。Iseeplainlyitisthisthatstrikesmynon—

  scientificfriends。

  LastnightIsaidtomyself,IwouldjustcutyourIntroduction,butwouldnotbegintoread,butIbrokedown,andhadagoodhour’sread。

  Farewell,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  December28th,1859……Haveyouseenthesplendidessayandnoticeofmybookinthe\"Times\"?

  (December26th。)IcannotavoidastrongsuspicionthatitisbyHuxley;

  butIneverheardthathewroteinthe\"Times\"。Itwilldograndservice,……

  C。DARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。

  Down,December28th[1859]。

  MydearHuxley,Yesterdayevening,whenIreadthe\"Times\"ofapreviousday,Iwasamazedtofindasplendidessayandreviewofme。Whocantheauthorbe?Iamintenselycurious。Itincludedaneulogiumofmewhichquitetouchedme,thoughIamnotvainenoughtothinkitalldeserved。Theauthorisaliteraryman,andGermanscholar。Hehasreadmybookveryattentively;

  but,whatisveryremarkable,itseemsthatheisaprofoundnaturalist。

  HeknowsmyBarnacle—book,andappreciatesittoohighly。Lastly,hewritesandthinkswithquiteuncommonforceandclearness;andwhatisevenstillrarer,hiswritingisseasonedwithmostpleasantwit。Wealllaughedheartilyoversomeofthesentences。Iwascharmedwiththoseunreasonablemortals,whoknowanything,allthinkingfittorangethemselvesononeside。(Thereviewerproposestopassbytheorthodoxview,accordingtowhichthephenomenaoftheorganicworldare\"theimmediateproductofacreativefiat,andconsequentlyareoutofthedomainofsciencealtogether。\"Andhedoesso\"withlesshesitation,asitsohappensthatthosepersonswhoarepracticallyconversantwiththefactsofthecase(plainlyaconsiderableadvantage)havealwaysthoughtfittorangethemselves\"inthecategoryofthoseholding\"viewswhichprofesstorestonascientificbasisonly,andthereforeadmitofbeingarguedtotheirconsequences。\")Whocanitbe?CertainlyIshouldhavesaidthattherewasonlyonemaninEnglandwhocouldhavewrittenthisessay,andthatYOUweretheman。ButIsupposeIamwrong,andthatthereissomehiddengeniusofgreatcalibre。ForhowcouldyouinfluenceJupiterOlympiusandmakehimgivethreeandahalfcolumnstopurescience?Theoldfogieswillthinktheworldwillcometoanend。Well,whoeverthemanis,hehasdonegreatservicetothecause,farmorethanbyadozenreviewsincommonperiodicals。Thegrandwayhesoarsabovecommonreligiousprejudices,andtheadmissionofsuchviewsintothe\"Times\",I

  lookatasofthehighestimportance,quiteindependentlyofthemerequestionofspecies。IfyoushouldhappentobeACQUAINTEDwiththeauthor,forHeaven—saketellmewhoheis?

  MydearHuxley,yoursmostsincerely,C。DARWIN。

  [ItisimpossibletogiveinashortspaceanadequateideaofMr。Huxley’sarticleinthe\"Times\"ofDecember26。Itisadmirablyplanned,soastoclaimforthe’Origin’arespectfulhearing,anditabstainsfromanythinglikedogmatisminassertingthetruthofthedoctrinesthereinupheld。A

  fewpassagesmaybequoted:——\"Thatthismostingenioushypothesisenablesustogiveareasonformanyapparentanomaliesinthedistributionoflivingbeingsintimeandspace,andthatitisnotcontradictedbythemainphenomenaoflifeandorganisation,appeartoustobeunquestionable。\"Mr。Huxleygoesontorecommendtothereadersofthe’Origin’aconditionof\"thatigeSkepsis\"——astateof\"doubtwhichsolovestruththatitneitherdaresrestindoubting,norextinguishitselfbyunjustifiedbelief。\"ThefinalparagraphisinastrongcontrasttoProfessorSedgwickandhis\"ropesofbubbles\"(seebelow)。Mr。Huxleywrites:\"Mr。Darwinabhorsmerespeculationasnatureabhorsavacuum。Heisasgreedyofcasesandprecedentsasanyconstitutionallawyer,andalltheprincipleshelaysdownarecapableofbeingbroughttothetestofobservationandexperiment。Thepathhebidsusfollowprofessestobenotamereairytrack,fabricatedofidealcobwebs,butasolidandbroadbridgeoffacts。Ifitbeso,itwillcarryussafelyovermanyachasminourknowledge,andleadustoaregionfreefromthesnaresofthosefascinatingbutbarrenvirgins,theFinalCauses,againstwhomahighauthorityhassojustlywarnedus。\"

  Therecanbenodoubtthatthispowerfulessay,appearingasitdidintheleadingdailyJournal,musthavehadastronginfluenceonthereadingpublic。Mr。Huxleyallowsmetoquotefromaletteranaccountofthehappychancethatthrewintohishandstheopportunityofwritingit。

  \"The’Origin’wassenttoMr。Lucas,oneofthestaffofthe\"Times\"

  writersatthatday,inwhatIsupposewastheordinarycourseofbusiness。

  Mr。Lucas,thoughanexcellentjournalist,and,atalaterperiod,editorof’OnceaWeek,’wasasinnocentofanyknowledgeofscienceasababe,andbewailedhimselftoanacquaintanceonhavingtodealwithsuchabook。

  Whereuponhewasrecommendedtoaskmetogethimoutofhisdifficulty,andheappliedtomeaccordingly,explaining,however,thatitwouldbenecessaryforhimformallytoadoptanythingImightbedisposedtowrite,byprefacingitwithtwoorthreeparagraphsofhisown。

  \"Iwastooanxioustoseizeupontheopportunitythusofferedofgivingthebookafairchancewiththemultitudinousreadersofthe\"Times\"tomakeanydifficultyaboutconditions;andbeingthenveryfullofthesubject,I

  wrotethearticlefaster,Ithink,thanIeverwroteanythinginmylife,andsentittoMr。Lucas,whodulyprefixedhisopeningsentences。

  \"Whenthearticleappeared,therewasmuchspeculationastoitsauthorship。Thesecretleakedoutintime,asallsecretswill,butnotbymyaid;andthenIusedtoderiveagooddealofinnocentamusementfromthevehementassertionsofsomeofmymoreacutefriends,thattheyknewitwasminefromthefirstparagraph!

  \"Asthe\"Times\"someyearssince,referredtomyconnectionwiththereview,Isupposetherewillbenobreachofconfidenceinthepublicationofthislittlehistory,ifyouthinkitworththespaceitwilloccupy。\"]

  CHAPTER2。II。

  THE’ORIGINOFSPECIES’(continued)。

  1860。

  [Iextractafewentriesfrommyfather’sDiary:——

  \"January7th。Thesecondedition,3000copies,of’Origin’waspublished。\"

  \"May22nd。Thefirsteditionof’Origin’intheUnitedStateswas2500

  copies。\"

  Myfatherhasherenoteddownthesumsreceivedforthe’Origin。’

  FirstEdition……180poundsSecondEdition……636pounds13shillings4penceTotal……816pounds13shillings4pence。

  Afterthepublicationofthesecondeditionhebeganatonce,onJanuary9th,lookingoverhismaterialsforthe’VariationofAnimalsandPlants;’

  theonlyotherworkoftheyearwasonDrosera。

  HewasatDownduringthewholeofthisyear,exceptforavisittoDr。

  Lane’sWater—cureEstablishmentatSudbrooke,andinJune,andforvisitstoMissElizabethWedgwood’shouseatHartfield,inSussex(July),andtoEastbourne,September22toNovember16。]

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,January3rd[1860]。

  MydearHooker,IhavefinishedyourEssay。(’AustralianFlora。’)Asprobablyyouwouldliketohearmyopinion,thoughanon—botanist,Iwillgiveitwithoutanyexaggeration。Tomyjudgmentitisbyfarthegrandestandmostinterestingessay,onsubjectsofthenaturediscussed,Ihaveeverread。

  YouknowhowIadmiredyourformeressays,butthisseemstomefargrander。Ilikeallthepartafterpagexxvibetterthanthefirstpart,probablybecausenewertome。Idaresayyouwilldemurtothis,forI

  thinkeveryauthorlikesthemostspeculativepartsofhisownproductions。

  HowsuperioryouressayistothefamousoneofBrown(herewillbesneer1stfromyou)。Youhavemadeallyourconclusionssoadmirablyclear,thatitwouldbenouseatalltobeabotanist(sneerNo。2)。ByJove,itwoulddoharmtoaffixanyideatothelongnamesofoutlandishorders。

  Onecanlookatyourconclusionswiththephilosophicabstractionwithwhichamathematicianlooksathisatimesxthesquarerootofzsquared,etc。etc。Ihardlyknowwhichpartshaveinterestedmemost;foroverandoveragainIexclaimed,\"thisbeatsall。\"ThegeneralcomparisonoftheFloraofAustraliawiththerestoftheworld,strikesme(asbefore)asextremelyoriginal,good,andsuggestiveofmanyreflections……TheinvadingIndianFloraisveryinteresting,butIthinkthefactyoumentiontowardsthecloseoftheessay——thattheIndianvegetation,incontradistinctiontotheMalayanvegetation,isfoundinlowandlevelpartsoftheMalayIslands,GREATLYlessensthedifficultywhichatfirst(page1)seemedsogreat。Thereisnothinglikeone’sownhobby—horse。I

  suspectitisthesamecaseasofglacialmigration,andofnaturalisedproduction——ofproductionofgreaterareaconqueringthoseoflesser;ofcoursetheIndianformswouldhaveagreaterdifficultyinseizingonthecoolpartsofAustralia。Idemurtoyourremarks(page1),asnot\"conceivinganythinginsoil,climate,orvegetationofIndia,\"whichcouldstoptheintroductionofAustralianplants。Towardsthecloseoftheessay(pageciv),youhaveadmirableremarksonourprofoundignoranceofthecauseofpossiblenaturalisationorintroduction;Iwouldanswerpage1,byalaterpage,viz。pageciv。

  Yourcontrastofthesouth—westandsouth—eastcornersisoneofthemostwonderfulcasesIeverheardof……Youshowthecasewithwonderfulforce。

  Yourdiscussiononmixedinvadersofthesouth—eastcorner(andofNewZealand)isascuriousandintricateaproblemasoftheracesofmeninBritain。YourremarkonmixedinvadingFlorakeepingdownordestroyinganoriginalFlora,whichwasricherinnumberofspecies,strikesmeasEMINENTLYNEWANDIMPORTANT。IamnotsurewhethertomethediscussionontheNewZealandFloraisnotevenmoreinstructive。Icannottoomuchadmireboth。Butitwillrequirealongtimetosuckinallthefacts。

  YourcaseofthelargestAustralianordershavingnone,orveryfew,speciesinNewZealand,istrulymarvellous。Anyhow,youhavenowDEMONSTRATED(togetherwithnomammalsinNewZealand)(bittersneerNo。

  3),thatNewZealandhasneverbeencontinuously,orevennearlycontinuously,unitedbylandtoAustralia!!Atpagelxxxix,istheonlysentence(onthissubject)inthewholeessayatwhichIammuchinclinedtoquarrel,viz。thatnotheoryoftrans—oceanicmigrationcanexplain,etc。etc。NowImaintainagainstalltheworld,thatnomanknowsanythingaboutthepoweroftrans—oceanicmigration。Youdonotknowwhetherornottheabsentordershaveseedswhicharekilledbysea—water,likealmostallLeguminosae,andlikeanotherorderwhichIforget。BirdsdonotmigratefromAustraliatoNewZealand,andthereforefloatationSEEMStheonlypossiblemeans;butyetImaintainthatwedonotknowenoughtoargueonthequestion,especiallyaswedonotknowthemainfactwhethertheseedsofAustralianordersarekilledbysea—water。

  ThediscussiononEuropeanGeneraisprofoundlyinteresting;butherealoneIearnestlybegformoreinformation,viz。toknowwhichofthesegeneraareabsentintheTropicsoftheworld,i。e。confinedtotemperateregions。

  Iexcessivelywishtoknow,ONTHENOTIONOFGLACIALMIGRATION,howmuchmodificationhastakenplaceinAustralia。Ihadbetterexplainwhenwemeet,andgetyoutogooverandmarkthelist……Thelistofnaturalisedplantsisextremelyinteresting,butwhyattheend,inthenameofallthatisgoodandbad,doyounotsumupandcommentonyourfacts?Come,Iwillhaveasneeratyouinreturnforthemanywhichyouwillhavelaunchedatthisletter。ShouldyouhaveremarkedonthenumberofplantsnaturalisedinAustraliaandtheUnitedStatesUNDER

  EXTREMELYDIFFERENTCLIMATES,asshowingthatclimateissoimportant,and[on]theconsiderablesprinklingofplantsfromIndia,NorthAmerica,andSouthAfrica,asshowingthatthefrequentintroductionofseedsissoimportant?Withrespectto\"abundanceofunoccupiedgroundinAustralia,\"

  doyoubelievethatEuropeanplantsintroducedbymannowgrowonspotsinAustraliawhichwereabsolutelybare?ButIamanimpudentdog,onemustdefendone’sownfancytheoriesagainstsuchcruelmenasyou。Idaresaythisletterwillappearveryconceited,butonemustformanopiniononwhatonereadswithattention,andinsimpletruth,Icannotfindwordsstrongenoughtoexpressmyadmirationofyouressay。

  Mydearoldfriend,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。

  P。S。——Idifferaboutthe\"SaturdayReview\"。(\"SaturdayReview\",December24,1859。Thehostileargumentsoftherevieweraregeological,andhedealsespeciallywiththedenudationoftheWeald。Thereviewerremarksthat,\"ifamillionofcenturies,moreorless,isneededforanypartofhisargument,hefeelsnoscrupleintakingthemtosuithispurpose。\")

  Onecannotexpectfairnessinareviewer,soIdonotcomplainofalltheotherargumentsbesidesthe’GeologicalRecord’beingomitted。Someoftheremarksaboutthelapseofyearsareverygood,andthereviewergivesmesomegoodandwell—deservedraps——confoundit。Iamsorrytoconfessthetruth:butitdoesnotatallconcernthemainargument。Thatwasanicenoticeinthe\"Gardeners’Chronicle\"。IhopeandimaginethatLindleyisalmostaconvert。DonotforgettotellmeifBenthamgetsallthemorestaggered。

  WithrespecttotropicalplantsduringtheGlacialperiod,Ithrowinyourteethyourownfacts,atthebaseoftheHimalaya,onthepossibilityoftheco—existenceofatleastformsofthetropicalandtemperateregions。

  IcangiveaparallelcaseforanimalsinMexico。Oh!mydearlybelovedpunychild,howcruelmenaretoyou!IamverygladyouapproveoftheGeographicalchapters……

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,[January4th,1860]。

  MydearL。

  \"Gardeners’Chronicle\"returnedsafe。Thanksfornote。Iambeyondmeasuregladthatyougetmoreandmorerousedonthesubjectofspecies,for,asIhavealwayssaid,Iamwellconvincedthatyouropinionsandwritingswilldofarmoretoconvincetheworldthanmine。Youwillmakeagranddiscussiononman。Youareveryboldinthis,andIhonouryou。I

  havebeen,likeyou,quitesurprisedatthewantoforiginalityinopposedargumentsandinfavourtoo。GwynJeffreysattacksmejustlyinhisletteraboutstrictlylittoralshellsnotbeingoftenembeddedatleastinTertiarydeposits。Iwasinamuddle,forIwasthinkingofSecondary,yetChthamalusappliedtoTertiary……

  Possiblyyoumightliketoseetheenclosednote(Dr。Whewellwrote(January2,1860):\"……Icannot,yetatleast,becomeaconvert。Butthereissomuchofthoughtandoffactinwhatyouhavewrittenthatitisnottobecontradictedwithoutcarefulselectionofthegroundandmannerofthedissent。\"Dr。Whewelldissentedinapracticalmannerforsomeyears,byrefusingtoallowacopyofthe’OriginofSpecies’tobeplacedintheLibraryofTrinityCollege。)fromWhewell,merelyasshowingthatheisnothorrifiedwithus。Youcanreturnitwheneveryouhaveoccasiontowrite,soasnottowasteyourtime。

  C。D。

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,[January4th?1860]……IhavehadabriefnotefromKeyserling(JointauthorwithMurchisonofthe’GeologyofRussia,’1845。),butnotworthsendingyou。Hebelievesinchangeofspecies,grantsthatnaturalselectionexplainswelladaptationofform,butthinksspecieschangetooregularly,asifbysomechemicallaw,fornaturalselectiontobethesolecauseofchange。Icanhardlyunderstandhisbriefnote,butthisisIthinktheupshot……IwillsendA。Murray’spaperwheneverpublished。(ThelateAndrewMurraywrotetwopapersonthe’Origin’intheProc。R。Soc。Edin。1860。

  TheonereferredtohereisdatedJanuary16,1860。Thefollowingisquotedfrompage6oftheseparatecopy:\"Butthesecond,and,asitappearstome,bymuchthemostimportantphaseofreversiontotype(andwhichispractically,ifnotaltogetherignoredbyMr。Darwin),istheinstinctiveinclinationwhichinducesindividualsofthesamespeciesbypreferencetointercrosswiththosepossessingthequalitieswhichtheythemselveswant,soastopreservethepurityorequilibriumofthebreed……Itistritetoaproverb,thattallmenmarrylittlewomen……amanofgeniusmarriesafool……andwearetoldthatthisistheresultofthecharmofcontrast,orofqualitiesadmiredinothersbecausewedonotpossessthem。Idonotsoexplainit。Iimagineitistheeffortofnaturetopreservethetypicalmediumoftherace。\")Itincludesspeculations(whichheperhapswillmodify)sorash,andwithoutasinglefactinsupport,thathadIadvancedthemheorotherreviewerswouldhavehitmeveryhard。IamsorrytosaythatIhaveno\"consolatoryview\"onthedignityofman。Iamcontentthatmanwillprobablyadvance,andcarenotmuchwhetherwearelookedatasmeresavagesinaremotelydistantfuture。Manythanksforyourlastnote。

  Yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。

  Ihavereceived,inaManchesternewspaper,ratheragoodsquib,showingthatIhaveproved\"mightisright,\"andthereforethatNapoleonisright,andeverycheatingtradesmanisalsoright。

  CHARLESDARWINTOW。B。CARPENTER。

  Down,January6th[1860]?

  MydearCarpenter,Ihavejustreadyourexcellentarticleinthe’National。’Itwilldogreatgood;especiallyifitbecomesknownasyourproduction。ItseemstometogiveanexcellentlyclearaccountofMr。Wallace’sandmyviews。HowcapitallyyouturntheflanksofthetheologicalopposersbyopposingtothemsuchmenasBenthamandthemorephilosophicalofthesystematists!I

  thankyousincerelyfortheEXTREMELYhonourablemannerinwhichyoumentionme。Ishouldhavelikedtohaveseensomecriticismsorremarksonembryology,onwhichsubjectyouaresowellinstructed。Idonotthinkanycandidpersoncanreadyourarticlewithoutbeingmuchimpressedwithit。Theolddoctrineofimmutabilityofspecificformswillsurelybutslowlydieaway。Itisashametogiveyoutrouble,butIshouldbeverymuchobligedifyoucouldtellmewheredifferentlycolouredeggsinindividualsofthecuckoohavebeendescribed,andtheirlayingintwenty—

  sevenkindsofnests。AlsodoyouknowfromyourownobservationthatthelimbsofsheepimportedintotheWestIndieschangecolour?Ihavehaddetailedinformationaboutthelossofwool;butmyaccountsmadethechangeslowerthanyoudescribe。

  Withmostcordialthanksandrespect,believeme,mydearCarpenter,yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOL。JENYNS。(Rev。L。Blomefield。)

  Down,January7th,1860。

  MydearJenyns,Iamverymuchobligedforyourletter。Itisofgreatuseandinteresttometoknowwhatimpressionmybookproducesonphilosophicalandinstructedminds。Ithankyouforthekindthingswhichyousay;andyougowithmemuchfurtherthanIexpected。Youwillthinkitpresumptuous,butIamconvinced,IFCIRCUMSTANCESLEADYOUTOKEEPTHESUBJECTINMIND,thatyouwillgofurther。Noonehasyetcastdoubtsonmyexplanationofthesubordinationofgrouptogroup,onhomologies,embryology,andrudimentaryorgans;andifmyexplanationoftheseclassesoffactsbeatallright,wholeclassesoforganicbeingsmustbeincludedinonelineofdescent。

  TheimperfectionoftheGeologicalRecordisoneofthegreatestdifficulties……Duringtheearliestperiodtherecordwouldbemostimperfect,andthisseemstomesufficienttoaccountforournotfindingintermediateformsbetweentheclassesinthesamegreatkingdoms。ItwascertainlyrashinmeputtinginmybeliefoftheprobabilityofallbeingshavingdescendedfromONEprimordialform;butasthisseemsyettomeprobable,Iamnotwillingtostrikeitout。Huxleyalonesupportsmeinthis,andsomethingcouldbesaidinitsfavour。Withrespecttoman,Iamveryfarfromwishingtoobtrudemybelief;butIthoughtitdishonesttoquiteconcealmyopinion。Ofcourseitisopentoeveryonetobelievethatmanappearedbyaseparatemiracle,thoughIdonotmyselfseethenecessityorprobability。

  Prayacceptmysincerethanksforyourkindnote。YourgoingsomewaywithmegivesmegreatconfidencethatIamnotverywrong。ForaverylongtimeIhaltedhalfway;butIdonotbelievethatanyenquiringmindwillresthalf—way。Peoplewillhavetorejectalloradmitall;byALLImeanonlythemembersofeachgreatkingdom。

  MydearJenyns,yoursmostsincerely,C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,January10th[1860]……ItisperfectlytruethatIowenearlyallthecorrections(Thesecondeditionof3000copiesofthe’Origin’waspublishedonJanuary7th。)toyou,andseveralverbalonestoyouandothers;Iamheartilygladyouapproveofthem,asyetonlytwothingshaveannoyedme;thoseconfoundedmillions(Thisreferstothepassageinthe’OriginofSpecies’(2ndedition,page285),inwhichthelapseoftimeimpliedbythedenudationoftheWealdisdiscussed。Thediscussioncloseswiththesentence:\"Sothatitisnotimprobablethatalongerperiodthan300millionyearshaselapsedsincethelatterpartoftheSecondaryperiod。\"Thispassageisomittedinthelatereditionsofthe’Origin,’againsttheadviceofsomeofhisfriends,asappearsfromthepencilnotesinmyfather’scopyofthesecondedition。)ofyears(notthatIthinkitisprobablywrong),andmynothaving(byinadvertance)mentionedWallacetowardsthecloseofthebookinthesummary,notthatanyonehasnoticedthistome。IhavenowputinWallace’snameatpage484inaconspicuousplace。Icannotreferyoutotablesofmortalityofchildren,etc。etc。Ihavenotessomewhere,butIhavenottheLEASTideawheretohunt,andmynoteswouldnowbeold。

  IshallbetrulygladtoreadcarefullyanyMS。onman,andgivemyopinion。Youusedtocautionmetobecautiousaboutman。IsuspectI

  shallhavetoreturnthecautionahundredfold!Yourswill,nodoubt,beagranddiscussion;butitwillhorrifytheworldatfirstmorethanmywholevolume;althoughbythesentence(page489,newedition(Firstedition,page488。))IshowthatIbelievemanisinthesamepredicamentwithotheranimals。Itis,infact,impossibletodoubtit。Ihavethought(onlyvaguely)onman。Withrespecttotheraces,oneofmybestchancesoftruthhasbrokendownfromtheimpossibilityofgettingfacts。

  Ihaveonegoodspeculativeline,butamanmusthaveentirecredenceinNaturalSelectionbeforehewillevenlistentoit。Psychologically,I

  havedonescarcelyanything。Unless,indeed,expressionofcountenancecanbeincluded,andonthatsubjectIhavecollectedagoodmanyfacts,andspeculated,butIdonotsupposeIshalleverpublish,butitisanuncommonlycurioussubject。Bytheway,IsentoffalotofquestionsthedaybeforeyesterdaytoTierradelFuegoonexpression!Isuspect(forI

  haveneverreadit)thatSpencer’s’Psychology’hasabearingonPsychologyasweshouldlookatit。ByallmeansreadthePreface,inabout20pages,ofHensleighWedgwood’snewDictionaryonthefirstoriginofLanguage;

  Erasmuswouldlendit。IagreeaboutCarpenter,averygoodarticle,butwithnotmuchoriginal……AndrewMurrayhascriticised,inanaddresstotheBotanicalSocietyofEdinburgh,thenoticeinthe’LinneanJournal,’and\"hasdisposedof\"thewholetheorybyaningeniousdifficulty,whichIwasverystupidnottohavethoughtof;forIexpresssurpriseatmoreandanalogouscasesnotbeingknown。Thedifficultyis,thatamongsttheblindinsectsofthecavesindistantpartsoftheworldtherearesomeofthesamegenus,andyetthegenusisnotfoundoutofthecavesorlivinginthefreeworld。Ihavelittledoubtthat,likethefishAmblyopsis,andlikeProteusinEurope,theseinsectsare\"wrecksofancientlife,\"or\"livingfossils,\"savedfromcompetitionandextermination。ButthatformerlySEEINGinsectsofthesamegenusroamedoverthewholeareainwhichthecasesareincluded。

  Farewell,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。

  P。S。——OURancestorwasananimalwhichbreathedwater,hadaswimbladder,agreatswimmingtail,animperfectskull,andundoubtedlywasanhermaphrodite!

  Hereisapleasantgenealogyformankind。

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  Down,January14th[1860]……Ishallbemuchinterestedinreadingyourmandiscussion,andwillgivemyopinioncarefully,whateverthatmaybeworth;butIhavesolonglookedatyouasthetypeofcautiousscientificjudgment(tomymindoneofthehighestandmostusefulqualities),thatIsuspectmyopinionwillbesuperfluous。ItmakesmelaughtothinkwhatajokeitwillbeifIhavetocautionyou,afteryourcautionsonthesamesubjecttome!

  IwillorderOwen’sbook(’ClassificationoftheMammalia,’1859。);IamverygladtohearHuxley’sopiniononhisclassificationofman;withouthavingdueknowledge,itseemedtomefromtheveryfirstabsurd;allclassificationsfoundedonsinglecharactersIbelievehavefailed……Whatagrand,immensebenefityouconferredonmebygettingMurraytopublishmybook。Inevertillto—dayrealisedthatitwasgettingwidelydistributed;forinaletterfromaladyto—daytoE。,shesayssheheardamanenquiringforitattheRAILWAYSTATION!!!atWaterlooBridge;andthebooksellersaidthathehadnonetilltheneweditionwasout。Thebooksellersaidhehadnotreadit,buthadhearditwasaveryremarkablebook!!!……

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,14th[January,1860]……IheardfromLyellthismorning,andhetellsmeapieceofnews。Youareagood—for—nothingman;hereyouareslavingyourselftodeathwithhardlyaminutetospare,andyoumustwriteareviewofmybook!I

  thoughtit(’Gardeners’Chronicle’,1860。Referredtoabove。SirJ。D。

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