第43章
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  Intheautumnof1860,andtheearlypartof1861,myfatherhadagooddealofcorrespondencewithProfessorAsaGrayonasubjecttowhichreferencehasalreadybeenmade——thepublicationintheformofapamphlet,ofProfessorGray’sthreearticlesintheJuly,August,andOctobernumbersofthe’AtlanticMonthly,’1860。ThepamphletwaspublishedbyMessrs。

  Trubner,withreferencetowhommyfatherwrote,\"Messrs。Trubnerhavebeenmostliberalandkind,andsaytheyshallmakenochargeforalltheirtrouble。Ihavesettledaboutafewadvertisements,andtheywillgratuitouslyinsertoneintheirownperiodicals。\"

  ThereaderwillfindthesearticlesrepublishedinDr。Gray’s’Darwiniana,’

  page87,underthetitle\"NaturalSelectionnotinconsistentwithNaturalTheology。\"Thepamphletfoundmanyadmirersamongthosemostcapableofjudgingofitsmerits,andmyfatherbelievedthatitwasofmuchvalueinlesseningopposition,andmakingconvertstoEvolution。Hishighopinionofitisshownnotonlyinhisletters,butbythefactthatheinsertedaspecialnoticeofitinamostprominentplaceinthethirdeditionofthe’Origin。’Lyell,amongothers,recogniseditsvalueasanantidotetothekindofcriticismfromwhichthecauseofEvolutionsuffered。ThusmyfatherwrotetoDr。Gray:——\"Justtoexemplifytheuseofyourpamphlet,theBishopofLondonwasaskingLyellwhathethoughtofthereviewinthe’Quarterly,’andLyellanswered,’ReadAsaGrayinthe’Atlantic。’\"。ItcomesoutveryclearlythatinthecaseofsuchpublicationsasDr。Gray’s,myfatherdidnotrejoiceoverthesuccessofhisspecialviewofEvolution,viz。thatmodificationismainlyduetoNaturalSelection;onthecontrary,hefeltstronglythatthereallyimportantpointwasthatthedoctrineofDescentshouldbeaccepted。ThushewrotetoProfessorGray(May11,1863),withreferencetoLyell’s’AntiquityofMan’:——

  \"YouspeakofLyellasajudge;nowwhatIcomplainofisthathedeclinestobeajudge……IhavesometimesalmostwishedthatLyellhadpronouncedagainstme。WhenIsay’me,’IonlymeanCHANGEOFSPECIESBYDESCENT。

  Thatseemstometheturning—point。Personally,ofcourse,IcaremuchaboutNaturalSelection;butthatseemstomeutterlyunimportant,comparedtothequestionofCreationORModification。\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。

  Down,April11[1861]。

  MydearGray,Iwasverygladtogetyourphotograph:Iamexpectingmine,whichIwillsendoffassoonasitcomes。Itisanuglyaffair,andIfearthefaultdoesnotliewiththephotographer……Sincewritinglast,IhavehadseverallettersfullofthehighestcommendationofyourEssay;allagreethatitisbyfarthebestthingwritten,andIdonotdoubtithasdonethe’Origin’muchgood。Ihavenotyetheardhowithassold。Youwillhaveseenareviewinthe\"Gardeners’Chronicle\"。PoordearHenslow,towhomI

  owemuch,isdying,andHookeriswithhim。ManythanksfortwosetsofsheetsofyourProceedings。IcannotunderstandwhatAgassizisdrivingat。Youoncespoke,Ithink,ofProfessorBowenasaverycleverman。I

  shouldhavethoughthimasingularlyunobservantmanfromhiswritings。Henevercanhaveseenmuchofanimals,orhewouldhaveseenthedifferenceofoldandwisedogsandyoungones。Hispaperabouthereditarinessbeatseverything。TellabreederthathemightpickouthisworstINDIVIDUAL

  animalsandbreedfromthem,andhopetowinaprize,andhewouldthinkyou……insane。

  [ProfessorHenslowdiedonMay16,1861,fromacomplicationofbronchitis,congestionofthelungs,andenlargementoftheheart。Hisstrongconstitutionwasslowingivingway,andhelingeredforweeksinapainfulconditionofweakness,knowingthathisendwasnear,andlookingatdeathwithfearlesseyes。InMr。Blomefield’s(Jenyns)’MemoirofHenslow’

  (1862)isadignifiedandtouchingdescriptionofProf。Sedgwick’sfarewellvisittohisoldfriend。Sedgwicksaidafterwardsthathehadneverseen\"ahumanbeingwhosesoulwasnearerheaven。\"

  MyfatherwrotetoSirJ。D。HookeronhearingofHenslow’sdeath,\"Ifullybelieveabettermanneverwalkedthisearth。\"

  HegavehisimpressionsofHenslow’scharacterinMr。Blomefield’s’Memoir。’InreferencetotheserecollectionshewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker(May30,1861):——

  \"ThismorningIwrotemyrecollectionsandimpressionsofcharacterofpoordearHenslowabouttheyear1830。Ilikedthejob,andsohavewrittenfourorfivepages,nowbeingcopied。Idonotsupposeyouwilluseall,ofcourseyoucanchopandchangeasmuchasyoulike。Ifmorethanasentenceisused,Ishouldliketoseeaproof—page,asInevercanwritedecentlytillIseeitinprint。Verylikelysomeofmyremarksmayappeartootrifling,butIthoughtitbesttogivemythoughtsastheyarose,foryouorJenynstouseasyouthinkfit。

  \"YouwillseethatIhaveexceededyourrequest,but,asIsaidwhenI

  began,Itookpleasureinwritingmyimpressionofhisadmirablecharacter。\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。

  Down,June5[1861]。

  MydearGray,Ihavebeenratherextrabusy,sohavebeenslackinansweringyournoteofMay6th。Ihopeyouhavereceivedlongagothethirdeditionofthe’Origin。’……IhaveheardnothingfromTrubnerofthesaleofyourEssay,hencefearithasnotbeengreat;Iwrotetosayyoucouldsupplymore。I

  sendacopytoSirJ。Herschel,andinhisneweditionofhis’PhysicalGeography’hehasanoteonthe’OriginofSpecies,’andagrees,toacertainlimitedextent,butputsinacautionondesign——muchlikeyours……Ihavebeenledtothinkmoreonthissubjectoflate,andgrievetosaythatIcometodiffermorefromyou。Itisnotthatdesignedvariationmakes,asitseemstome,mydeity\"NaturalSelection\"

  superfluous,butratherfromstudying,lately,domesticvariation,andseeingwhatanenormousfieldofundesignedvariabilitythereisreadyfornaturalselectiontoappropriateforanypurposeusefultoeachcreature。

  IthankyoumuchforsendingmeyourreviewofPhillips。(’LifeontheEarth,’1860。)Irememberoncetellingyoualotoftradeswhichyououghttohavefollowed,butnowIamconvincedthatyouareabornreviewer。ByJove,howwellandoftenyouhitthenailonthehead!YourankPhillips’sbookhigherthanIdo,orthanLyelldoes,whothinksitfearfullyretrograde。IamusedmyselfbyparodyingPhillips’sargumentasappliedtodomesticvariation;andyoumightthusprovethattheduckorpigeonhasnotvariedbecausethegoosehasnot,thoughmoreancientlydomesticated,andnogoodreasoncanbeassignedwhyithasnotproducedmanyvarieties……

  Ineverknewthenewspaperssoprofoundlyinteresting。NorthAmericadoesnotdoEnglandjustice;IhavenotseenorheardofasoulwhoisnotwiththeNorth。Somefew,andIamoneofthem,evenwishtoGod,thoughatthelossofmillionsoflives,thattheNorthwouldproclaimacrusadeagainstslavery。Inthelong—run,amillionhorriddeathswouldbeamplyrepaidinthecauseofhumanity。Whatwonderfultimeswelivein!Massachusettsseemstoshownobleenthusiasm。GreatGod!HowIshouldliketoseethegreatestcurseonearth——slavery——abolished!

  Farewell。HookerhasbeenabsorbedwithpoordearreveredHenslow’saffairs。Farewell。

  Everyours,C。DARWIN。

  HUGHFALCONERTOCHARLESDARWIN。

  31SackvilleSt。,W。,June23,1861。

  MydearDarwin,IhavebeentoAdelsbergcaveandbroughtbackwithmealiveProteusanguinus,designedforyoufromthemomentIgotit;i。e。ifyouhavegotanaquariumandwouldcaretohaveit。Ionlyreturnedlastnightfromthecontinent,andhearingfromyourbrotherthatyouareabouttogotoTorquay,Ilosenotimeinmakingyoutheoffer。Thepoordearanimalisstillalive——althoughithashadnoappreciablemeansofsustenanceforamonth——andIammostanxioustogetridoftheresponsibilityofstarvingitlonger。InyourhandsitwillthriveandhaveafairchanceofbeingdevelopedwithoutdelayintosometypeoftheColumbidae——sayaPouteroraTumbler。

  MydearDarwin,IhavebeenramblingthroughthenorthofItaly,andGermanylately。EverywherehaveIheardyourviewsandyouradmirableessaycanvassed——theviewsofcourseoftendissentedfrom,accordingtothespecialbiasofthespeaker——butthework,itshonestyofpurpose,grandeurofconception,felicityofillustration,andcourageousexposition,alwaysreferredtointermsofthehighestadmiration。AndamongyourwarmestfriendsnoonerejoicedmoreheartilyinthejustappreciationofCharlesDarwinthandidYoursverytruly,H。FALCONER。

  CHARLESDARWINTOHUGHFALCONER。

  Down[June24,1861]。

  MydearFalconer,Ihavejustreceivedyournote,andbygoodluckadayearlierthanproperly,andIlosenotamomentinansweringyou,andthankingyouheartilyforyourofferofthevaluablespecimen;butIhavenoaquariumandshallsoonstartforTorquay,sothatitwouldbeathousandpitiesthatIshouldhaveit。YetIshouldcertainlymuchliketoseeit,butI

  fearitisimpossible。WouldnottheZoologicalSocietybethebestplace?

  andthentheinterestwhichmanywouldtakeinthisextraordinaryanimalwouldrepayyouforyourtrouble。

  Kindasyouhavebeenintakingthistroubleandofferingmethisspecimen,totellthetruthIvalueyournotemorethanthespecimen。Ishallkeepyournoteamongstaveryfewpreciousletters。Yourkindnesshasquitetouchedme。

  Yoursaffectionatelyandgratefully,CH。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  2HeskethCrescent,Torquay,July13[1861]……IhopeHarveyisbetter;Igothisreview(The’DublinHospitalGazette,’May15,1861。Thepassagereferredtoisatpage150。)ofmeadayortwoago,fromwhichIinferhemustbeconvalescent;it’sverygoodandfair;butitisfunnytoseeamanargueonthesuccessionofanimalsfromNoah’sDeluge;asGoddidnotthenwhollydestroyman,probablyhedidnotwhollydestroytheracesofotheranimalsateachgeologicalperiod!I

  neverexpectedtohaveahelpinghandfromtheOldTestament……

  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。

  2,HeskethCrescent,Torquay,July20[1861]。

  MydearLyell,Isentyoutwoorthreedaysagoaduplicateofagoodreviewofthe’Origin’byaMr。Maw(Mr。GeorgeMaw,ofBenthallHall。Thereviewwaspublishedinthe’Zoologist,’July,1861。Onthebackofmyfather’scopyiswritten,\"Mustbeconsultedbeforenewedit。of’Origin’\"——wordswhicharewantingonmanymorepretentiousnotices,onwhichfrequentlyoccurmyfather’sbriefo/—,or\"nothingnew。\"),evidentlyathoughtfulman,asI

  thoughtyoumightliketohaveit,asyouhavesomany……

  Thisisquiteacharmingplace,andIhaveactuallywalked,Ibelieve,goodtwomilesoutandback,whichisagrandfeat。

  IsawMr。Pengelly(WilliamPengelly,thegeologist,andwell—knownexploreroftheDevonshirecaves。)theotherday,andwaspleasedathisenthusiasm。IdonotintheleastknowwhetheryouareinLondon。Yourillnessmusthavelostyoumuchtime,butIhopeyouhavenearlygotyourgreatjoboftheneweditionfinished。Youmustbeverybusy,ifinLondon,soIwillbegenerous,andonhonourbrightdonotexpectanyanswertothisdulllittlenote……

  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。

  Down,September17[1861?]。

  MydearGray,Ithankyousincerelyforyourverylongandinterestingletter,politicalandscientific,ofAugust27thand29th,andSeptember2ndreceivedthismorning。Iagreewithmuchofwhatyousay,andIhopetoGodweEnglishareutterlywrongindoubting(1)whethertheN。canconquertheS。;(2)

  whethertheN。hasmanyfriendsintheSouth,and(3)whetheryounoblemenofMassachusettsarerightintransferringyourowngoodfeelingstothemenofWashington。AgainIsayIhopetoGodwearewrongindoubtingonthesepoints。Itisnumber(3)whichalonecausesEnglandnottobeenthusiasticwithyou。WhatitmaybeinLancashireIknownot,butinS。

  Englandcottonhasnothingwhatevertodowithourdoubts。Ifabolitiondoesfollowwithyourvictory,thewholeworldwilllookbrighterinmyeyes,andinmanyeyes。ItwouldbeagreatgaineventostopthespreadofslaveryintotheTerritories;ifthatbepossiblewithoutabolition,whichIshouldhavedoubted。YououghtnottowondersomuchatEngland’scoldness,whenyourecollectatthecommencementofthewarhowmanypropositionsweremadetogetthingsbacktotheoldstatewiththeoldlineoflatitude,butenoughofthis,allIcansayisthatMassachusettsandtheadjoiningStateshavethefullsympathyofeverygoodmanwhomI

  see;andthissympathywouldbeextendedtothewholeFederalStates,ifwecouldbepersuadedthatyourfeelingswereatallcommontothem。Butenoughofthis。Itisoutofmyline,thoughIreadeverywordofnews,andformerlywellstudiedOlmsted……

  YourquestionwhatwouldconvincemeofDesignisaposer。IfIsawanangelcomedowntoteachusgood,andIwasconvincedfromothersseeinghimthatIwasnotmad,Ishouldbelieveindesign。IfIcouldbeconvincedthoroughlythatlifeandmindwasinanunknownwayafunctionofotherimponderableforce,Ishouldbeconvinced。Ifmanwasmadeofbrassorironandnowayconnectedwithanyotherorganismwhichhadeverlived,Ishouldperhapsbeconvinced。Butthisischildishwriting。

  IhavelatelybeencorrespondingwithLyell,who,Ithink,adoptsyourideaofthestreamofvariationhavingbeenledordesigned。Ihaveaskedhim(andhesayshewillhereafterreflectandanswerme)whetherhebelievesthattheshapeofmynosewasdesigned。IfhedoesIhavenothingmoretosay。Ifnot,seeingwhatFanciershavedonebyselectingindividualdifferencesinthenasalbonesofpigeons,Imustthinkthatitisillogicaltosupposethatthevariations,whichnaturalselectionpreservesforthegoodofanybeinghavebeendesigned。ButIknowthatIaminthesamesortofmuddle(asIhavesaidbefore)asalltheworldseemstobeinwithrespecttofreewill,yetwitheverythingsupposedtohavebeenforeseenorpre—ordained。

  Farewell,mydearGray,withmanythanksforyourinterestingletter。

  Yourunmercifulcorrespondent。

  C。DARWIN。

  CHARLESDARWINTOH。W。BATES。

  Down,December3[1861]。

  MydearSir,Ithankyouforyourextremelyinterestingletter,andvaluablereferences,thoughGodknowswhenIshallcomeagaintothispartofmysubject。Onecannotofcoursejudgeofstylewhenonemerelyhearsapaper(OnMimeticButterflies,readbeforetheLinneanSoc。,November21,1861。Formyfather’sopinionofitwhenpublished,seebelow。),butyoursseemedtomeveryclearandgood。BelievemethatIestimateitsvaluemosthighly。

  Underageneralpointofview,Iamquiteconvinced(HookerandHuxleytookthesameviewsomemonthsago)thataphilosophicviewofnaturecansolelybedrivenintonaturalistsbytreatingspecialsubjectsasyouhavedone。

  Underaspecialpointofview,Ithinkyouhavesolvedoneofthemostperplexingproblemswhichcouldbegiventosolve。IamgladtohearfromHookerthattheLinneanSocietywillgiveplatesifyoucangetdrawings……

  Donotcomplainofwantofadviceduringyourtravels;Idaresaypartofyourgreatoriginalityofviewsmaybeduetothenecessityofself—

  exertionofthought。IcanunderstandthatyourreceptionattheBritishMuseumwoulddampyou;theyareaverygoodsetofmen,butnotthesorttoappreciateyourwork。InfactIhavelongthoughtthatTOOMUCHsystematicwork[and]descriptionsomehowbluntsthefaculties。Thegeneralpublicappreciatesagooddoseofreasoning,orgeneralisation,withnewandcuriousremarksonhabits,finalcauses,etc。etc。,farmorethandotheregularnaturalists。

  Iamextremelygladtohearthatyouhavebegunyourtravels……Iamverybusy,butIshallbeTRULYgladtorenderanyaidwhichIcanbyreadingyourfirstchapterortwo。IdonotthinkIshallbeabletocorrectstyle,forthisreason,thatafterrepeatedtrialsIfindIcannotcorrectmyownstyletillIseetheMS。intype。Somearebornwithapowerofgoodwriting,likeWallace;otherslikemyselfandLyellhavetolabourveryhardandslowlyateverysentence。Ifinditaverygoodplan,whenI

  cannotgetadifficultdiscussiontopleaseme,tofancythatsomeonecomesintotheroomandasksmewhatIamdoing;andthentryatonceandexplaintotheimaginarypersonwhatitisallabout。Ihavedonethisforoneparagraphtomyselfseveraltimes,andsometimestoMrs。Darwin,tillI

  seehowthesubjectoughttogo。Itis,Ithink,goodtoreadone’sMS。

  aloud。Butstyletomeisagreatdifficulty;yetsomegoodjudgesthinkI

  havesucceeded,andIsaythistoencourageyou。

  WhatITHINKIcandowillbetotellyouwhetherpartshadbetterbeshortened。Itisgood,Ithink,todash\"inmediares,\"andworkinlateranydescriptionsofcountryoranyhistoricaldetailswhichmaybenecessary。Murraylikeslotsofwood—cuts——givesomebyallmeansofants。

  Thepublicappreciatemonkeys——ourpoorcousins。Whatsexualdifferencesarethereinmonkeys?Haveyoukeptthemtame?ifso,abouttheirexpression。Ifearthatyouwillhardlyreadmyvilehand—writing,butI

  cannotwithoutkillingtroublewritebetter。

  YoushallhavemycandidopiniononyourMS。,butrememberitishardtojudgefromMS。,onereadsslowly,andheavypartsseemmuchheavier。A

  first—ratejudgethoughtmyJournalverypoor;nowthatitisinprint,I

  happentoknow,helikesit。IamsureyouwillunderstandwhyIamsoegotistical。

  IwasaLITTLEdisappointedinWallace’sbook(’TravelsontheAmazonandRioNegro,’1853。)ontheAmazon;hardlyfactsenough。Ontheotherhand,inGosse’sbook(Probablythe’Naturalist’sSojourninJamaica,’1851。)

  thereisnotreasoningenoughtomytaste。Heavenknowswhetheryouwillcaretoreadallthisscribbling……

  IamgladyouhadapleasantdaywithHooker(InalettertoSirJ。D。

  Hooker(December1861),myfatherwrote:\"IamverygladtohearthatyoulikeBates。Ihaveseldominmylifebeenmorestruckwithaman’spowerofmind。\"),heisanadmirablygoodmanineverysense。

  [ThefollowingextractfromalettertoMr。Batesonthesamesubjectisinterestingasgivinganideaoftheplanfollowedbymyfatherinwritinghis’Naturalist’sVoyage:’

  \"Asanoldhackneyedauthor,letmegiveyouabitofadvice,viz。tostrikeouteverywordwhichisnotquitenecessarytothecurrentsubject,andwhichcouldnotinterestastranger。Iconstantlyaskedmyself,wouldastrangercareforthis?andstruckoutorleftinaccordingly。Ithinktoomuchpainscannotbetakeninmakingthestyletransparentlyclearandthrowingeloquencetothedogs。\"

  Mr。Bates’sbook,’TheNaturalistontheAmazons,’waspublishedin1865,butthefollowinglettermaybegivenhereratherthaninitsduechronologicalposition:]

  CHARLESDARWINTOH。W。BATES。

  Down,April18,1863。

  DearBates,Ihavefinishedvolumei。Mycriticismsmaybecondensedintoasinglesentence,namely,thatitisthebestworkofNaturalHistoryTravelseverpublishedinEngland。Yourstyleseemstomeadmirable。Nothingcanbebetterthanthediscussiononthestruggleforexistence,andnothingbetterthanthedescriptionoftheForestscenery。(InalettertoLyellmyfatherwrote:\"He[i。e。Mr。Bates]issecondonlytoHumboldtindescribingatropicalforest。\")Itisagrandbook,andwhetherornotitsellsquickly,itwilllast。YouhavespokenoutboldlyonSpecies;andboldnessonthesubjectseemstogetrarerandrarer。Howbeautifullyillustrateditis。Thecutonthebackismosttasteful。Iheartilycongratulateyouonitspublication。

  The\"Athenaeum\"(\"IhavereadthefirstvolumeofBates’sBook;itiscapital,andIthinkthebestNaturalHistoryTravelseverpublishedinEngland。HeisboldaboutSpecies,etc。,andthe\"Athenaeum\"coollysays’hebendshisfacts’forthispurpose。\"——(FromalettertoSirJ。D。

  Hooker。))wasrathercold,asitalwaysis,andinsolentinthehighestdegreeaboutyourleadingfacts。Haveyouseenthe\"Reader\"?Icansendittoyouifyouhavenotseenit……

  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。

  Down,December11[1861]。

  MydearGray,Manyandcordialthanksforyourtwolastmostvaluablenotes。Whatathingitisthatwhenyoureceivethiswemaybeatwar,andwetwobebound,asgoodpatriots,tohateeachother,thoughIshallfindthishatingyouveryhardwork。Howcuriousitistoseetwocountries,justliketwoangryandsillymen,takingsooppositeaviewofthesametransaction!IfearthereisnoshadowofdoubtweshallfightifthetwoSouthernroguesarenotgivenup。(TheConfederateCommissionersSlidellandMasonwereforciblyremovedfromthe\"Trent\",aWestIndiamailsteameronNovember8,1861。ThenewsthattheU。S。agreedtoreleasethemreachedEnglandonJanuary8,1862。)Andwhatawretchedthingitwillbeifwefightonthesideofslavery。Nodoubtitwillbesaidthatwefighttogetcotton;butIfullybelievethatthishasnotenteredintothemotiveintheleast。Well,thankHeaven,weprivateindividualshavenothingtodowithsoawfularesponsibility。Again,howcuriousitisthatyouseemtothinkthatyoucanconquertheSouth;andInevermeetasoul,eventhosewhowouldmostwishit,whothinksitpossible——thatis,toconquerandretainit。Idonotsupposethemassofpeopleinyourcountrywillbelieveit,butIfeelsureifwedogotowaritwillbewiththeutmostreluctancebyallclasses,MinistersofGovernmentandall。Timewillshow,anditisnousewritingorthinkingaboutit。IcalledtheotherdayonDr。Boott,andwaspleasedtofindhimprettywellandcheerful。I

  see,bytheway,hetakesquiteanEnglishopinionofAmericanaffairs,thoughanAmericaninheart。(Dr。BoottwasbornintheU。S。)Bucklemightwriteachapteronopinionbeingentirelydependentonlongitude!……WithrespecttoDesign,Ifeelmoreinclinedtoshowawhiteflagthantofiremyusuallong—rangeshot。Iliketotryandaskyouapuzzlingquestion,butwhenyoureturnthecomplimentIhavegreatdoubtswhetheritisafairwayofarguing。Ifanythingisdesigned,certainlymanmustbe:

  one’s\"innerconsciousness\"(thoughafalseguide)tellsoneso;yetI

  cannotadmitthatman’srudimentarymammae……weredesigned。IfIwastosayIbelievedthis,IshouldbelieveitinthesameincrediblemannerastheorthodoxbelievetheTrinityinUnity。Yousaythatyouareinahaze;

  Iaminthickmud;theorthodoxwouldsayinfetid,abominablemud;yetI

  cannotkeepoutofthequestion。MydearGray,Ihavewrittenadealofnonsense。

  Yoursmostcordially,C。DARWIN。

  1862。

  [Owingtotheillnessfromscarletfeverofoneofhisboys,hetookahouseatBournemouthintheautumn。HewrotetoDr。GrayfromSouthampton(August21,1862):——

  \"Weareawretchedfamily,andoughttobeexterminated。WesleptheretorestourpoorboyonhisjourneytoBournemouth,andmypoordearwifesickenedwithscarletfever,andhashaditprettysharply,butisrecoveringwell。Thereisnoendoftroubleinthiswearyworld。Ishallnotfeelsafetillweareallathometogether,andwhenthatwillbeI

  knownot。Butitisfoolishcomplaining。\"

  Dr。Grayusedtosendpostagestampstothescarletfeverpatient;withregardtothisgood—natureddeedmyfatherwrote——

  \"Imustjustrecurtostamps;mylittlemanhascalculatedthathewillnowhave6stampswhichnootherboyintheschoolhas。Hereisatriumph。

  Yourlastletterwasplaisteredwithmanycolouredstamps,andhelongsurveyedtheenvelopeinbedwithmuchquietsatisfaction。\"

  Thegreaternumberofthelettersof1862dealwiththeOrchidwork,butthewaveofconversiontoEvolutionwasstillspreading,andreviewsandlettersbearingonthesubjectstillcameinnumbers。AsanexampleoftheoddlettershereceivedmaybementionedonewhicharrivedinJanuaryofthisyear\"fromaGermanhomoeopathicdoctor,anardentadmirerofthe’Origin。’Hadhimselfpublishednearlythesamesortofbook,butgoesmuchdeeper。Explainstheoriginofplantsandanimalsontheprinciplesofhomoeopathyorbythelawofspirality。BookfelldeadinGermany。

  ThereforewouldItranslateitandpublishitinEngland。\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。

  Down,[January?]14[1862]。

  MydearHuxley,IamheartilygladofyoursuccessintheNorth(ThisreferstotwoofMr。

  Huxley’slectures,givenbeforethePhilosophicalInstitutionofEdinburghin1862。Thesubstanceofthemisgivenin’Man’sPlaceinNature。’),andthankyouforyournoteandslip。ByJoveyouhaveattackedBigotryinitsstronghold。Ithoughtyouwouldhavebeenmobbed。IamsogladthatyouwillpublishyourLectures。Youseemtohavekeptaduemediumbetweenextremeboldnessandcaution。Iamheartilygladthatallwentoffsowell。IhopeMrs。Huxleyisprettywell……ImustsayonewordontheHybridquestion。Nodoubtyouarerightthathereisagreathiatusintheargument;yetIthinkyouoverrateit——youneveralludetotheexcellentevidenceofVARIETIESofVerbascumandNicotianabeingpartiallysteriletogether。Itiscurioustometoread(asIhaveto—day)thegreatestcrossingGARDENERutterlypooh—poohingthedistinctionwhichBOTANISTSmakeonthishead,andinsistinghowfrequentlycrossedVARIETIESproducesterileoffspring。DoobligemebyreadingthelatterhalfofmyPrimulapaperinthe’Linn。Journal,’foritleadsmetosuspectthatsterilitywillhereafterhavetobelargelyviewedasanacquiredorSELECTED

  character——aviewwhichIwishIhadhadfactstomaintaininthe’Origin。’

  (Theviewheregivenwillbediscussedinthechapteronhetero—styledplants。)

  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。

  Down,January25[1862]。

  MydearHooker,ManythanksforyourlastSunday’sletter,whichwasoneofthepleasantestIeverreceivedinmylife。Weareallprettywellredivivus,andIamatworkagain。IthoughtitbesttomakeacleanbreasttoAsaGray;andtoldhimthattheBostondinner,etc。etc。,hadquiteturnedmystomach,andthatIalmostthoughtitwouldbegoodforthepeaceoftheworldiftheUnitedStatesweresplitup;ontheotherhand,IsaidthatIgroanedtothinkoftheslave—holdersbeingtriumphant,andthatthedifficultiesofmakingalineofseparationwerefearful。Iwonderwhathewillsay……YournotionoftheAristocratbeingkenspeckle,andthebestmenofagoodlotbeingthuseasilyselectedisnewtome,andstriking。The’Origin’havingmadeyouinfactajollyoldTory,madeusalllaughheartily。Ihavesometimesspeculatedonthissubject;primogeniture(Myfatherhadastrongfeelingastotheinjusticeofprimogeniture,andinasimilarspiritwasoftenindignantovertheunfairwillsthatappearfromtimetotime。Hewoulddeclareenergeticallythatifhewerelaw—givernowillshouldbevalidthatwasnotpublishedinthetestator’slifetime;andthishemaintainedwouldpreventmuchofthemonstrousinjusticeandmeannessapparentinsomanywills。)isdreadfullyopposedtoselection;supposethefirst—bornbullwasnecessarilymadebyeachfarmerthebegetterofhisstock!Ontheotherhand,asyousay,ablestmenarecontinuallyraisedtothepeerage,andgetcrossedwiththeolderLord—breeds,andtheLordscontinuallyselectthemostbeautifulandcharmingwomenoutofthelowerranks;sothatagooddealofindirectselectionimprovestheLords。

  CertainlyIagreewithyouthepresentAmericanrowhasaveryTorifyinginfluenceonusall。Iamverygladtohearyouarebeginningtoprintthe’Genera;’itisawonderfulsatisfactiontobethusbroughttobed,indeeditisone’schiefsatisfaction,Ithink,thoughoneknowsthatanotherbantlingwillsoonbedeveloping……

  CHARLESDARWINTOMAXWELLMASTERS。(Dr。Mastersisawell—knownvegetableteratologist,andhasbeenformanyyearstheeditorofthe\"Gardeners’

  Chronicle\"。)

  Down,February26[1862]。

  MydearSir,Iammuchobligedtoyouforsendingmeyourarticle(Referstoapaperon\"VegetableMorphology,\"byDr。Masters,inthe’BritishandForeignMedico—

  ChirurgicalReview’for1862),whichIhavejustreadwithmuchinterest。

  Thehistory,andagooddealbesides,wasquitenewtome。Itseemstomecapitallydone,andsoclearlywritten。Youreallyoughttowriteyourlargerwork。Youspeaktoogenerouslyofmybook;butImustconfessthatyouhavepleasedmenotalittle;fornoone,asfarasIknow,haseverremarkedonwhatIsayonclassification——apart,whichwhenIwroteit,pleasedme。Withmanythankstoyouforsendingmeyourarticle,praybelieveme,MydearSir,yourssincerely,C。DARWIN。

  [Inthespringofthisyear(1862)myfatherreadthesecondvolumeofBuckle’s’HistoryofCivilisation。\"Thefollowingstronglyexpressedopinionaboutitmaybeworthquoting:——

  \"HaveyoureadBuckle’ssecondvolume?Ithasinterestedmegreatly;Idonotcarewhetherhisviewsarerightorwrong,butIshouldthinktheycontainedmuchtruth。Thereisanobleloveofadvancementandtruththroughout;andtomytasteheistheverybestwriteroftheEnglishlanguagethateverlived,lettheotherbewhohemay。\"]

  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。

  Down,March15[1862]。

  MydearGray,Thanksforthenewspapers(thoughtheydidcontaindigsatEngland),andforyournoteofFebruary18th。Itisreallyalmostapleasuretoreceivestabsfromsosmooth,polished,andsharpadaggerasyourpen。IheartilywishIcouldsympathisemorefullywithyou,insteadofmerelyhatingtheSouth。Wecannotenterintoyourfeelings;ifScotlandweretorebel,I

  presumeweshouldbeverywrath,butIdonotthinkweshouldcareapennywhatothernationsthought。Themillenniummustcomebeforenationsloveeachother;buttryanddonothateme。Thinkofme,ifyouwillasapoorblindedfool。IfearthedreadfulstateofaffairsmustdullyourinterestinScience……

  IbelievethatyourpamphlethasdonemybookGREATgood;andIthankyoufrommyheartformyself;andbelievingthattheviewsareinlargeparttrue,Imustthinkthatyouhavedonenaturalscienceagoodturn。NaturalSelectionseemstobemakingalittleprogressinEnglandandontheContinent;anewGermaneditioniscalledfor,andaFrench(InJune,1862,myfatherwrotetoDr。Gray:\"Ireceived,2or3daysago,aFrenchtranslationofthe’Origin,’byaMadlle。Royer,whomustbeoneofthecleverestandoddestwomeninEurope:isanardentDeist,andhatesChristianity,anddeclaresthatnaturalselectionandthestruggleforlifewillexplainallmorality,natureofman,politics,etc。etc。!Shemakessomeverycuriousandgoodhits,andsayssheshallpublishabookonthesesubjects。\"Madlle。Royeraddedfoot—notestohertranslation,andinmanyplaceswheretheauthorexpressesgreatdoubt,sheexplainsthedifficulty,orpointsoutthatnorealdifficultyexists。)onehasjustappeared。Oneofthebestmen,thoughatpresentunknown,whohastakenuptheseviews,isMr。Bates;prayreadhis’TravelsinAmazonia,’whentheyappear;theywillbeverygood,judgingfromMS。ofthefirsttwochapters。

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