uppaper，thinkingthatperhapsIwouldagitatethesubject;butthefithaspassed，andIdonotsupposeIevershall;IsendityoufortheCHANCE
　　ofyourcaringtoseemynotions。Ihavebeensurprisedtofindinconversationthatseveralnaturalistswereofnearlymywayofthinking。I
　　feelsureaslongasspecies—mongershavetheirvanitytickledbyseeingtheirownnamesappendedtoaspecies，becausetheymiserablydescribeditintwoorthreelines，weshallhavethesameVASTamountofbadworkasatpresent，andwhichisenoughtodisheartenanymanwhoiswillingtoworkoutanybranchwithcareandtime。IfindeverygenusofCirripediahashalf—a—dozennames，andnotonecarefuldescriptionofanyonespeciesinanyonegenus。Idonotbelievethatthiswouldhavebeenthecaseifeachmanknewthatthememoryofhisownnamedependedonhisdoinghisworkwell，andnotuponmerelyappendinganamewithafewwretchedlinesindicatingonlyafewprominentexternalcharacters。ButIwillnotwearyyouwithanylongertirade。ReadmypaperorNOT，justasyoulike，andreturnitwheneveryouplease。
　　Yoursmostsincerely，C。DARWIN。
　　HUGHSTRICKLANDTOCHARLESDARWIN。
　　TheLodge，Tewkesbury，January31st，1849……Ihavenexttonoticeyoursecondobjection——thatretainingthenameoftheFIRSTdescriberinperpetuumalongwiththatofthespecies，isapremiumonhastyandcarelesswork。Thisisquiteadifferentquestionfromthatofthelawofpriorityitself，anditneveroccurredtomebefore，thoughitseemshighlyprobablethatthegeneralrecognitionofthatlawmayproducesucharesult。Wemusttrytocounteractthisevilinsomeotherway。
　　Theobjectofappendingthenameofamantothenameofaspeciesisnottogratifythevanityoftheman，buttoindicatemorepreciselythespecies。Sometimestwomenwill，byaccident，givethesamename（independently）totwospeciesofthesamegenus。Morefrequentlyalaterauthorwillmisapplythespecificnameofanolderone。ThustheHelixputrisofMontaguisnotH。putrisofLinnaeus，thoughMontaguesupposedittobeso。InsuchacasewecannotdefinethespeciesbyHelixputrisalone，butmustappendthenameoftheauthorwhomwequote。Butwhenaspecieshasneverbornebutonename（asCorvusfrugilegus），andnootherspeciesofCorvushasbornethesamename，itis，ofcourse，unnecessarytoaddtheauthor’sname。YetevenhereIliketheformCorvusfrugilegus，Linn。，asitremindsusthatthisisoneoftheoldspecies，longknown，andtobefoundinthe’SystemaNaturae，’etc。Ifear，therefore，that（atleastuntilournomenclatureismoredefinitelysettled）itwillbeimpossibletoindicatespecieswithscientificaccuracy，withoutaddingthenameoftheirfirstauthor。Youmay，indeed，doitasyoupropose，bysayinginLam。An。Invert。，etc。，butthenthiswouldbeincompatiblewiththelawofpriority，forwhereLamarckhasviolatedthatlow，onecannotadopthisname。Itis，nevertheless，highlyconducivetoaccurateindicationtoappendtothe（oldest）specificnameONEgoodreferencetoastandardwork，especiallytoaFIGURE，withanaccompanyingsynonymifnecessary。Thismethodmaybecumbrous，butcumbrousnessisafarlessevilthanuncertainty。
　　It，moreover，seemshardlypossibletocarryoutthePRIORITYprinciple，withoutthehistoricalaidaffordedbyappendingtheauthor’snametothespecificone。IfI，aPRIORITYMAN，calledaspeciesC。D。，itimpliesthatC。D。istheoldestnamethatIknowof;butinorderthatyouandothersmayjudgeoftheproprietyofthatname，youmustascertainwhen，andbywhom，thenamewasfirstcoined。Now，iftothespecificnameC。D。，I
　　appendthenameA。B。，ofitsfirstdescriber，Iatoncefurnishyouwiththecluetothedateswhen，andthebookinwhich，thisdescriptionwasgiven，andIthusassistyouindeterminingwhetherC。D。bereallytheoldest，andthereforethecorrect，designation。
　　Ido，however，admitthatthepriorityprinciple（excellentasitis）hasatendency，whentheauthor’snameisadded，toencouragevanityandslovenlywork。Ithink，however，thatmuchmightbedonetodiscouragethoseobscureandunsatisfactorydefinitionsofwhichyousojustlycomplain，byWRITINGDOWNthepractice。Letthebetterdisposednaturalistscombinetomakeaformalprotestagainstallvague，loose，andinadequatedefinitionsof（supposed）newspecies。Letacommittee（sayoftheBritishAssociation）beappointedtoprepareasortofCLASSLISTofthevariousmodernworksinwhichnewspeciesaredescribed，arrangedinorderofmerit。Thelowestclasswouldcontaintheworstexamplesofthekind，andtheirauthorswouldthusbeexposedtotheobloquywhichtheydeserve，andbegibbetedinterroremfortheedificationofthosewhomaycomeafter。
　　Ihavethuscandidlystatedmyviews（Ihopeintelligibly）ofwhatseemsbesttobedoneinthepresenttransitionalanddangerousstateofsystematiczoology。Innumerablelabourers，manyofthemcrotchetyandhalf—educated，arerushingintothefield，anditdepends，Ithink，onthepresentgenerationwhetherthescienceistodescendtoposterityachaoticmass，orpossessedofsometracesoflawandorganisation。IfwecouldonlygetacongressofdeputiesfromthechiefscientificbodiesofEuropeandAmerica，somethingmightbedone，but，asthecasestands，IconfessI
　　donotclearlyseemyway，beyondhumblyendeavouringtoreformNUMBERONE。
　　Yoursever，H。E。STRICKLAND。
　　CHARLESDARWINTOHUGHSTRICKLAND。
　　Down，Sunday[February4th，1849]。
　　MydearStrickland，Iam，intruth，GREATLYobligedtoyouforyourlong，mostinteresting，andclearletter，andtheReport。Iwillconsideryourarguments，whichareofthegreatestweight，butIconfessIcannotyetbringmyselftorejectveryWELL—KNOWNnames，notinONEcountry，butovertheworld，forobscureones，——simplyonthegroundthatIdonotbelieveIshouldbefollowed。
　　PraybelievethatIshouldbreakthelawofpriorityonlyinrarecases;
　　willyoureadtheenclosed（andreturnit），andtellmewhetheritdoesnotstaggeryou？（N。B。IPROMISEthatIwillnotgiveyouanymoretrouble。）
　　Iwantsimpleanswers，andnotforyoutowasteyourtimeinreasons;IamcuriousforyouranswerinregardtoBalanus。IputthecaseofOtion，etc。，toW。Thompson，whoisfierceforthelawofpriority，andhegaveitupinsuchwell—knownnames。Iaminaperfectmazeofdoubtonnomenclature。InnotonelargegenusofCirripediahasANYONEspeciesbeencorrectlydefined;itispureguesswork（beingguidedbyrangeandcommonnessandhabits）torecogniseanyspecies:thusIcanmakeout，fromplatesordescriptions，hardlyanyoftheBritishsessilecirripedes。I
　　cannotbeartogivenewnamestoallthespecies，andyetIshallperhapsdowrongtoattacholdnamesbylittlebetterthanguess;IcannotatpresenttelltheleastwhichoftwospeciesallwritershavemeantbythecommonAnatiferalaevis;Ihave，therefore，giventhatnametotheonewhichisratherthecommonest。Literally，notonespeciesisproperlydefined;notonenaturalisthasevertakenthetroubletoopentheshellofanyspeciestodescribeitscientifically，andyetallthegenerahavehalf—a—dozensynonyms。ForARGUMENT’Ssake，supposeIdomyworkthoroughlywell，anyonewhohappenstohavetheoriginalspecimensnamed，IwillsaybyChenu，whohasfiguredandnamedhundredsofspecies，willbeabletoupsetallmynamesaccordingtothelawofpriority（forhemaymaintainhisdescriptionsaresufficient），doyouthinkitadvantageoustosciencethatthisshouldbedone:Ithinknot，andthatconvenienceandhighmerit（hereputasmereargument）hadbettercomeintosomeplay。Thesubjectisheart—breaking。
　　Ihopeyouwilloccasionallyturninyourmindmyargumentoftheevildonebythe"mihi"attachedtospecificnames;IcanmostclearlyseetheEXCESSIVEevilithascaused;inmineralogyIhavemyselffoundthereisnoragetomerelyname;apersondoesnottakeupthesubjectwithoutheintendstoworkitout，asheknowsthathisONLYclaimtomeritrestsonhisworkbeingablydone，andhasnorelationwhatevertoNAMING。Igiveuponepoint，andgrantthatreferencetofirstdescriber’snameshouldbegiveninallsystematicworks，butIthinksomethingwouldbegainedifareferencewasgivenwithouttheauthor’snamebeingactuallyappendedaspartofthebinomialname，andIthink，exceptinsystematicworks，areference，suchasIpropose，woulddampvanitymuch。IthinkaverywrongspiritrunsthroughallNaturalHistory，asifsomemeritwasduetoamanformerelynaminganddefiningaspecies;Ithinkscarcelyany，ornone，isdue;ifheworksoutMINUTELYandanatomicallyanyonespecies，orsystematicallyawholegroup，creditisdue，butImustthinkthemeredefiningaspeciesisnothing，andthatnoINJUSTICEisdonehimifitbeoverlooked，thoughagreatinconveniencetoNaturalHistoryisthuscaused。
　　Idonotthinkmorecreditisduetoamanfordefiningaspecies，thantoacarpenterformakingabox。ButIamfoolishandrabidagainstspecies—
　　mongers，orratheragainsttheirvanity;itisusefulandnecessaryworkwhichmustbedone;buttheyactasiftheyhadactuallymadethespecies，anditwastheirownproperty。
　　IuseAgassiz’snomenclator;atleasttwo—thirdsofthedatesintheCirripediaaregrosslywrong。
　　IshalldowhatIcaninfossilCirripedia，andshouldbeverygratefulforspecimens;butIdonotbelievethatspecies（andhardlygenera）canbedefinedbysinglevalves;asineveryrecentspeciesyetexaminedtheirformsvarygreatly:todescribeaspeciesbyvalvesalone，isthesameastodescribeacrabfromSMALLportionsofitscarapacealone，theseportionsbeinghighlyvariable，andnot，asinCrustacea，modelledoverviscera。IsincerelyapologiseforthetroublewhichIhavegivenyou，butindeedIwillgivenomore。
　　Yoursmostsincerely，C。DARWIN。
　　P。S。——InconversationIfoundOwenandAndrewSmithmuchinclinedtothrowoverthepracticeofattachingauthors’names;IbelieveifIagitatedI
　　couldgetalargepartytojoin。W。Thompsonagreedsomewaywithme，butwasnotpreparedtogonearlyasfarasIam。
　　CHARLESDARWINTOHUGHSTRICKLAND。
　　Down，February10th[1849]。
　　MydearStrickland，Ihaveagaintothankyoucordiallyforyourletter。Yourremarksshallfructifytosomeextent，andIwilltrytobemorefaithfultorigidvirtueandpriority;butasforcallingBalanus"Lepas"（whichIdidnotthinkof），Icannotdoit，mypenwon’twriteit——itisIMPOSSIBLE。Ihavegreathopessomeofmydifficultieswilldisappear，owingtowrongdatesinAgassiz，andtomyhavingtorunseveralgeneraintoone，forIhaveasyetgone，inbutfewcases，tooriginalsources。WithrespecttoadoptingmyownnotionsinmyCirripediabook，IshouldnotliketodosowithoutI
　　foundothersapproved，andinsomepublicway，——nor，indeed，isitwelladapted，asIcanneverrecogniseaspecieswithoutIhavetheoriginalspecimen，which，fortunately，IhaveinmanycasesintheBritishMuseum。
　　ThusfarImeantoadoptmynotion，asneverputtingmihior"Darwin"aftermyownspecies，andintheanatomicaltextgivingnoauthors’namesatall，asthesystematicPartwillserveforthosewhowanttoknowtheHistoryofaspeciesasfarasIcanimperfectlyworkitout……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
　　[TheLodge，Malvern，March28th，1849。]
　　MydearHooker，Yourletterofthe13thofOctoberhasremainedunansweredtillthisday！
　　Whatanungratefulreturnforaletterwhichinterestedmesomuch，andwhichcontainedsomuchandcuriousinformation。ButIhavehadabadwinter。
　　Onthe13thofNovember，mypoordearfatherdied，andnoonewhodidnotknowhimwouldbelievethatamanaboveeighty—threeyearsoldcouldhaveretainedsotenderandaffectionateadisposition，withallhissagacityuncloudedtothelast。Iwasatthetimesounwell，thatIwasunabletotravel，whichaddedtomymisery。Indeed，allthiswinterIhavebeenbadenough……andmynervoussystembegantobeaffected，sothatmyhandstrembled，andheadwasoftenswimming。Iwasnotabletodoanythingonedayoutofthree，andwasaltogethertoodispiritedtowritetoyou，ortodoanythingbutwhatIwascompelled。IthoughtIwasrapidlygoingthewayofallflesh。Havingheard，accidentally，oftwopersonswhohadreceivedmuchbenefitfromthewater—cure，IgotDr。Gully’sbook，andmadefurtherenquiries，andatlaststartedhere，withwife，children，andallourservants。Wehavetakenahousefortwomonths，andhavebeenhereafortnight。Iamalreadyalittlestronger……Dr。Gullyfeelsprettysurehecandomegood，whichmostcertainlytheregulardoctorscouldnot……Ifeelcertainthatthewater—cureisnoquackery。
　　HowIshallenjoygettingbacktoDownwithrenovatedhealth，ifsuchistobemygoodfortune，andresumingthebelovedBarnacles。NowIhopethatyouwillforgivemeformynegligenceinnothavingsooneransweredyourletter。Iwasuncommonlyinterestedbythesketchyougiveofyourintendedgrandexpedition，fromwhichIsupposeyouwillsoonbereturning。
　　HowearnestlyIhopethatitmayproveineverywaysuccessful……
　　[WhenmyfatherwasattheWater—cureEstablishmentatMalvernhewasbroughtintocontactwithclairvoyance，ofwhichhewritesinthefollowingextractfromalettertoFox，September，1850。
　　"YouspeakaboutHomoeopathy，whichisasubjectwhichmakesmemorewrath，eventhandoesClairvoyance。Clairvoyancesotranscendsbelief，thatone’sordinaryfacultiesareputoutofthequestion，butinhomoeopathycommonsenseandcommonobservationcomeintoplay，andboththesemustgotothedogs，iftheinfinitesimaldoseshaveanyeffectwhatever。HowtrueisaremarkIsawtheotherdaybyQuetelet，inrespecttoevidenceofcurativeprocesses，viz。，thatnooneknowsindiseasewhatisthesimpleresultofnothingbeingdone，asastandardwithwhichtocomparehomoeopathy，andallothersuchthings。Itisasadflaw，Icannotbutthink，inmybelovedDr。Gully，thathebelievesineverything。WhenMiss——wasveryill，hehadaclairvoyantgirltoreportoninternalchanges，amesmeristtoputhertosleep——anhomoeopathist，viz。Dr。——，andhimselfashydropathist！
　　andthegirlrecovered。"
　　ApassageoutofanearlierlettertoFox（December，1884）showsthathewasequallyscepticalonthesubjectofmesmerism:"Withrespecttomesmerism，thewholecountryresoundswithwonderfulfactsortales……Ihavejustheardofachild，threeorfouryearsold（whoseparentsandselfI
　　wellknew）mesmerisedbyhisfather，whichisthefirstfactwhichhasstaggeredme。IshallnotbelievefullytillIseeorhearfromgoodevidenceofanimals（ashasbeenstatedispossible）notdrugged，beingputtostupor;ofcoursetheimpossibilitywouldnotprovemesmerismfalse;butitistheonlyclearexperimentumcrucis，andIamastonishedithasnotbeensystematicallytried。Ifmesmerismwasinvestigated，likeascience，thiscouldnothavebeenlefttillthepresentdaytobeDONE
　　SATISFACTORILY，asithasbeenIbelieveleft。Keepsomecatsyourself，anddogetsomemesmerisertoattemptit。Onemantoldmehehadsucceeded，buthisexperimentsweremostvague，andaswaslikelyfromamanwhosaidcatsweremoreeasilydonethanotheranimals，becausetheyweresoelectrical！"]
　　CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
　　Down，December4th[1849]。
　　MydearLyell，Thisletterrequiresnoanswer，andIwritefromexuberanceofvanity。
　　DanahassentmetheGeologyoftheUnitedStatesExpedition，andIhavejustreadtheCoralpart。Tobeginwithamodestspeech，IAMASTONISHED
　　ATMYOWNACCURACY！！IfIweretorewritenowmyCoralbookthereishardlyasentenceIshouldhavetoalter，exceptthatIoughttohaveattributedmoreeffecttorecentvolcanicactionincheckinggrowthofcoral。WhenIsayallthisIoughttoaddthattheCONSEQUENCESofthetheoryonareasofsubsidencearetreatedinaseparatechaptertowhichI
　　havenotcome，andinthis，Isuspect，weshalldiffermore。DanatalksofagreeingwithmytheoryINMOSTPOINTS;Icanfindoutnotoneinwhichhediffers。ConsideringhowinfinitelymorehesawofCoralReefsthanIdid，thisiswonderfullysatisfactorytome。Hetreatsmemostcourteously。
　　Therenow，myvanityisprettywellsatisfied……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
　　Malvern，April9th，1849。
　　MydearHooker，Theverynextmorningafterpostingmylastletter（Ithinkon23rdofMarch），Ireceivedyourtwointerestinggossipaceousandgeologicalletters;andthelatterIhavesinceexchangedwithLyellforhis。Iwillwritehigglety—piggletyjustassubjectsoccur。IsawtheReviewinthe’Athenaeum，’itwaswritteninanill—naturedspirit;butthewholevirusconsistedinsayingthattherewasnotnoveltyenoughinyourremarksforpublication。Noone，nowadays，caresforreviews。ImayjustmentionthatmyJournalgotsomeREALGOODabuse，"presumption，"etc。，——endedwithsayingthatthevolumeappeared"madeupofthescrapsandrubbishoftheauthor’sportfolio。"Imosttrulyenterintowhatyousay，andquitebelieveyouthatyoucareonlyforthereviewwithrespecttoyourfather;
　　andthatthisALONEwouldmakeyouliketoseeextractsfromyourlettersmoreproperlynoticedinthissameperiodical。Ihaveconsideredtotheverybestofmyjudgmentwhetheranyportionofyourpresentlettersareadaptedforthe’Athenaeum’（inwhichIhavenointerest;thebeastsnothavingevenNOTICEDmythreegeologicalvolumeswhichIhadsenttothem），andIhavecometotheconclusionitisbetternottosendthem。Ifeelsure，consideringallthecircumstances，thatwithoutyoutookpainsandwroteWITHCARE，acondensedandfinishedsketchofsomestrikingfeatureinyourtravels，itisbetternottosendanything。Thesetwolettersare，moreover，rathertoogeologicalforthe’Athenaeum，’andalmostrequirewoodcuts。Ontheotherhand，therearehardlyenoughdetailsforacommunicationtotheGeologicalSociety。IhavenottheSMALLESTDOUBT
　　thatyourfactsareofthehighestinterestwithregardtoglacialactionintheHimalaya;butitstruckbothLyellandmyselfthatyourevidenceoughttohavebeengivenmoredistinctly……
　　IhavewrittensolatelythatIhavenothingtosayaboutmyself;myhealthpreventedmegoingonwithacrusadeagainst"mihi"and"nobis，"ofwhichyouwarnmeofthedangers。IshowedmypapertothreeorfourNaturalists，andtheyallagreedwithmetoacertainextent:withhealthandvigour，Iwouldnothaveshownawhitefeather，[and]withaidofhalf—
　　a—dozenreallygoodNaturalists，Ibelievesomethingmighthavebeendoneagainstthemiserableanddegradingpassionofmerespeciesnaming。Inyourletteryouwonderwhat"OrnamentalPoultry"hastodowithBarnacles;
　　butdonotflatteryourselfthatIshallnotyetlivetofinishtheBarnacles，andthenmakeafoolofmyselfonthesubjectofspecies，underwhichheadornamentalPoultryareveryinteresting……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
　　TheLodge，Malvern[June，1849]……Ihavegotyourbook（’ASecondVisittotheUnitedStates。’），andhavereadallthefirstandasmallpartofthesecondvolume（readingisthehardestworkallowedhere），andgreatlyIhavebeeninterestedbyit。ItmakesmelongtobeaYankee。E。desiresmetosaythatshequite"gloated"overthetruthofyourremarksonreligiousprogress……Idelighttothinkhowyouwilldisgustsomeofthebigotsandeducationaldons。AsyettherehasnotbeenMUCHGeologyorNaturalHistory，forwhichIhopeyoufeelalittleashamed。Yourremarksonallsocialsubjectsstrikemeasworthyoftheauthorofthe’Principles。’Andyet（Iknowitisprejudiceandpride）ifIhadwrittenthePrinciples，Ineverwouldhavewrittenanytravels;butIbelieveIammorejealousaboutthehonourandgloryofthePrinciplesthanyouareyourself……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
　　September14th，1849……Igoonwithmyaqueousprocesses，andverysteadilybutslowlygainhealthandstrength。Againstallrules，IdinedatCheveningwithLordMahon，whodidmethegreathonourofcallingonme，andhowheheardofmeIcan’tguess。IwascharmedwithLadyMahon，andanyonemighthavebeenproudatthepiecesofagreeablenesswhichcamefromherbeautifullipswithrespecttoyou。IlikeoldLordStanhopeverymuch;thoughheabusedGeologyandZoologyheartily。"TosupposethattheOmnipotentGodmadeaworld，founditafailure，andbrokeitup，andthenmadeitagain，andagainbrokeitup，astheGeologistssay，isallfiddlefaddle。DescribingSpeciesofbirdsandshells，etc。，isallfiddlefaddle……"
　　IamheartilygladweshallmeetatBirmingham，asItrustweshall，ifmyhealthwillbutkeepup。IworknoweverydayattheCirripediafor21/2
　　hours，andsogetonalittle，butveryslowly。Isometimes，afterbeingawholeweekemployedandhavingdescribedperhapsonlytwospecies，agreementallywithLordStanhope，thatitisallfiddlefaddle;however，theotherdayIgotacuriouscaseofaunisexual，insteadofhermaphroditecirripede，inwhichthefemalehadthecommoncirripedialcharacter，andintwovalvesofhershellhadtwolittlepockets，inEACHofwhichshekeptalittlehusband;Idonotknowofanyothercasewhereafemaleinvariablyhastwohusbands。Ihaveonestillodderfact，commontoseveralspecies，namely，thatthoughtheyarehermaphrodite，theyhavesmalladditional，orasIshallcallthem，complementalmales，onespecimenitselfhermaphroditehadnolessthanSEVEN，ofthesecomplementalmalesattachedtoit。TrulytheschemesandwondersofNatureareillimitable。ButIamrunningonasbadlyaboutmycirripediaasaboutGeology;itmakesmegroantothinkthatprobablyIshallneveragainhavetheexquisitepleasureofmakingoutsomenewdistrict，ofevolvinggeologicallightoutofsometroubleddarkregion。SoImustmakethebestofmyCirripedia……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
　　Down，October12th，1849……Bytheway，oneofthepleasantestpartsoftheBritishAssociationwasmyjourneydowntoBirminghamwithMrs。Sabine，Mrs。Reeve，andtheColonel;alsoCol。SykesandPorter。Mrs。Sabineandmyselfagreedwonderfullyonmanypoints，andinnonemoresincerelythanaboutyou。WespokeaboutyourlettersfromtheErebus;andshequiteagreedwithme，thatyouandtheAUTHOR（SirJ。HookerwrotethespiriteddescriptionofcattlehuntinginSirJ。Ross’s’VoyageofDiscoveryintheSouthernRegions，’1847，vol。ii。，page245。），ofthedescriptionofthecattlehuntingintheFalklands，wouldhavemadeacapitalbooktogether！Averynicewomansheis，andsoishersharpandsagaciousmother……BirminghamwasveryflatcomparedtoOxford，thoughIhadmywifewithme。WesawagooddealoftheLyellsandHornersandRobinsons（thePresident）;buttheplacewasdismal，andIwasprevented，bybeingunwell，fromgoingtoWarwick，thoughthat，i。e。，theparty，byallaccounts，waswonderfullyinferiortoBlenheim，nottosayanythingofthatheavenlydayatDropmore。
　　Onegetswearyofallthespouting……
　　Youaskaboutmycold—watercure;Iamgoingonverywell，andamcertainlyalittlebettereverymonth，mynightsmendmuchslowerthanmydays。I
　　havebuiltadouche，andamtogoonthroughallthewinter，frostornofrost。Mytreatmentnowislampfivetimesperweek，andshallowbathforfiveminutesafterwards;douchedailyforfiveminutes，anddrippingsheetdaily。Thetreatmentiswonderfullytonic，andIhavehadmorebetterconsecutivedaysthismonththanonanypreviousones……Iamallowedtoworknowtwoandahalfhoursdaily，andIfinditasmuchasIcando，forthecold—watercure，togetherwiththreeshortwalks，iscuriouslyexhausting;andIamactuallyFORCEDtogotobedateighto’clockcompletelytired。Isteadilygaininweight，andeatimmensely，andamneveroppressedwithmyfood。Ihavelosttheinvoluntarytwitchingofthemuscle，andallthefaintingfeelings，etc——blackspotsbeforeeyes，etc。
　　Dr。Gullythinksheshallquitecuremeinsixorninemonthsmore。
　　Thegreatestbore，whichIfindinthewater—cure，isthehavingbeencompelledtogiveupallreading，exceptthenewspapers;formydailytwoandahalfhoursattheBarnaclesisfullyasmuchasIcandoofanythingwhichoccupiesthemind;Iamconsequentlyterriblybehindinallscientificbooks。Ihaveoflatebeenatworkatmerespeciesdescribing，whichismuchmoredifficultthanIexpected，andhasmuchthesamesortofinterestasapuzzlehas;butIconfessIoftenfeelweariedwiththework，andcannothelpsometimesaskingmyselfwhatisthegoodofspendingaweekorfortnightinascertainingthatcertainjustperceptibledifferencesblendtogetherandconstitutevarietiesandnotspecies。AslongasIamonanatomyIneverfeelmyselfinthatdisgusting，horrid，cuibono，inquiring，humour。Whatmiserablework，again，itissearchingforpriorityofnames。Ihavejustfinishedtwospecies，whichpossesssevengeneric，andtwenty—fourspecificnames！Mychiefcomfortis，thattheworkmustbesometimedone，andImayaswelldoit，asanyoneelse。
　　Ihavegivenupmyagitationagainstmihiandnobis;mypaperistoolongtosendtoyou，soyoumustseeit，ifyoucaretodoso，onyourreturn。
　　By—the—way，yousayinyourletterthatyoucaremoreformyspeciesworkthanfortheBarnacles;nowthisistoobadofyou，forIdeclareyourdecidedapprovalofmyplainBarnacleworkovertheoreticspecieswork，hadverygreatinfluenceindecidingmetogoonwiththeformer，anddefermyspeciespaper……
　　[Thefollowingletterreferstothedeathofhislittledaughter，whichtookplaceatMalvernonApril24，1851:]
　　CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
　　Down，April29th[1851]。
　　MydearFox，Idonotsupposeyouwillhaveheardofourbitterandcruelloss。PoordearlittleAnnie，whengoingonverywellatMalvern，wastakenwithavomitingattack，whichwasatfirstthoughtofthesmallestimportance;butitrapidlyassumedtheformofalowanddreadfulfever，whichcarriedheroffintendays。ThankGod，shesufferedhardlyatall，andexpiredastranquillyasalittleangel。Ouronlyconsolationisthatshepassedashort，thoughjoyouslife。Shewasmyfavouritechild;hercordiality，openness，buoyantjoyousnessandstrongaffectionsmadehermostlovable。
　　Poordearlittlesoul。Wellitisallover……
　　CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
　　Down，March7th[1852]。
　　MydearFox，Itisindeedanagesincewehavehadanycommunication，andverygladI
　　wastoreceiveyournote。Ourlongsilenceoccurredtomeafewweekssince，andIhadthenthoughtofwriting，butwasidle。IcongratulateandcondolewithyouonyourTENTHchild;butpleasetoobservewhenIhaveatenth，sendonlycondolencestome。Wehavenowsevenchildren，allwell，thankGod，aswellastheirmother;oftheseseven，fiveareboys;andmyfatherusedtosaythatitwascertainthataboygaveasmuchtroubleasthreegirls;sothatbonafidewehaveseventeenchildren。ItmakesmesickwheneverIthinkofprofessions;allseemhopelesslybad，andasyetI
　　cannotseearayoflight。Ishouldverymuchliketotalkoverthis（bytheway，mythreebugbearsareCalifornianandAustraliangold，beggaringmebymakingmymoneyonmortgageworthnothing;theFrenchcomingbytheWesterhamandSevenoaksroads，andthereforeenclosingDown;andthirdly，professionsformyboys），andIshouldliketotalkabouteducation，onwhichyouaskmewhatwearedoing。NoonecanmoretrulydespisetheoldstereotypedstupidclassicaleducationthanIdo;butyetIhavenothadcouragetobreakthroughthetrammels。AftermanydoubtswehavejustsentoureldestboytoRugby，whereforhisagehehasbeenverywellplaced……I
　　honour，admire，andenvyyouforeducatingyourboysathome。Whatonearthshallyoudowithyourboys？TowardstheendofthismonthwegotoseeW。atRugby，andthenceforfiveorsixdaystoSusan（Hissister。）atShrewsbury;Ithenreturnhometolookafterthebabies，andE。goestoF。
　　Wedgwood’sofEtruriaforaweek。VerymanythanksforyourmostkindandlargeinvitationtoDelamere，butIfearwecanhardlycompassit。Idreadgoinganywhere，onaccountofmystomachsoeasilyfailingunderanyexcitement。IrarelyevennowgotoLondon;notthatIamatallworse，perhapsratherbetter，andleadaverycomfortablelifewithmythreehoursofdailywork，butitisthelifeofahermit。MynightsareALWAYSbad，andthatstopsmybecomingvigorous。Youaskaboutwater—cure。Itakeatintervalsoftwoorthreemonths，fiveorsixweeksofMODERATELYseveretreatment，andalwayswithgoodeffect。Doyoucomehere，Iprayandbegwheneveryoucanfindtime;youcannottellhowmuchpleasureitwouldgivemeandE。Ihavefinishedthe1stvolumefortheRaySocietyofPedunculatedCirripedes，which，asIthinkyouareamember，youwillsoonget。ReadwhatIdescribeonthesexesofIblaandScalpellum。IamnowatworkontheSessileCirripedes，andamwonderfullytiredofmyjob:amantobeasystematicnaturalistoughttoworkatleasteighthoursperday。Yousawthroughme，whenyousaidthatImusthavewishedtohaveseentheeffectsofthe[wordillegible]Debacle，forIwassayingaweekagotoE。，thathadIbeenasIwasinolddays，Iwouldhavebeencertainlyoffthathour。YouaskafterErasmus;heismuchasusual，andconstantlymoreorlessunwell。Susan（Hissister。）ismuchbetter，andveryflourishingandhappy。Catherine（Anothersister。）isatRome，andhasenjoyeditinadegreethatisquiteastonishingtomydryoldbones。
　　AndnowIthinkIhavetoldyouenough，andmorethanenoughaboutthehouseofDarwin;somydearoldfriend，farewell。WhatpleasanttimeswehadindrinkingcoffeeinyourroomsatChrist’sCollege，andthinkofthegloriesofCruxmajor。（ThebeetlePanagaeuscrux—major。）Ah，inthosedaystherewerenoprofessionsforsons，noill—healthtofearforthem，noCaliforniangold，noFrenchinvasions。Howparamountthefutureistothepresentwhenoneissurroundedbychildren。Mydreadishereditaryill—
　　health。Evendeathisbetterforthem。
　　MydearFox，yoursincerefriend，C。DARWIN。
　　P。S。——SusanhaslatelybeenworkinginawaywhichIthinktrulyheroicaboutthescandalousviolationoftheActagainstchildrenclimbingchimneys。WehavesetupalittleSocietyinShrewsburytoprosecutethosewhobreakthelaw。ItisallSusan’sdoing。ShehashadverynicelettersfromLordShaftesburyandtheDukeofSutherland，butthebrutalShropshiresquiresareashardasstonestomove。TheActoutofLondonseemsmostcommonlyviolated。Itmakesoneshuddertofancyoneofone’sownchildrenatsevenyearsoldbeingforcedupachimney——tosaynothingoftheconsequentloathsomediseaseandulceratedlimbs，anduttermoraldegradation。Ifyouthinkstronglyonthissubject，domakesomeinquiries;addtoyourmanygoodworks，thisotherone，andtrytostirupthemagistrates。ThereareseveralpeoplemakingastirindifferentpartsofEnglandonthissubject。Itisnotverylikelythatyouwouldwishforsuch，butIcouldsendyousomeessaysandinformationifyousoliked，eitherforyourselfortogiveaway。
　　CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
　　Down[October24th，1852]。
　　MydearFox，Ireceivedyourlongandmostwelcomeletterthismorning，andwillansweritthisevening，asIshallbeverybusywithanartist，drawingCirripedia，andmuchoverworkedforthenextfortnight。Butfirstyoudeservetobewellabused——andprayconsideryourselfwellabused——forthinkingorwritingthatIcouldforoneminutebeboredbyanyamountofdetailaboutyourselfandbelongings。ItisjustwhatIlikehearing;
　　believemethatIoftenthinkofolddaysspentwithyou，andsometimescanhardlybelievewhatajollycarelessindividualonewasinthoseolddays。
　　AbrightautumneveningoftenbringstomindsomeshootingexcursionfromOsmaston。Idoindeedregretthatwelivesofaroffeachother，andthatIamsolittlelocomotive。Ihavebeenunusuallywelloflate（nowater—
　　cure），butIdonotfindthatIcanstandanychangebetterthanformerly……TheotherdayIwenttoLondonandback，andthefatigue，thoughsotrifling，broughtonmybadformofvomiting。Igrievetohearthatyourchesthasbeenailing，andmostsincerelydoIhopethatitisonlythemuscles;howfrequentlythevoicefailswiththeclergy。Icanwellunderstandyourreluctancetobreakupyourlargeandhappypartyandgoabroad;butyourlifeisveryvaluable，soyououghttobeverycautiousingoodtime。Youaskaboutallofus，nowfiveboys（oh！theprofessions;