istheplainexpressionofthefact;’naturalselection’isametaphoricalexpressionofit,andtoacertaindegreeindirectandincorrect,since……Nature……doesnotsomuchselectspecialvarietiesasexterminatethemostunfavourableones。")This,however,hadnotoccurredtometillreadingyourletter。Itis,however,agreatobjectiontothistermthatitcannotbeusedasasubstantivegoverningaverb;andthatthisisarealobjectionIinferfromH。Spencercontinuallyusingthewords,naturalselection。Iformerlythought,probablyinanexaggerateddegree,thatitwasagreatadvantagetobringintoconnectionnaturalandartificialselection;thisindeedledmetouseatermincommon,andIstillthinkitsomeadvantage。IwishIhadreceivedyourlettertwomonthsago,forI
wouldhaveworkedin"thesurvival,etc。,"oftenintheneweditionofthe’Origin,’whichisnowalmostprintedoff,andofwhichIwillofcoursesendyouacopy。IwillusetheterminmynextbookonDomesticAnimals,etc。,fromwhich,bytheway,IplainlyseethatyouexpectMUCH,toomuch。
ThetermNaturalSelectionhasnowbeensolargelyusedabroadandathome,thatIdoubtwhetheritcouldbegivenup,andwithallitsfaultsIshouldbesorrytoseetheattemptmade。Whetheritwillberejectedmustnowdepend"onthesurvivalofthefittest。"Asintimethetermmustgrowintelligibletheobjectionstoitsusewillgrowweakerandweaker。I
doubtwhethertheuseofanytermwouldhavemadethesubjectintelligibletosomeminds,clearasitistoothers;fordowenotseeeventothepresentdayMalthusonPopulationabsurdlymisunderstood?ThisreflectionaboutMalthushasoftencomfortedmewhenIhavebeenvexedatthemisstatementofmyviews。AsforM。Janet(ThisnodoubtreferstoJanet’s’MaterialismeContemporain。’),heisametaphysician,andsuchgentlemenaresoacutethatIthinktheyoftenmisunderstandcommonfolk。Yourcriticismonthedoublesense("Ifindyouuse’NaturalSelection’intwosenses。1st,forthesimplepreservationoffavourableandrejectionofunfavourablevariations,inwhichcaseitisequivalenttothe’survivalofthefittest,’——and2ndly,fortheeffectorCHANGEproducedbythispreservation。"ExtractfromMr。Wallace’sletterabovequoted。)inwhichI
haveusedNaturalSelectionisnewtomeandunanswerable;butmyblunderhasdonenoharm,forIdonotbelievethatanyone,exceptingyou,haseverobservedit。Again,IagreethatIhavesaidtoomuchabout"favourablevariations;"butIaminclinedtothinkthatyouputtheoppositesidetoostrongly;ifeverypartofeverybeingvaried,Idonotthinkweshouldseethesameend,orobject,gainedbysuchwonderfullydiversifiedmeans。
Ihopeyouareenjoyingthecountry,andareingoodhealth,andareworkinghardatyourMalayArchipelagobook,forIwillalwaysputthiswishineverynoteIwritetoyou,likesomegoodpeoplealwaysputinatext。Myhealthkeepsmuchthesame,orratherimproves,andIamabletoworksomehoursdaily。Withmanythanksforyourinterestingletter。
Believeme,mydearWallace,yourssincerely,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,August30[1866]。
MydearHooker,IwasverygladtogetyournoteandtheNotts。Newspaper。Ihaveseldombeenmorepleasedinmylifethanathearinghowsuccessfullyyourlecture(AttheNottinghammeetingoftheBritishAssociation,August27,1866。
Thesubjectofthelecturewas’InsularFloras。’See"Gardeners’
Chronicle",1866。)wentoff。Mrs。H。Wedgwoodsentusanaccount,sayingthatyoureadcapitally,andwerelistenedtowithprofoundattentionandgreatapplause。Shesays,whenyourfinalallegory(SirJosephHookerallegorizedtheOxfordmeetingoftheBritishAssociationasthegatheringofatribeofsavageswhobelievedthatthenewmoonwascreatedafresheachmonth。Theangerofthepriestsandmedicinemanatacertainheresy,accordingtowhichthenewmoonisbuttheoffspringoftheoldone,isexcellentlygiven。)began,"foraminuteortwowewereallmystified,andthencamesuchburstsofapplausefromtheaudience。Itwasthoroughlyenjoyedamidroarsoflaughterandnoise,makingamostbrilliantconclusion。"
Iamrejoicedthatyouwillpublishyourlecture,andfeltsurethatsoonerorlateritwouldcometothis,indeeditwouldhavebeenasinifyouhadnotdoneso。Iamespeciallyrejoicedasyougivetheargumentsforoccasionaltransport,withsuchperfectfairness;thesewillnowreceiveafairshareofattention,ascomingfromyouaprofessedbotanist。ThanksalsoforGrove’saddress;asawholeitstrikesmeasverygoodandoriginal,butIwasdisappointedinthepartaboutSpecies;itdealtinsuchgeneralitiesthatitwouldapplytoanyviewornoviewinparticular……
Andnowfarewell。Idomostheartilyrejoiceatyoursuccess,andforGrove’ssakeatthebrilliantsuccessofthewholemeeting。
Yoursaffectionately,CHARLESDARWIN。
[Thenextletterisofinterest,asgivingthebeginningoftheconnectionwhicharosebetweenmyfatherandProfessorVictorCarus。ThetranslationreferredtoisthethirdGermaneditionmadefromthefourthEnglishone。
FromthistimeforwardProfessorCaruscontinuedtotranslatemyfather’sbooksintoGerman。Theconscientiouscarewithwhichthisworkwasdonewasofmaterialservice,andIwellremembertheadmiration(mingledwithatingeofvexationathisownshort—comings)withwhichmyfatherusedtoreceivethelistsofoversights,etc。,whichProfessorCarusdiscoveredinthecourseoftranslation。Theconnectionwasnotamerebusinessone,butwascementedbywarmfeelingsofregardonbothsides。]
CHARLESDARWINTOVICTORCARUS。
Down,November10,1866。
MydearSir,Ithankyouforyourextremelykindletter。Icannotexpresstoostronglymysatisfactionthatyouhaveundertakentherevisionofthenewedition,andIfeelthehonourwhichyouhaveconferredonme。Ifearthatyouwillfindthelabourconsiderable,notonlyonaccountoftheadditions,butI
suspectthatBronn’stranslationisverydefective,atleastIhaveheardcomplaintsonthisheadfromquitealargenumberofpersons。Itwouldbeagreatgratificationtometoknowthatthetranslationwasareallygoodone,suchasIhavenodoubtyouwillproduce。AccordingtoourEnglishpractice,youwillbefullyjustifiedinentirelyomittingBronn’sAppendix,andIshallbeverygladofitsomission。Aneweditionmaybelookedatasanewwork……Youcouldaddanythingofyourownthatyouliked,andIshouldbemuchpleased。Shouldyoumakeanyadditionsorappendnotes,itappearstomethatNageli"EntstehungundBegriff,"etc。
(’EntstehungundBegriffderNaturhistorischenArt。’Anaddressgivenatapublicmeetingofthe’R。AcademyofSciences’atMunich,March28,1865。),wouldbeworthnoticing,asoneofthemostablepamphletsonthesubject。
Iam,however,farfromagreeingwithhimthattheacquisitionofcertaincharacterswhichappeartobeofnoservicetoplants,offersanygreatdifficulty,oraffordsaproofofsomeinnatetendencyinplantstowardsperfection。Ifyouintendtonoticethispamphlet,Ishouldliketowritehereafteralittlemoreindetailonthesubject……IwishIhadknownwhenwritingmyHistoricalSketchthatyouhadin1853publishedyourviewsonthegenealogicalconnectionofpastandpresentforms。
IsupposeyouhavethesheetsofthelastEnglisheditiononwhichImarkedwithpencilallthechiefadditions,butmanylittlecorrectionsofstylewerenotmarked。
PraybelievethatIfeelsincerelygratefulforthegreatserviceandhonourwhichyoudomebythepresenttranslation。
Iremain,mydearSir,yoursverysincerely,CHARLESDARWIN。
P。S。——IshouldbeVERYMUCHpleasedtopossessyourphotograph,andIsendmineincaseyoushouldliketohaveacopy。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。NAGELI。(ProfessorofBotanyatMunich。)
Down,June12[1866]。
DearSir,IhopeyouwillexcusethelibertywhichItakeinwritingtoyou。Ihavejustread,thoughimperfectly,your’EntstehungundBegriff,’andhavebeensogreatlyinterestedbyit,thatIhavesentittobetranslated,asIamapoorGermanscholar。Ihavejustfinishedanew[4th]editionofmy’Origin,’whichwillbetranslatedintoGerman,andmyobjectinwritingtoyouistosaythatifyoushouldseethiseditionyouwouldthinkthatI
hadborrowedfromyou,withoutacknowledgment,twodiscussionsonthebeautyofflowersandfruit;butIassureyoueverywordwasprintedoffbeforeIhadopenedyourpamphlet。ShouldyouliketopossessacopyofeithertheGermanorEnglishnewedition,Ishouldbeproudtosendone。I
mayadd,withrespecttothebeautyofflowers,thatIhavealreadyhintedthesameviewsasyouholdinmypaperonLythrum。
ManyofyourcriticismsonmyviewsarethebestwhichIhavemetwith,butIcouldanswersome,atleasttomyownsatisfaction;andIregretextremelythatIhadnotreadyourpamphletbeforeprintingmynewedition。
Ononeortwopoints,Ithink,youhavealittlemisunderstoodme,thoughI
daresayIhavenotbeencautiousinexpressingmyself。Theremarkwhichhasstruckmemost,isthatonthepositionoftheleavesnothavingbeenacquiredthroughnaturalselection,fromnotbeingofanyspecialimportancetotheplant。Iwellrememberbeingformerlytroubledbyananalogousdifficulty,namely,thepositionoftheovules,theiranatropouscondition,etc。ItwasowingtoforgetfulnessthatIdidnotnoticethisdifficultyinthe’Origin。’(Nageli’sEssayisnoticedinthe5thedition。)AlthoughIcanoffernoexplanationofsuchfacts,andonlyhopetoseethattheymaybeexplained,yetIhardlyseehowtheysupportthedoctrineofsomelawofnecessarydevelopment,foritisnotcleartomethataplant,withitsleavesplacedatsomeparticularangle,orwithitsovulesinsomeparticularposition,thusstandshigherthananotherplant。
ButImustapologisefortroublingyouwiththeseremarks。
AsImuchwishtopossessyourphotograph,Itakethelibertyofenclosingmyown,andwithsincererespectIremain,dearSir,Yoursfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。
[Igiveafewextractsfromlettersofvariousdatesshowingmyfather’sinterest,alludedtointhelastletter,intheproblemofthearrangementoftheleavesonthestemsofplants。ItmaybeaddedthatProfessorSchwendenerofBerlinhassuccessfullyattackedthequestioninhis’MechanischeTheoriederBlattstellungen,’1878。
TODR。FALCONER。
August26[1863]。
"DoyouremembertellingmethatIoughttostudyPhyllotaxy?WellIhaveoftenwishedyouatthebottomofthesea;forIcouldnotresist,andI
muddledmybrainswithdiagrams,etc。,andspecimens,andmadeout,asmighthavebeenexpected,nothing。ThoseanglesareamostwonderfulproblemandIwishIcouldseesomeonegivearationalexplanationofthem。"
TODR。ASAGRAY。
May11[1861]。
"Ifyouwishtosavemefromamiserabledeath,dotellmewhytheangles1/2,1/3,2/5,3/8,etc,seriesoccur,andnootherangles。Itisenoughtodrivethequietestmanmad。Didyouandsomemathematician(ProbablymyfatherwasthinkingofChaunceyWright’sworkonPhyllotaxy,inGould’s’AstronomicalJournal,’No。99,1856,andinthe’MathematicalMonthly,’
1859。Thesepapersarementionedinthe"LettersofChaunceyWright。’Mr。
Wrightcorrespondedwithmyfatheronthesubject。)publishsomepaperonthesubject?Hookersaysyoudid;whereisit?
TODR。ASAGRAY。
[May31,1863?]。
"IhavebeenlookingatNageli’sworkonthissubject,andamastonishedtoseethattheangleisnotalwaysthesameinyoungshootswhentheleaf—
budsarefirstdistinguishable,asinfull—grownbranches。Thisshows,I
think,thattheremustbesomepotentcauseforthoseangleswhichdooccur:IdaresaythereissomeexplanationassimpleasthatfortheanglesoftheBees—cells。"
MyfatheralsocorrespondedwithDr。HubertAiryandwasinterestedinhisviewsonthesubject,publishedintheRoyalSoc。Proceedings,1873,page176。
Wenowreturntotheyear1866。
InNovember,whentheprosecutionofGovernorEyrewasdividingEnglandintotwobitterlyopposedparties,hewrotetoSirJ。Hooker:——
"YouwillshriekatmewhenyouhearthatIhavejustsubscribedtotheJamaicaCommittee。"(Hesubscribed10pounds。)
OnthissubjectIquotefromaletterofmybrother’s:——
"WithrespecttoGovernorEyre’sconductinJamaica,hefeltstronglythatJ。S。Millwasrightinprosecutinghim。Irememberoneevening,atmyUncle’s,weweretalkingonthesubject,andasIhappenedtothinkitwastoostrongameasuretoprosecuteGovernorEyreformurder,Imadesomefoolishremarkabouttheprosecutorsspendingthesurplusofthefundinadinner。Myfatherturnedonmealmostwithfury,andtoldme,ifthoseweremyfeelings,IhadbettergobacktoSouthampton;theinhabitantshavinggivenadinnertoGovernorEyreonhislanding,butwithwhichIhadhadnothingtodo。"Theendoftheincident,astoldbymybrother,issocharacteristicofmyfatherthatIcannotresistgivingit,thoughithasnobearingonthepointatissue。"Nextmorningat7o’clock,orso,hecameintomybedroomandsatonmybed,andsaidthathehadnotbeenabletosleepfromthethoughtthathehadbeensoangrywithme,andafterafewmorekindwordsheleftme。"
ThesamerestlessdesiretocorrectadisagreeableorincorrectimpressioniswellillustratedinanextractwhichIquotefromsomenotesbyRev。J。
BrodieInnes:——
"Alliedtotheextremecarefulnessofobservationwashismostremarkabletruthfulnessinallmatters。Ononeoccasion,whenaparishmeetinghadbeenheldonsomedisputedpointofnogreatimportance,IwassurprisedbyavisitfromMr。Darwinatnight。Hecametosaythat,thinkingoverthedebate,thoughwhathehadsaidwasquiteaccurate,hethoughtImighthavedrawnanerroneousconclusion,andhewouldnotsleeptillhehadexplainedit。Ibelievethatifonanydaysomecertainfacthadcometohisknowledgewhichcontradictedhismostcherishedtheories,hewouldhaveplacedthefactonrecordforpublicationbeforeheslept。"
Thistallieswithmyfather’shabits,asdescribedbyhimself。Whenadifficultyoranobjectionoccurredtohim,hethoughtitofparamountimportancetomakeanoteofitinstantlybecausehefoundhostilefactstobeespeciallyevanescent。
Thesamepointisillustratedbythefollowingincident,forwhichIamindebtedtoMr。Romanes:——
"IhavealwaysrememberedthefollowinglittleincidentasagoodexampleofMr。Darwin’sextremesolicitudeonthescoreofaccuracy。OneeveningatDowntherewasageneralconversationuponthedifficultyofexplainingtheevolutionofsomeofthedistinctivelyhumanemotions,especiallythoseappertainingtotherecognitionofbeautyinnaturalscenery。Isuggestedaviewofmyownuponthesubject,which,dependingupontheprincipleofassociation,requiredthesuppositionthatalonglineofancestorsshouldhaveinhabitedregions,thesceneryofwhichisnowregardedasbeautiful。
JustasIwasabouttoobservethatthechiefdifficultyattachingtomyhypothesisarosefromfeelingsofthesublime(seeingthattheseareassociatedwithawe,andmightthereforebeexpectednottobeagreeable),Mr。Darwinanticipatedtheremark,byaskinghowthehypothesiswastomeetthecaseofthesefeelings。Intheconversationwhichfollowed,hesaidtheoccasioninhisownlife,whenhewasmostaffectedbytheemotionsofthesublimewaswhenhestoodupononeofthesummitsoftheCordillera,andsurveyedthemagnificentprospectallaround。Itseemed,ashequaintlyobserved,asifhisnerveshadbecomefiddlestrings,andhadalltakentorapidlyvibrating。Thisremarkwasonlymadeincidentally,andtheconversationpassedintosomeotherbranch。AboutanhourafterwardsMr。Darwinretiredtorest,whileIsatupinthesmoking—roomwithoneofhissons。Wecontinuedsmokingandtalkingforseveralhours,whenataboutoneo’clockinthemorningthedoorgentlyopenedandMr。Darwinappeared,inhisslippersanddressing—gown。AsnearlyasIcanremember,thefollowingarethewordsheused:——
"’SinceIwenttobedIhavebeenthinkingoverourconversationinthedrawing—room,andithasjustoccurredtomethatIwaswrongintellingyouIfeltmostofthesublimewhenonthetopoftheCordillera;IamquitesurethatIfeltitevenmorewhenintheforestsofBrazil。I
thoughtitbesttocomeandtellyouthisatonceincaseIshouldbeputtingyouwrong。IamsurenowthatIfeltmostsublimeintheforests。’
"Thiswasallhehadcometosay,anditwasevidentthathehadcometodoso,becausehethoughtthatthefactofhisfeeling’mostsublimeinforests’wasmoreinaccordancewiththehypothesiswhichwehadbeendiscussing,thanthefactwhichhehadpreviouslystated。Now,asnooneknewbetterthanMr。Darwinthedifferencebetweenaspeculationandafact,Ithoughtthislittleexhibitionofscientificconscientiousnessverynoteworthy,wheretheonlyquestionconcernedwasofsohighlyspeculativeacharacter。Ishouldnothavebeensomuchimpressedifhehadthoughtthatbyhistemporaryfailureofmemoryhehadputmeonawrongscentinanymatteroffact,althougheveninsuchacaseheistheonlymanIeverknewwhowouldcaretogetoutofbedatsuchatimeatnightinordertomakethecorrectionimmediately,insteadofwaitingtillnextmorning。Butasthecorrectiononlyhadreferencetoaflimsyhypothesis,Icertainlywasverymuchimpressedbythisdisplayofcharacter。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,December10[1866]……IhavenowreadthelastNo。ofH。Spencer。(’PrinciplesofBiology。’)
Idonotknowwhethertothinkitbetterthanthepreviousnumber,butitiswonderfullyclever,andIdaresaymostlytrue。IfeelrathermeanwhenIreadhim:Icouldbear,andratherenjoyfeelingthathewastwiceasingeniousandcleverasmyself,butwhenIfeelthatheisaboutadozentimesmysuperior,eveninthemasterartofwriggling,Ifeelaggrieved。
Ifhehadtrainedhimselftoobservemore,evenifattheexpense,bythelawofbalancement,ofsomelossofthinkingpower,hewouldhavebeenawonderfulman……IamHEARTILYgladyouaretakinguptheDistributionofPlantsinNewZealand,andsupposeitwillmakepartofyournewbook。Yourview,asI
understandit,thatNewZealandsubsidedandformedtwoormoresmallislands,andthenroseagain,seemstomeextremelyprobable……WhenI
puzzledmybrainsaboutNewZealand,IrememberIcametotheconclusion,asindeedIstateinthe’Origin,’thatitsflora,aswellasthatofothersouthernlands,hadbeentincturedbyanAntarcticflora,whichmusthaveexistedbeforetheGlacialperiod。IconcludedthatNewZealandnevercouldhavebeencloselyconnectedwithAustralia,thoughIsupposedithadreceivedsomefewAustralianformsbyoccasionalmeansoftransport。IsthereanyreasontosupposethatNewZealandcouldhavebeenmorecloselyconnectedwithSouthAustraliaduringtheglacialperiod,whentheEucalypti,etc。,mighthavebeendrivenfurtherNorth?Apparentlythereremainsonlytheline,whichIthinkyousuggested,ofsunkenislandsfromNewCaledonia。PleaserememberthattheEdwardsiawascertainlydriftedtherebythesea。
Irememberinolddaysspeculatingontheamountoflife,i。e。oforganicchemicalchange,atdifferentperiods。Thereseemstomeoneverydifficultelementintheproblem,namely,thestateofdevelopmentoftheorganicbeingsateachperiod,forIpresumethataFloraandFaunaofcellularcryptogamicplants,ofProtozoaandRadiatawouldleadtomuchlesschemicalchangethanisnowgoingon。ButIhavescribbledenough。
Yoursaffectionately,CH。DARWIN。
[ThefollowingletterisinacknowledgmentofMr。Rivers’replytoanearlierletterinwhichmyfatherhadaskedforinformationonbud—
variation:
Itmayfindaplacehereinillustrationofthemannerofmyfather’sintercoursewiththose"whoseavocationsinlifehadtodowiththerearingoruseoflivingthings"("Mr。Dyerin’CharlesDarwin,’""NatureSeries",1882,page39。)——anintercoursewhichboresuchgoodfruitinthe’VariationofAnimalsandPlants。’Mr。Dyerhassomeexcellentremarksontheunexpectedvaluethusplacedonapparentlytrivialfactsdisinterredfromweeklyjournals,oramassedbycorrespondence。Headds:
"Horticulturistswhohad……mouldedplantsalmostattheirwillattheimpulseoftasteorprofitwereatonceamazedandcharmedtofindthattheyhadbeendoingscientificworkandhelpingtoestablishagreattheory。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOT。RIVERS。(ThelateMr。Riverswasaneminenthorticulturistandwriteronhorticulture。)
Down,December28[1866?]。
MydearSir,Permitmetothankyoucordiallyforyourmostkindletter。ForyearsI
havereadwithinteresteveryscrapwhichyouhavewritteninperiodicals,andabstractedinMS。yourbookonRoses,andseveraltimesIthoughtI
wouldwritetoyou,butdidnotknowwhetheryouwouldthinkmetoointrusive。Ishall,indeed,betrulyobligedforanyinformationyoucansupplymeonbud—variationorsports。Whenanyextradifficultpointsoccurtomeinmypresentsubject(whichisamassofdifficulties),Iwillapplytoyou,butIwillnotbeunreasonable。Itismosttruewhatyousaythatanyonetostudywellthephysiologyofthelifeofplants,oughttohaveunderhiseyeamultitudeofplants。IhaveendeavouredtodowhatI
canbycomparingstatementsbymanywritersandobservingwhatIcouldmyself。Unfortunatelyfewhaveobservedlikeyouhavedone。Asyouaresokind,IwillmentiononeotherpointonwhichIamcollectingfacts;
namely,theeffectproducedonthestockbythegraft;thus,itisSAID,thatthepurple—leavedfilbertaffectstheleavesofthecommonhazelonwhichitisgrafted(Ihavejustprocuredaplanttotry),sovariegatedjessamineisSAIDtoaffectitsstock。IwantthesefactspartlytothrowlightonthemarvellouslaburnumAdami,trifacialoranges,etc。Thatlaburnumcaseseemsoneofthestrangestinphysiology。Ihavenowgrowingsplendid,FERTILE,yellowlaburnums(withalongracemeliketheso—calledWaterer’slaburnum)fromseedofyellowflowersontheC。Adami。Toamanlikemyself,whoiscompelledtoliveasolitarylife,andseesfewpersons,itisnoslightsatisfactiontohearthatIhavebeenableatall[to]interestbymybooksobserverslikeyourself。
AsIshallpublishonmypresentsubject,Ipresume,withinayear,itwillbeofnouseyoursendingmetheshootsofpeachesandnectarineswhichyousokindlyoffer;Ihaverecordedyourfacts。
Permitmeagaintothankyoucordially;Ihavenotofteninmylifereceivedakinderletter。
MydearSir,yourssincerely,CH。DARWIN。
CHAPTER2。V。
THEPUBLICATIONOFTHE’VARIATIONOFANIMALSANDPLANTSUNDER
DOMESTICATION。’
JANUARY1867,TOJUNE1868。
[Atthebeginningoftheyear1867hewasatworkonthefinalchapter——
"ConcludingRemarks"ofthe’VariationofAnimalsandPlantsunderDomestication,’whichwasbegunaftertherestoftheMS。hadbeensenttotheprintersintheprecedingDecember。WithregardtothepublicationofthebookhewrotetoMr。Murray,onJanuary3:——
"IcannottellyouhowsorryIamtohearoftheenormoussizeofmybook。
(OnJanuary9hewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:"IhavebeentheselastfewdaysvexedandannoyedtoafoolishdegreebyhearingthatmyMS。onDom。
An。andCult。Plantswillmake2volumes,bothbiggerthanthe’Origin。’
Thevolumeswillhavetobefull—sizedoctavo,soIhavewrittentoMurraytosuggestdetailstobeprintedinsmalltype。ButIfeelthatthesizeisquiteludicrousinrelationtothesubject。Iamreadytoswearatmyselfandateveryfoolwhowritesabook。")Ifearitcanneverpay。
ButIcannotshortenitnow;nor,indeed,ifIhadforeseenitslength,doIseewhichpartsoughttohavebeenomitted。
"Ifyouareafraidtopublishit,saysoatonce,Ibegyou,andIwillconsideryournoteascancelled。Ifyouthinkfit,getanyonewhosejudgmentyourelyon,tolookoversomeofthemorelegiblechapters,namely,theIntroduction,andondogsandplants,thelatterchaptersbeinginmyopinion,thedullestinthebook……Thelistofchapters,andtheinspectionofafewhereandthere,wouldgiveagoodjudgeafairideaofthewholebook。Praydonotpublishblindly,asitwouldvexmeallmylifeifIledyoutoheavyloss。"
Mr。MurrayreferredtheMS。toaliteraryfriend,and,inspiteofasomewhatadverseopinion,willinglyagreedtopublishthebook。Myfatherwrote:——
"Yournotehasbeenagreatrelieftome。Iamratheralarmedabouttheverdictofyourfriend,asheisnotamanofscience。Ithinkifyouhadsentthe’Origin’toanunscientificman,hewouldhaveutterlycondemnedit。Iam,however,VERYGLADthatyouhaveconsultedanyoneonwhomyoucanrely。
"Imustadd,thatmy’JournalofResearches’wasseeninMS。byaneminentsemi—scientificman,andwaspronouncedunfitforpublication。"
TheproofswerebeguninMarch,andthelastrevisewasfinishedonNovember15th,andduringthisperiodtheonlyintervalsofrestweretwovisitsofaweekeachathisbrotherErasmus’shouseinQueenAnneStreet。
HenotesinhisDiary:——
"Ibeganthisbook[inthe]beginningof1860(andthenhadsomeMS。),butowingtointerruptionsfrommyillness,andillnessofchildren;fromvariouseditionsofthe’Origin,’andPapers,especiallyOrchisbookandTendrils,Ihavespentfouryearsandtwomonthsoverit。"
Theeditionof’AnimalsandPlants’wasof1500copies,andofthese1260
weresoldatMr。Murray’sautumnalsale,butitwasnotpublisheduntilJanuary30,1868。Aneweditionof1250copieswasprintedinFebruaryofthesameyear。
In1867hereceivedthedistinctionofbeingmadeaknightofthePrussianOrder"PourleMerite。"(TheOrder"PourleMerite"wasfoundedin1740byFrederickII。bythere—christeningofan"OrderofGenerosity,"foundedin1665。Itwasatonetimestrictlymilitary,havingbeenpreviouslybothcivilandmilitary,andin1840theOrderwasagainopenedtocivilians。
TheorderconsistsofthirtymembersofGermanextraction,butdistinguishedforeignersareadmittedtoakindofextraordinarymembership。Faraday,Herschel,andThomasMoore,havebelongedtoitinthisway。Fromthethirtymembersachancelloriselectedbytheking(thefirstofficerofthiskindwasAlexanderv。Humboldt);anditisthedutyofthechancellortonotifyavacancyintheOrdertotheremainderofthethirty,whothenelectbyvotethenewmember——butthekinghastechnicallytheappointmentinhisownhands。)Heseemsnottohaveknownhowgreatthedistinctionwas,forinJune1868hewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:——
"Whatamanyouareforsympathy。Iwasmade"Eques"somemonthsago,butdidnotthinkmuchaboutit。Now,byJove,wealldo;butyou,infact,haveknightedme。"
Thelettersmaynowtakeupthestory。]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,February8[1867]。
MydearHooker,IamheartilygladthatyouhavebeenofferedthePresidentshipoftheBritishAssociation,foritisagreathonour,andasyouhavesomuchworktodo,Iamequallygladthatyouhavedeclinedit。Ifeel,however,convincedthatyouwouldhavesucceededverywell;butifIfancymyselfinsuchaposition,itactuallymakesmybloodruncold。IlookbackwithamazementattheskillandtastewithwhichtheDukeofArgyllmadeamultitudeoflittlespeechesatGlasgow。Bytheway,IhavenotseentheDuke’sbook(’TheReignofLaw,’1867。),butIformerlythoughtthatsomeofthearticleswhichappearedinperiodicalswereveryclever,butnotveryprofound。Oneofthesewasreviewedinthe"SaturdayReview"
("SaturdayReview",November15,1862,’The"EdinburghReview"ontheSupernatural。’Writtenbymycousin,Mr。HenryParker。)someyearsago,andthefallacyofsomemainargumentwasadmirablyexposed,andIsentthearticletoyou,andyouagreedstronglywithit……TherewastheotherdayarathergoodreviewoftheDuke’sbookinthe"Spectator",andwithanewexplanation,eitherbytheDukeorthereviewer(Icouldnotmakeoutwhich),ofrudimentaryorgans,namely,thateconomyoflabourandmaterialwasagreatguidingprinciplewithGod(ignoringwasteofseedandofyoungmonsters,etc。),andthatmakinganewplanforthestructureofanimalswasthought,andthoughtwaslabour,andthereforeGodkepttoauniformplan,andleftrudiments。Thisisnoexaggeration。Inshort,Godisaman,ratherclevererthanus……Iamverymuchobligedforthe"Nation"
(returnedbythispost);itisADMIRABLYgood。YousayIalwaysguesswrong,butIdonotbelieveanyone,exceptAsaGray,couldhavedonethethingsowell。Iwouldbeteven,orthreetotwo,thatitisAsaGray,thoughoneortwopassagesstaggeredme。
Ifinishmybookon’DomesticAnimals,’etc。,byasingleparagraph,answering,orratherthrowingdoubt,insofarassolittlespacepermits,onAsaGray’sdoctrinethateachvariationhasbeenspeciallyorderedorledalongabeneficialline。Itisfoolishtotouchsuchsubjects,buttherehavebeensomanyallusionstowhatIthinkaboutthepartwhichGodhasplayedintheformationoforganicbeings(Prof。Juddallowsmetoquotefromsomenoteswhichhehaskindlygivenme:——"LyelloncetoldmethathehadfrequentlybeenaskedifDarwinwasnotoneofthemostunhappyofmen,itbeingsuggestedthathisoutrageuponpublicopinionshouldhavefilledhimwithremorse。"SirCharlesLyellmusthavebeenable,Ithink,togiveasatisfactoryansweronthispoint。ProfessorJuddcontinues:——
"ImadeanoteofthisandotherconversationsofLyell’satthetime。Atthepresenttimesuchstatementsmustappearstrangetoanyonewhodoesnotrecollecttherevolutioninopinionwhichhastakenplaceduringthelast23years[1882]。"),thatIthoughtitshabbytoevadethequestion……I
haveevenreceivedseverallettersonthesubject……IoverlookedyoursentenceaboutProvidence,andsupposeItreateditasBucklanddidhisowntheology,whenhisBridgewaterTreatisewasreadaloudtohimforcorrection……
[Thefollowingletter,fromMrs。Boole,isoneofthosereferredtointhelastlettertoSirJ。D。Hooker:]
DearSir,Willyouexcusemyventuringtoaskyouaquestion,towhichnoone’sanswerbutyourownwouldbequitesatisfactory?
DoyouconsidertheholdingofyourtheoryofNaturalSelection,initsfullestandmostunreservedsense,tobeinconsistent——Idonotsaywithanyparticularschemeoftheologicaldoctrine——butwiththefollowingbelief,namely:——
ThatknowledgeisgiventomanbythedirectinspirationoftheSpiritofGod。
ThatGodisapersonalandInfinitelygoodBeing。
ThattheeffectoftheactionoftheSpiritofGodonthebrainofmanisespeciallyamoraleffect。
Andthateachindividualmanhaswithincertainlimitsapowerofchoiceastohowfarhewillyieldtohishereditaryanimalimpulses,andhowfarhewillratherfollowtheguidanceoftheSpirit,whoiseducatinghimintoapowerofresistingthoseimpulsesinobediencetomoralmotives?
ThereasonwhyIaskyouisthis:myownimpressionhasalwaysbeen,notonlythatyourtheorywasperfectlyCOMPATIBLEwiththefaithtowhichI
havejusttriedtogiveexpression,butthatyourbooksaffordedmeacluewhichwouldguidemeinapplyingthatfaithtothesolutionofcertaincomplicatedpsychologicalproblemswhichitwasofpracticalimportancetomeasamothertosolve。Ifeltthatyouhadsuppliedoneofthemissinglinks——nottosayTHEmissinglink——betweenthefactsofscienceandthepromisesofreligion。Everyyear’sexperiencetendstodeepeninmethatimpression。
ButIhavelatelyreadremarksontheprobablebearingofyourtheoryonreligiousandmoralquestionswhichhaveperplexedandpainedmesorely。I
knowthatthepersonswhomakesuchremarksmustbeclevererandwiserthanmyself。Icannotfeelsurethattheyaremistaken,unlessyouwilltellmeso。AndIthink——Icannotknowforcertain——butITHINK——thatifIwereanauthor,Iwouldratherthatthehumbleststudentofmyworksshouldapplytomedirectlyinadifficulty,thanthatsheshouldpuzzletoolongoveradverseandprobablymistakenorthoughtlesscriticisms。