CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,Sunday,August23[1868]。
MydearoldFriend,Ihavereceivedyournote。IcanhardlysayhowpleasedIhavebeenatthesuccessofyouraddress(SirJosephHookerwasPresidentoftheBritishAssociationattheNorwichMeetingin1868。),andofthewholemeeting。I
haveseenthe"Times","Telegraph","Spectator",and"Athenaeum",andhaveheardofotherfavourablenewspapers,andhaveorderedabundle。Thereisa"chorusofpraise。"The"Times"reportedmiserably,i。e。asfaraserratawasconcerned;butIwasverygladattheleader,forIthoughtthewayyoubroughtinthemegalithicmonumentsmosthappy。(TheBritishAssociationwasdesirousofinterestingtheGovernmentincertainmoderncromlechbuilders,theKhasiaraceofEastBengal,inorderthattheirmegalithicmonumentsmightbeefficientlydescribed。)IparticularlyadmiredTyndall’slittlespeech(ProfessorTyndallwasPresidentofSectionA。)……The"Spectator"pitchesalittleintoyouaboutTheology,inaccordancewithitsusualspirit……
Yourgreatsuccesshasrejoicedmyheart。Ihavejustcarefullyreadthewholeaddressinthe"Athenaeum";andthough,asyouknow,Ilikeditverymuchwhenyoureadittome,yet,asIwastryingallthetimetofindfault,Imissedtoacertainextenttheeffectasawhole;andthisnowappearstomemoststrikingandexcellent。Howyoumustrejoiceatallyourbotheringlabourandanxietyhavinghadsograndanend。Imustsayawordaboutmyself;neverhassuchaeulogiumbeenpassedonme,anditmakesmeveryproud。IcannotgetovermyAMAZEMENTatwhatyousayaboutmybotanicalwork。ByJove,asfarasmymemorygoes,youhavestrengthenedinsteadofweakenedsomeoftheexpressions。Whatisfarmoreimportantthananythingpersonal,istheconvictionwhichIfeelthatyouwillhaveimmenselyadvancedthebeliefintheevolutionofspecies。Thiswillfollowfromthepublicityoftheoccasion,yourposition,soresponsible,asPresident,andyourownhighreputation。Itwillmakeagreatstepinpublicopinion,Ifeelsure,andIhadnotthoughtofthisbefore。The"Athenaeum"takesyoursnubbing(SirJosephHookermadesomereferencetothereviewof’AnimalsandPlants’inthe"Athenaeum"ofFebruary15,1868。)withtheutmostmildness。Icertainlydorejoiceoverthesnubbing,andhope[thereviewer]willfeelitalittle。WheneveryouhaveSPAREtimetowriteagain,tellmewhetheranyastronomers(Indiscussingtheastronomer’sobjectiontoEvolution,namelythatourglobehasnotexistedforalongenoughperiodtogivetimefortheassumedtransmutationoflivingbeings,HookerchallengedWhewell’sdictumthat,astronomyisthequeenofsciences——theonlyperfectscience。)tookyourremarksinillpart;astheynowstandtheydonotseematalltooharshandpresumptuous。Manyofyoursentencesstrikemeasextremelyfelicitousandeloquent。ThatofLyell’s"under—pinning"(AfteraeulogiumonSirCharlesLyell’sheroicrenunciationofhisoldviewsinacceptingEvolution,SirJ。D。Hookercontinued,"Wellmayhebeproudofasuperstructure,raisedonthefoundationsofaninsecuredoctrine,whenhefindsthathecanunderpinitandsubstituteanewfoundation;andafterallisfinished,surveyhisedifice,notonlymoresecurebutmoreharmoniousinitsproportionthanitwasbefore。"),iscapital。Tellme,wasLyellpleased?Iamsogladthatyourememberedmyolddedication。
(The’Naturalist’sVoyage’wasdedicatedtoLyell。)WasWallacepleased?
Howaboutphotographs?CanyousparetimeforalinetoourdearMrs。
Cameron?Shecametoseeusoff,andloadeduswithpresentsofphotographs,andErasmuscalledafterher,"Mrs。Cameron,therearesixpeopleinthishouseallinlovewithyou。"WhenIpaidher,shecriedout,"Ohwhatalotofmoney!"andrantoboasttoherhusband。
Imustnotwriteanymore,thoughIamintremendousspiritsatyourbrilliantsuccess。
Yourseveraffectionately,C。DARWIN。
[Inthe"Athenaeum"ofNovember29,1868,appearedanarticlewhichwasinfactareplytoSirJosephHooker’sremarksatNorwich。Heseemstohaveconsultedmyfatherastothewisdomofansweringthearticle。MyfatherwroteonSeptember1:
"InmyopinionDr。JosephDaltonHookerneedtakenonoticeoftheattackinthe"Athenaeum"inreferencetoMr。CharlesDarwin。Whatanassthemanistothinkhecutsonetothequickbygivingone’sChristiannameinfull。Howtransparentlyfalseisthestatementthatmysolegroundworkisfrompigeons,becauseIstateIhaveworkedthemoutmorefullythanotherbeings!HemuddlestogethertwobooksofFlourens。"
Thefollowingletterreferstoapaper(’TransactionsoftheOttawaAcademyofNaturalSciences,’1868,byJohnD。Caton,lateChiefJusticeofIllinois。)byJudgeCaton,ofwhichmyfatheroftenspokewithadmiration:]
CHARLESDARWINTOJOHND。CATON。
Down,September18,1868。
DearSir,Ibegleavetothankyouverysincerelyforyourkindnessinsendingme,throughMr。Walsh,youradmirablepaperonAmericanDeer。
Itisquitefullofmostinterestingobservations,statedwiththegreatestclearness。Ihaveseldomreadapaperwithmoreinterest,foritaboundswithfactsofdirectuseformywork。Manyofthemconsistoflittlepointswhichhardlyanyonebesidesyourselfhasobserved,orperceivedtheimportanceofrecording。Iwouldinstancetheageatwhichthehornsaredeveloped(apointonwhichIhavelatelybeeninvainsearchingforinformation),therudimentofhornsinthefemaleelk,andespeciallythedifferentnatureoftheplantsdevouredbythedeerandelk,andseveralotherpoints。Withcordialthanksforthepleasureandinstructionwhichyouhaveaffordedme,andwithhighrespectforyourpowerofobservation,Ibegleavetoremain,dearSir,Yoursfaithfullyandobliged,CHARLESDARWIN。
[Thefollowingextractfromaletter(September24,1868)totheMarquisdeSaporta,theeminentpalaeo—botanist,referstothegrowthofevolutionaryviewsinFrance(In1868hewaspleasedatbeingaskedtoauthoriseaFrenchtranslationofhis’Naturalist’sVoyage。’:——
"AsIhaveformerlyreadwithgreatinterestmanyofyourpapersonfossilplants,youmaybelievewithwhathighsatisfactionIhearthatyouareabelieverinthegradualevolutionofspecies。Ihadsupposedthatmybookonthe’OriginofSpecies’hadmadeverylittleimpressioninFrance,andthereforeitdelightsmetohearadifferentstatementfromyou。AllthegreatauthoritiesoftheInstituteseemfirmlyresolvedtobelieveintheimmutabilityofspecies,andthishasalwaysastonishedme……almosttheoneexception,asfarasIknow,isM。Gaudry,andIthinkhewillbesoononeofthechiefleadersinZoologicalPalaeontologyinEurope;andnowIamdelightedtohearthatinthesisterdepartmentofBotanyyoutakenearlythesameview。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOE。HAECKEL。
Down,November19[1868]。
MydearHaeckel,Imustwritetoyouagain,fortworeasons。Firstly,tothankyouforyourletteraboutyourbaby,whichhasquitecharmedbothmeandmywife;I
heartilycongratulateyouonitsbirth。Irememberbeingsurprisedinmyowncasehowsoonthepaternalinstinctsbecamedeveloped,andinyoutheyseemtobeunusuallystrong,……Ihopethelargeblueeyesandtheprinciplesofinheritancewillmakeyourchildasgoodanaturalistasyouare;but,judgingfrommyownexperience,youwillbeastonishedtofindhowthewholementaldispositionofyourchildrenchangeswithadvancingyears。Ayoungchild,andthesamewhennearlygrown,sometimesdifferalmostasmuchasdoacaterpillarandbutterfly。
Thesecondpointistocongratulateyouontheprojectedtranslationofyourgreatwork(’GenerelleMorphologie,’1866。NoEnglishtranslationofthisbookhasappeared。),aboutwhichIheardfromHuxleylastSunday。I
amheartilygladofit,buthowithasbeenbroughtabout,Iknownot,forafriendwhosupportedthesupposedtranslationatNorwich,toldmehethoughttherewouldbenochanceofit。Huxleytellsmethatyouconsenttoomitandshortensomeparts,andIamconfidentthatthisisverywise。
AsIknowyourobjectistoinstructthepublic,youwillassuredlythusgetmanymorereadersinEngland。Indeed,Ibelievethatalmosteverybookwouldbeimprovedbycondensation。Ihavebeenreadingagooddealofyourlastbook(’DieNaturlicheSchopfungs—Geschichte,’1868。Itwastranslatedandpublishedin1876,underthetitle,’TheHistoryofCreation。’),andthestyleisbeautifullyclearandeasytome;butwhyitshoulddiffersomuchinthisrespectfromyourgreatworkIcannotimagine。Ihavenotyetreadthefirstpart,butbeganwiththechapteronLyellandmyself,whichyouwilleasilybelievepleasedmeVERYMUCH。IthinkLyell,whowasapparentlymuchpleasedbyyoursendinghimacopy,isalsomuchgratifiedbythischapter。(SeeLyell’sinterestinglettertoHaeckel。’LifeofSirC。Lyell,’ii。page435。)Yourchaptersontheaffinitiesandgenealogyoftheanimalkingdomstrikemeasadmirableandfulloforiginalthought。
Yourboldness,however,sometimesmakesmetremble,butasHuxleyremarked,someonemustbeboldenoughtomakeabeginningindrawinguptablesofdescent。Althoughyoufullyadmittheimperfectionofthegeologicalrecord,yetHuxleyagreedwithmeinthinkingthatyouaresometimesratherrashinventuringtosayatwhatperiodstheseveralgroupsfirstappeared。
Ihavethisadvantageoveryou,thatIrememberhowwonderfullydifferentanystatementonthissubjectmade20yearsago,wouldhavebeentowhatwouldnowbethecase,andIexpectthenext20yearswillmakequiteasgreatadifference。ReflectonthemonocotyledonousplantjustdiscoveredinthePRIMORDIALformationinSweden。
IrepeathowgladIamattheprospectofthetranslation,forIfullybelievethatthisworkandallyourworkswillhaveagreatinfluenceintheadvancementofScience。
Believeme,mydearHaeckel,yoursincerefriend,CHARLESDARWIN。
[ItwasinNovemberofthisyearthathesatforthebustbyMr。Woolner:
hewrote:——
"Ishouldhavewrittenlongago,butIhavebeenpesteredwithstupidletters,andamundergoingthepurgatoryofsittingforhourstoWoolner,who,however,iswonderfullypleasant,andlightensasmuchasmancan,thepenance;asfarasIcanjudge,itwillmakeafinebust。"
IfImaycriticisetheworkofsoeminentasculptorasMr。Woolner,I
shouldsaythatthepointinwhichthebustfailssomewhatasaportrait,isthatithasacertainair,almostofpomposity,whichseemstomeforeigntomyfather’sexpression。]
1869。
[Atthebeginningoftheyearhewasatworkinpreparingthefiftheditionofthe’Origin。’ThisworkwasbegunonthedayafterChristmas,1868,andwascontinuedfor"forty—sixdays,"ashenotesinhisdiary,i。e。untilFebruary10th,1869。Hethen,February11th,returnedtoSexualSelection,andcontinuedatthissubject(exceptingfortendaysgivenuptoOrchids,andaweekinLondon),untilJune10th,whenhewentwithhisfamilytoNorthWales,whereheremainedaboutsevenweeks,returningtoDownonJuly31st。
Caerdeon,thehousewherehestayed,isbuiltonthenorthshoreofthebeautifulBarmouthestuary,andispleasantlyplaced,inbeingclosetowildhillcountrybehind,aswellastothepicturesquewooded"hummocks,"
betweenthesteeperhillsandtheriver。Myfatherwasillandsomewhatdepressedthroughoutthisvisit,andIthinkfeltsaddenedatbeingimprisonedbyhiswantofstrength,andunableeventoreachthehillsoverwhichhehadoncewanderedfordaystogether。
HewrotefromCaerdeontoSirJ。D。Hooker(June22nd):——
"Wehavebeenherefortendays,howIwishitwaspossibleforyoutopayusavisithere;wehaveabeautifulhousewithaterracedgarden,andareallymagnificentviewofCader,rightopposite。OldCaderisagrandfellow,andshowshimselfoffsuperblywitheverychanginglight。WeremainheretilltheendofJuly,whentheH。Wedgwoodshavethehouse。I
havebeenasyetinaverypoorway;itseemsassoonasthestimulusofmentalworkstops,mywholestrengthgivesway。AsyetIhavehardlycrawledhalfamilefromthehouse,andthenhavebeenfearfullyfatigued。
Itisenoughtomakeonewishoneselfquietinacomfortabletomb。"
Withregardtothefiftheditionofthe’Origin,’hewrotetoMr。Wallace(January22,1869):——
"Ihavebeeninterruptedinmyregularworkinpreparinganeweditionofthe’Origin,’whichhascostmemuchlabour,andwhichIhopeIhaveconsiderablyimprovedintwoorthreeimportantpoints。Ialwaysthoughtindividualdifferencesmoreimportantthansinglevariations,butnowI
havecometotheconclusionthattheyareofparamountimportance,andinthisIbelieveIagreewithyou。FleemingJenkin’sargumentshaveconvincedme。"
Thissomewhatobscuresentencewasexplained,February2,inanotherlettertoMr。Wallace:——
"Imusthaveexpressedmyselfatrociously;Imeanttosayexactlythereverseofwhatyouhaveunderstood。F。Jenkinarguedinthe’NorthBritishReview’againstsinglevariationseverbeingperpetuated,andhasconvincedme,thoughnotinquitesobroadamannerashereput。Ialwaysthoughtindividualdifferencesmoreimportant;butIwasblindandthoughtthatsinglevariationsmightbepreservedmuchoftenerthanInowseeispossibleorprobable。ImentionedthisinmyformernotemerelybecauseI
believedthatyouhadcometoasimilarconclusion,andIlikemuchtobeinaccordwithyou。IbelieveIwasmainlydeceivedbysinglevariationsofferingsuchsimpleillustrations,aswhenmanselects。"
ThelateMr。FleemingJenkin’sreview,onthe’OriginofSpecies,’waspublishedinthe’NorthBritishReview’forJune1867。Itisnotalittleremarkablethatthecriticisms,whichmyfather,asIbelieve,felttobethemostvaluableevermadeonhisviewsshouldhavecome,notfromaprofessednaturalistbutfromaProfessorofEngineering。
ItisimpossibletogiveinashortcompassanaccountofFleemingJenkin’sargument。Myfather’scopyofthepaper(rippedoutofthevolumeasusual,andtiedwithabitofstring)isannotatedinpencilinmanyplaces。Imayquoteonepassageoppositewhichmyfatherhaswritten"goodsneers"——butitshouldberememberedthatheusedtheword"sneer"inratheraspecialsense,notasnecessarilyimplyingafeelingofbitternessinthecritic,butratherinthesenseof"banter。"Speakingofthe’truebeliever,’FleemingJenkinsays,page293:——
"Hecaninventtrainsofancestorsofwhoseexistencethereisnoevidence;
hecanmarshalhostsofequallyimaginaryfoes;hecancallupcontinents,floods,andpeculiaratmospheres;hecandryupoceans,splitislands,andparcelouteternityatwill;surelywiththeseadvantageshemustbeadullfellowifhecannotschemesomeseriesofanimalsandcircumstancesexplainingourassumeddifficultyquitenaturally。Feelingthedifficultyofdealingwithadversarieswhocommandsohugeadomainoffancy,wewillabandonthesearguments,andtrusttothosewhichatleastcannotbeassailedbymereeffortsofimagination。"
Inthefiftheditionofthe’Origin,’myfatheralteredapassageintheHistoricalSketch(fourtheditionpagexviii。)。HethuspracticallygaveupthedifficulttaskofunderstandingwhetherornoSirR。OwenclaimstohavediscoveredtheprincipleofNaturalSelection。Adding,"AsfarasthemereenunciationoftheprincipleofNaturalSelectionisconcerned,itisquiteimmaterialwhetherornotProfessorOwenprecededme,forbothofus……werelongagoprecededbyDr。WellsandMr。Matthew。"
Asomewhatseverecritiqueonthefifthedition,byMr。JohnRobertson,appearedinthe"Athenaeum",August14,1869。Thewritercommentswithsomelittlebitternessonthesuccessofthe’Origin:’"Attentionisnotacceptance。Manyeditionsdonotmeanrealsuccess。Thebookhassold;
theguesshasbeentalkedover;andthecirculationanddiscussionsumupthesignificanceoftheeditions。"Mr。Robertsonmakesthetrue,butmisleadingstatement:"Mr。DarwinprefaceshisfifthEnglisheditionwithanEssay,whichhecalls’AnHistoricalSketch,’etc。"AsamatteroffacttheSketchappearedinthethirdeditionin1861。
Mr。RobertsongoesontosaythattheSketchoughttobecalledacollectionofextractsanticipatoryorcorroborativeofthehypothesisofNaturalSelection。"Fornoaccountisgivenofanyhostileopinions。Thefactisverysignificant。ThishistoricalsketchthusresemblesthehistoriesofthereignofLouisXVIII。,publishedaftertheRestoration,fromwhichtheRepublicandtheEmpire,RobespierreandBuonapartewereomitted。"
ThefollowinglettertoProf。VictorCarusgivesanideaofthecharacteroftheneweditionofthe’Origin:’]
CHARLESDARWINTOVICTORCARUS。
Down,May4,1869……Ihavegoneverycarefullythroughthewhole,tryingtomakesomepartsclearer,andaddingafewdiscussionsandfactsofsomeimportance。Theneweditionisonlytwopagesattheendlongerthantheold;thoughinonepartninepagesinadvance,forIhavecondensedseveralpartsandomittedsomepassages。ThetranslationIfearwillcauseyouagreatdealoftrouble;thealterationstookmesixweeks,besidescorrectingthepress;
yououghttomakeaspecialagreementwithM。Koch[thepublisher]。Manyofthecorrectionsareonlyafewwords,buttheyhavebeenmadefromtheevidenceonvariouspointsappearingtohavebecomealittlestrongerorweaker。
ThusIhavebeenledtoplacesomewhatmorevalueonthedefiniteanddirectactionofexternalconditions;tothinkthelapseoftime,asmeasuredbyyears,notquitesogreatasmostgeologistshavethought;andtoinferthatsinglevariationsareofevenlessimportance,incomparisonwithindividualdifferences,thanIformerlythought。ImentionthesepointsbecauseIhavebeenthusledtoalterinmanyplacesAFEWWORDS;
andunlessyougothroughthewholenewedition,onepartwillnotagreewithanother,whichwouldbeagreatblemish……
[ThedesirethathisviewsmightspreadinFrancewasalwaysstrongwithmyfather,andhewasthereforejustlyannoyedtofindthatin1869theEditorofthefirstFrencheditionhadbroughtoutathirdeditionwithoutconsultingtheauthor。HewasaccordinglygladtoenterintoanarrangementforaFrenchtranslationofthefifthedition;thiswasundertakenbyM。Reinwald,withwhomhecontinuedtohavepleasantrelationsasthepublisherofmanyofhisbooksintoFrench。
HewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:——
"ImustenjoymyselfandtellyouaboutMdlle。C。Royer,whotranslatedthe’Origin’intoFrench,andforwhosesecondeditionItookinfinitetrouble。
Shehasnowjustbroughtoutathirdeditionwithoutinformingme,sothatallthecorrections,etc。,inthefourthandfifthEnglisheditionsarelost。Besidesherenormouslylongprefacetothefirstedition,shehasaddedasecondprefaceabusingmelikeapick—pocketforPangenesis,whichofcoursehasnorelationtothe’Origin。’SoIwrotetoParis;andReinwaldagreestobringoutatonceanewtranslationfromthefifthEnglishedition,incompetitionwithherthirdedition……Thisfactshowsthat"evolutionofspecies"mustatlastbespreadinginFrance。"
WithreferencetothespreadofEvolutionamongtheorthodox,thefollowingletterisofsomeinterest。InMarchhereceived,fromtheauthor,acopyofalecturebyRev。T。R。R。Stebbing,givenbeforetheTorquayNaturalHistorySociety,February1,1869,bearingthetitle"Darwinism。"MyfatherwrotetoMr。Stebbing:]
DearSir,Iamverymuchobligedtoyouforyourkindnessinsendingmeyourspiritedandinterestinglecture;ifalaymanhaddeliveredthesameaddress,hewouldhavedonegoodserviceinspreadingwhat,asIhopeandbelieve,istoalargeextentthetruth;butaclergymanindeliveringsuchanaddressdoes,asitappearstome,muchmoregoodbyhispowertoshakeignorantprejudices,andbysetting,ifImaybepermittedtosayso,anadmirableexampleofliberality。
Withsincererespect,Ibegleavetoremain,DearSir,yoursfaithfullyandobliged,CHARLESDARWIN。
[Thereferencestothesubjectofexpressioninthefollowingletterareexplainedbythefactthatmyfather’soriginalintentionwastogivehisessayonthissubjectasachapterinthe’DescentofMan,’whichinitsturngrew,aswehaveseen,outofaproposedchapterin’AnimalsandPlants:’]
CHARLESDARWINTOF。MULLER。
Down,February22[1869?]……Althoughyouhaveaidedmetosogreatanextentinmanyways,Iamgoingtobegforanyinformationontwoothersubjects。Iampreparingadiscussionon"SexualSelection,"andIwantmuchtoknowhowlowdownintheanimalscalesexualselectionofaparticularkindextends。Doyouknowofanylowlyorganisedanimals,inwhichthesexesareseparated,andinwhichthemalediffersfromthefemaleinarmsofoffence,likethehornsandtusksofmalemammals,oringaudyplumageandornaments,aswithbirdsandbutterflies?Idonotrefertosecondarysexualcharacters,bywhichthemaleisabletodiscoverthefemale,liketheplumedantennaeofmoths,orbywhichthemaleisenabledtoseizethefemale,likethecuriouspincersdescribedbyyouinsomeofthelowerCrustaceans。ButwhatIwanttoknowis,howlowinthescalesexualdifferencesoccurwhichrequiresomedegreeofself—consciousnessinthemales,asweaponsbywhichtheyfightforthefemale,orornamentswhichattracttheoppositesex。
Anydifferencesbetweenmalesandfemaleswhichfollowdifferenthabitsoflifewouldhavetobeexcluded。IthinkyouwilleasilyseewhatIwishtolearn。Apriori,itwouldneverhavebeenanticipatedthatinsectswouldhavebeenattractedbythebeautifulcolouringoftheoppositesex,orbythesoundsemittedbythevariousmusicalinstrumentsofthemaleOrthoptera。Iknownoonesolikelytoanswerthisquestionasyourself,andshouldbegratefulforanyinformation,howeversmall。
Mysecondsubjectreferstoexpressionofcountenance,towhichIhavelongattended,andonwhichIfeelakeeninterest;buttowhich,unfortunately,IdidnotattendwhenIhadtheopportunityofobservingvariousracesofman。Ithasoccurredtomethatyoumight,withoutmuchtrouble,makeaFEWobservationsforme,inthecourseofsomemonths,onNegroes,orpossiblyonnativeSouthAmericans,thoughIcaremostaboutNegroes;
accordinglyIenclosesomequestionsasaguide,andifyoucouldanswermeevenoneortwoIshouldfeeltrulyobliged。IamthinkingofwritingalittleessayontheOriginofMankind,asIhavebeentauntedwithconcealingmyopinions,andIshoulddothisimmediatelyafterthecompletionofmypresentbook。InthiscaseIshouldaddachapteronthecauseormeaningofexpression……
[Theremaininglettersofthisyeardealchieflywiththebooks,reviews,etc。,whichinterestedhim。]
CHARLESDARWINTOH。THIEL。
Down,February25,1869。
DearSir,Onmyreturnhomeafterashortabsence,Ifoundyourverycourteousnote,andthepamphlet(’UebereinigeFormenderLandwirthschaftlichenGenossenschaften。’byDr。H。Thiel,thenoftheAgriculturalStationatPoppelsdorf。),andIhastentothankyouforboth,andfortheveryhonourablementionwhichyoumakeofmyname。YouwillreadilybelievehowmuchinterestedIaminobservingthatyouapplytomoralandsocialquestionsanalogousviewstothosewhichIhaveusedinregardtothemodificationofspecies。Itdidnotoccurtomeformerlythatmyviewscouldbeextendedtosuchwidelydifferent,andmostimportant,subjects。
Withmuchrespect,Ibegleavetoremain,dearSir,Yoursfaithfullyandobliged,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。
Down,March19[1869]。
MydearHuxley,Thanksforyour’Address。’(Inhis’AnniversaryAddress’totheGeologicalSociety,1869,Mr。HuxleycriticisedSirWilliamThomson’spaper(’Trans。
Geol。Soc。,Glasgow,’volumeiii。)"OnGeologicalTime。")Peoplecomplainoftheunequaldistributionofwealth,butitisamuchgreatershameandinjusticethatanyonemanshouldhavethepowertowritesomanybrilliantessaysasyouhavelatelydone。Thereisnoonewhowriteslikeyou……IfI
wereinyourshoes,Ishouldtrembleformylife。Iagreewithallyousay,exceptthatImustthinkthatyoudrawtoogreatadistinctionbetweentheevolutionistsandtheuniformitarians。
IfindthatthefewsentenceswhichIhavesenttopressinthe’Origin’
abouttheageoftheworldwilldofairlywell……
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。
Down,March22[1869]。
MydearWallace,Ihavefinishedyourbook(’TheMalayArchipelago,’etc。,1869。);itseemstomeexcellent,andatthesametimemostpleasanttoread。Thatyoueverreturnedaliveiswonderfulafterallyourrisksfromillnessandseavoyages,especiallythatmostinterestingonetoWaigiouandback。OfalltheimpressionswhichIhavereceivedfromyourbook,thestrongestisthatyourperseveranceinthecauseofsciencewasheroic。Yourdescriptionsofcatchingthesplendidbutterflieshavemademequiteenvious,andatthesametimehavemademefeelalmostyoungagain,sovividlyhavetheybroughtbeforemymindolddayswhenIcollected,thoughInevermadesuchcapturesasyours。Certainlycollectingisthebestsportintheworld。I
shallbeastonishedifyourbookhasnotagreatsuccess;andyoursplendidgeneralizationsonGeographicalDistribution,withwhichIamfamiliarfromyourpapers,willbenewtomostofyourreaders。IthinkIenjoyedmosttheTimorcase,asitisbestdemonstrated;butperhapsCelebesisreallythemostvaluable。IshouldpreferlookingatthewholeAsiaticcontinentashavingformerlybeenmoreAfricaninitsfauna,thanadmittingtheformerexistenceofacontinentacrosstheIndianOcean……
[ThefollowingletterreferstoMr。Wallace’sarticleintheAprilnumberofthe’QuarterlyReview’(MyfatherwrotetoMr。Murray:"ThearticlebyWallaceisinimitablygood,anditisagreattriumphthatsuchanarticleshouldappearinthe’Quarterly,’andwillmaketheBishopofOxfordand——
gnashtheirteeth。"),1869,whichtoalargeextentdealswiththetentheditionofSirCharlesLyell’s’Principles,’publishedin1867and1868。
ThereviewcontainsastrikingpassageonSirCharlesLyell’sconfessionofevolutionaryfaithinthetentheditionofhis’Principles,’whichisworthquoting:"Thehistoryofsciencehardlypresentssostrikinganinstanceofyouthfulnessofmindinadvancedlifeasisshownbythisabandonmentofopinionssolongheldandsopowerfullyadvocated;andifwebearinmindtheextremecaution,combinedwiththeardentloveoftruthwhichcharacteriseeveryworkwhichourauthorhasproduced,weshallbeconvincedthatsogreatachangewasnotdecidedonwithoutlongandanxiousdeliberation,andthattheviewsnowadoptedmustindeedbesupportedbyargumentsofoverwhelmingforce。IffornootherreasonthanthatSirCharlesLyellinhistentheditionhasadoptedit,thetheoryofMr。Darwindeservesanattentiveandrespectfulconsiderationfromeveryearnestseekeraftertruth。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。
Down,April14,1869。
MydearWallace,Ihavebeenwonderfullyinterestedbyyourarticle,andIshouldthinkLyellwillbemuchgratifiedbyit。IdeclareifIhadbeeneditor,andhadthepowerofdirectingyou,Ishouldhaveselectedfordiscussiontheverypointswhichyouhavechosen。Ihaveoftensaidtoyoungergeologists(forIbeganintheyear1830)thattheydidnotknowwhatarevolutionLyellhadeffected;nevertheless,yourextractsfromCuvierhavequiteastonishedme。Thoughnotablereallytojudge,IaminclinedtoputmoreconfidenceinCrollthanyouseemtodo;butIhavebeenmuchstruckbymanyofyourremarksondegradation。Thomson’sviewsoftherecentageoftheworldhavebeenforsometimeoneofmysoresttroubles,andsoIhavebeengladtoreadwhatyousay。YourexpositionofNaturalSelectionseemstomeinimitablygood;thereneverlivedabetterexpounderthanyou。I
wasalsomuchpleasedatyourdiscussingthedifferencebetweenourviewsandLamarck’s。Onesometimesseestheodiousexpression,"Justicetomyselfcompelsmetosay,"etc。,butyouaretheonlymanIeverheardofwhopersistentlydoeshimselfaninjustice,andneverdemandsjustice。
Indeed,yououghtinthereviewtohavealludedtoyourpaperinthe’LinneanJournal,’andIfeelsureallourfriendswillagreeinthis。Butyoucannot"Burke"yourself,howevermuchyoumaytry,asmaybeseeninhalfthearticleswhichappear。IwasaskedbuttheotherdaybyaGermanprofessorforyourpaper,whichIsenthim。AltogetherIlookatyourarticleasappearinginthe’Quarterly’asanimmensetriumphforourcause。IpresumethatyourremarksonManarethosetowhichyoualludedinyournote。IfyouhadnottoldmeIshouldhavethoughtthattheyhadbeenaddedbysomeoneelse。Asyouexpected,Idiffergrievouslyfromyou,andIamverysorryforit。Icanseenonecessityforcallinginanadditionalandproximatecauseinregardtoman。(Mr。Wallacepointsoutthatanyoneacquaintedmerelywiththe"unaidedproductionsofnature,"
mightreasonablydoubtwhetheradray—horse,forexample,couldhavebeendevelopedbythepowerofmandirectingthe"actionofthelawsofvariation,multiplication,andsurvival,forhisownpurpose。Weknow,however,thatthishasbeendone,andwemustthereforeadmitthepossibilitythatinthedevelopmentofthehumanrace,ahigherintelligencehasguidedthesamelawsfornoblerends。")Butthesubjectistoolongforaletter。IhavebeenparticularlygladtoreadyourdiscussionbecauseIamnowwritingandthinkingmuchaboutman。
IhopethatyourMalaybooksellswell;Iwasextremelypleasedwiththearticleinthe’QuarterlyJournalofScience,’inasmuchasitisthoroughlyappreciativeofyourwork:alas!youwillprobablyagreewithwhatthewritersaysabouttheusesofthebamboo。
Ihearthatthereisalsoagoodarticleinthe"SaturdayReview",buthaveheardnothingmoreaboutit。BelievememydearWallace,Yourseversincerely,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down,May4[1869]。
MydearLyell,Ihavebeenappliedtoforsomephotographs(cartedevisite)tobecopiedtoornamentthediplomasofhonorarymembersofanewSocietyinServia!
Willyougivemeoneforthispurpose?Ipossessonlyafull—lengthoneofyouinmyownalbum,andthefaceistoosmall,Ithink,tobecopied。
Ihopethatyougetonwellwithyourwork,andhavesatisfiedyourselfonthedifficultpointofglacierlakes。Thankheaven,Ihavefinishedcorrectingtheneweditionofthe’Origin,’andamatmyoldworkofSexualSelection。
Wallace’sarticlestruckmeasADMIRABLE;howwellhebroughtouttherevolutionwhichyoueffectedsome30yearsago。IthoughtIhadfullyappreciatedtherevolution,butIwasastoundedattheextractsfromCuvier。Whatagoodsketchofnaturalselection!butIwasdreadfullydisappointedaboutMan,itseemstomeincrediblystrange……;andhadInotknowntothecontrary,wouldhaveswornithadbeeninsertedbysomeotherhand。ButIbelievethatyouwillnotagreequiteinallthis。
MydearLyell,everyourssincerely,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。L。A。DEQUATREFAGES。
Down,May28[1869or1870]。
DearSir,Ihavereceivedandreadyourvolume(Essaysreprintedfromthe’RevuedesDeuxMondes,’underthetitle’HistoireNaturelleGenerale,’etc。,1869。),andammuchobligedforyourpresent。Thewholestrikesmeasawonderfullyclearandablediscussion,andIwasmuchinterestedbyittothelastpage。Itisimpossiblethatanyaccountofmyviewscouldbefairer,or,asfarasspacepermitted,fuller,thanthatwhichyouhavegiven。Thewayinwhichyourepeatedlymentionmynameismostgratifyingtome。WhenIhadfinishedthesecondpart,Ithoughtthatyouhadstatedthecasesofavourablythatyouwouldmakemoreconvertsonmysidethanonyourownside。OnreadingthesubsequentpartsIhadtochangemysanguineview。Intheselatterpartsmanyofyourstricturesaresevereenough,butallaregivenwithperfectcourtesyandfairness。IcantrulysayIwouldratherbecriticisedbyyouinthismannerthanpraisedbymanyothers。I
agreewithsomeofyourcriticisms,butdifferentirelyfromtheremainder;