Yoursaffectionately，CH。DARWIN。
[Inthespringofthisyear（1874）hereadabookwhichgavehimgreatpleasureandofwhichheoftenspokewithadmiration:——’TheNaturalistinNicaragua，’bythelateThomasBelt。Mr。Belt，whoseuntimelydeathmaywellbedeploredbynaturalists，wasbyprofessionanEngineer，sothatallhisadmirableobservationsinNaturalHistoryinNicaraguaandelsewherewerethefruitofhisleisure。Thebookisdirectandvividinstyleandisfullofdescriptionandsuggestivediscussions。WithreferencetoitmyfatherwrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:——
"BeltIhaveread，andIamdelightedthatyoulikeitsomuch，itappearstomethebestofallnaturalhistoryjournalswhichhaveeverbeenpublished。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOTHEMARQUISDESAPORTA。
Down，May30，1874。
DearSir，Ihavebeenveryneglectfulinnothavingsoonerthankedyouforyourkindnessinhavingsentmeyour’EtudessurlaVegetation，’etc。，andothermemoirs。Ihavereadseveralofthemwithverygreatinterest，andnothingcanbemoreimportant，inmyopinion，thanyourevidenceoftheextremelyslowandgradualmannerinwhichspecificformschange。IobservethatM。
A。DeCandollehaslatelyquotedyouonthisheadversusHeer。Ihopethatyoumaybeabletothrowlightonthequestionwhethersuchprotean，orpolymorphicforms，asthoseofRubus，Hieracium，etc。，atthepresentday，arethosewhichgeneratenewspecies;asformyself，Ihavealwaysfeltsomedoubtonthishead。ItrustthatyoumaysoonbringmanyofyourcountrymentobelieveinEvolution，andmynamewillthenperhapsceasetobescorned。Withthemostsincererespect，Iremain，DearSir，Yoursfaithfully，CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down，June5[1874]。
MydearGray，Ihavenowreadyourarticle（Thearticle，"CharlesDarwin，"intheseriesof"ScientificWorthies"（’Nature，’June4，1874）。Thisadmirableestimateofmyfather’sworkinscienceisgivenintheformofacomparisonandcontrastbetweenRobertBrownandCharlesDarwin。）in’Nature，’andthelasttwoparagraphswerenotincludedintheslipsentbefore。IwroteyesterdayandcannotrememberexactlywhatIsaid，andnowcannotbeeasywithoutagaintellingyouhowprofoundlyIhavebeengratified。Everyone，Isuppose，occasionallythinksthathehasworkedinvain，andwhenoneofthesefitsovertakesme，Iwillthinkofyourarticle，andifthatdoesnotdispeltheevilspirit，IshallknowthatIamatthetimealittlebitinsane，asweallareoccasionally。
WhatyousayaboutTeleology（"LetusrecogniseDarwin’sgreatservicetoNaturalScienceinbringingbacktoitTeleology:sothatinsteadofMorphologyversusTeleology，weshallhaveMorphologyweddedtoTeleology。"）pleasesmeespecially，andIdonotthinkanyoneelsehasevernoticedthepoint。（See，however，Mr。Huxley’schapteronthe’ReceptionoftheOriginofSpecies’involumei。）Ihavealwayssaidyouwerethemantohitthenailonthehead。
Yoursgratefullyandaffectionately，CH。DARWIN。
[Asacontributiontothehistoryofthereceptionofthe’OriginofSpecies，’themeetingoftheBritishAssociationin1874，atBelfast，shouldbementioned。ItismemorableforProfessorTyndall’sbrilliantpresidentialaddress，inwhichasketchofthehistoryofEvolutionisgivenculminatinginaneloquentanalysisofthe’OriginofSpecies，’andofthenatureofitsgreatsuccess。WithregardtoProf。Tyndall’saddress，Lyellwrote（’Life，’ii。page455）congratulatingmyfatheronthemeeting，"onwhichoccasionyouandyourtheoryofEvolutionmaybefairlysaidtohavehadanovation。"InthesameletterSirCharlesspeaksofapaper（OntheAncientVolcanoesoftheHighlands，’JournalofGeologicalSoc。，’1874。）ofProfessorJudd’s，anditistothisthatthefollowingletterrefers:]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down，September23，1874。
MydearLyell，Isupposethatyouhavereturned，orwillsoonreturn，toLondon（SirCharlesLyellreturnedfromScotlandtowardstheendofSeptember。）;and，I
hope，reinvigoratedbyyourouting。InyourlastletteryouspokeofMr。
Judd’spaperontheVolcanoesoftheHebrides。Ihavejustfinishedit，andtoeasemymindmustexpressmyextremeadmiration。
ItisyearssinceIhavereadapurelygeologicalpaperwhichhasinterestedmesogreatly。Iwasallthemoreinterested，asintheCordilleraIoftenspeculatedonthesourcesofthedelugesofsubmarineporphyriticlavas，ofwhichtheyarebuilt;and，asIhavestated，Isawtoacertainextentthecausesoftheobliterationofthepointsoferuption。
Iwasalsonotalittlepleasedtoseemyvolcanicbookquoted，forI
thoughtitwascompletelydeadandforgotten。WhatfineworkwillMr。Juddassuredlydo！……NowIhaveeasedmymind;andsofarewell，withbothE。D。’sandC。D。’sverykindremembrancestoMissLyell。
Yoursaffectionately，CHARLESDARWIN。
[SirCharlesLyell’sreplytotheabovelettermusthavebeenoneofthelatestthatmyfatherreceivedfromhisoldfriend，anditiswiththisletterthatthevolumesofhispublishedcorrespondencecloses。]
CHARLESDARWINTOAUG。FOREL。
Down，October15，1874。
MydearSir，Ihavenowreadthewholeofyouradmirablework（’LesFourmisdelaSuisse，’4to，1874。）andseldominmylifehaveIbeenmoreinterestedbyanybook。Therearesomanyinterestingfactsanddiscussions，thatI
hardlyknowwhichtospecify;butIthink，firstly，thenewestpointstomehavebeenaboutthesizeofthebraininthethreesexes，togetherwithyoursuggestionthatincreaseofmindpowermayhaveledtothesterilityoftheworkers。Secondlyaboutthebattlesoftheants，andyourcuriousaccountoftheenragedantsbeingheldbytheircomradesuntiltheycalmeddown。Thirdly，theevidenceofantsofthesamecommunitybeingtheoffspringofbrothersandsisters。Youadmit，Ithink，thatnewcommunitieswilloftenbetheproductofacrossbetweennot—relatedants。
FritzMullerhasmadesomeinterestingobservationsonthisheadwithrespecttoTermites。ThecaseofAnergatesismostperplexinginmanyways，butIhavesuchfaithinthelawofoccasionalcrossingthatI
believeanexplanationwillhereafterbefound，suchasthedimorphismofeithersexandtheoccasionalproductionofwingedmales。Iseethatyouarepuzzledhowantsofthesamecommunityrecognizeeachother;Ionceplacedtwo（F。rufa）inapill—boxsmellingstronglyofasafoetidaandafteradayreturnedthemtotheirhomes;theywerethreatened，butatlastrecognized。Imadethetrialthinkingthattheymightknoweachotherbytheirodour;butthiscannothavebeenthecase，andIhaveoftenfanciedthattheymusthavesomecommonsignal。Yourlastchapterisonegreatmassofwonderfulfactsandsuggestions，andthewholeprofoundlyinteresting。Ihaveseldombeenmoregratifiedthanby[your]honourablementionofmywork。
IshouldliketotellyouonelittleobservationwhichImadewithcaremanyyearsago;Isawants（Formicarufa）carryingcocoonsfromanestwhichwasthelargestIeversawandwhichwaswell—knowntoallthecountrypeoplenear，andanoldman，apparentlyabouteightyyearsofage，toldmethathehadknowniteversincehewasaboy。Theantscarryingthecocoonsdidnotappeartobeemigrating;followingtheline，Isawmanyascendingatallfirtreestillcarryingtheircocoons。ButwhenIlookedcloselyIfoundthatallthecocoonswereemptycases。Thisastonishedme，andnextdayIgotamantoobservewithme，andweagainsawantsbringingemptycocoonsoutofthenest;eachofusfixedononeantandslowlyfollowedit，andrepeatedtheobservationonmanyothers。Wethusfoundthatsomeantssoondroppedtheiremptycocoons;otherscarriedthemformanyyards，asmuchasthirtypaces，andotherscarriedthemhighupthefirtreeoutofsight。NowhereIthinkwehaveoneinstinctincontestwithanotherandmistakenone。Thefirstinstinctbeingtocarrytheemptycocoonsoutofthenest，anditwouldhavebeensufficienttohavelaidthemontheheapofrubbish，asthefirstbreathofwindwouldhaveblownthemaway。Andthencameinthecontestwiththeotherverypowerfulinstinctofpreservingandcarryingtheircocoonsaslongaspossible;andthistheycouldnothelpdoingalthoughthecocoonswereempty。Accordingastheoneorotherinstinctwasthestrongerineachindividualant，sodiditcarrytheemptycocoontoagreaterorlessdistance。Ifthislittleobservationshouldeverproveofanyusetoyou，youarequiteatlibertytouseit。Againthankingyoucordiallyforthegreatpleasurewhichyourworkhasgivenme，Iremainwithmuchrespect，Yourssincerely，CH。DARWIN。
P。S。——IfyoureadEnglisheasilyIshouldliketosendyouMr。Belt’sbook，asIthinkyouwouldlikeitasmuchasdidFritzMuller。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。FISKE。
Down，December8，1874。
MydearSir，YoumustallowmetothankyoufortheverygreatinterestwithwhichI
haveatlastslowlyreadthewholeofyourwork。（’OutlinesofCosmicPhilosophy，’2volumes，8vo。1874。）Ihavelongwishedtoknowsomethingabouttheviewsofthemanygreatmenwhosedoctrinesyougive。WiththeexceptionofspecialpointsIdidnotevenunderstandH。Spencer’sgeneraldoctrine;forhisstyleistoohardworkforme。Ineverinmylifereadsolucidanexpositor（andthereforethinker）asyouare;andIthinkthatIunderstandnearlythewhole——perhapslessclearlyaboutCosmicTheismandCausationthanotherparts。Itishopelesstoattemptoutofsomuchtospecifywhathasinterestedmemost，andprobablyyouwouldnotcaretohear。Iwishsomechemistwouldattempttoascertaintheresultofthecoolingofheatedgasesoftheproperkinds，inrelationtoyourhypothesisoftheoriginoflivingmatter。ItpleasedmetofindthathereandthereIhadarrivedfrommyowncrudethoughtsatsomeofthesameconclusionswithyou;thoughIcouldseldomorneverhavegivenmyreasonsforsuchconclusions。Ifindthatmymindissofixedbytheinducivemethod，thatIcannotappreciatedeductivereasoning:Imustbeginwithagoodbodyoffactsandnotfromaprinciple（inwhichIalwayssuspectsomefallacy）andthenasmuchdeductionasyouplease。Thismaybeverynarrow—minded;buttheresultisthatsuchpartsofH。Spencer，asIhavereadwithcareimpressmymindwiththeideaofhisinexhaustiblewealthofsuggestion，butneverconvinceme;andsoIfinditwithsomeothers。IbelievethecausetolieinthefrequencywithwhichIhavefoundfirst—formedtheories[tobe]erroneous。Ithankyouforthehonourablementionwhichyoumakeofmyworks。Partsofthe’DescentofMan’musthaveappearedlaughablyweaktoyou:nevertheless，Ihavesentyouaneweditionjustpublished。
ThankingyoufortheprofoundinterestandprofitwithwhichIhavereadyourwork。Iremain，MydearSir，yoursveryfaithfully，CH。DARWIN。
1875。
[Theonlywork，notpurelybotanical，whichoccupiedmyfatherinthepresentyearwasthecorrectionofthesecondeditionof’TheVariationofAnimalsandPlants，’andonthishewasengagedfromthebeginningofJulytillOctober3rd。Therestoftheyearwastakenupwithhisworkoninsectivorousplants，andoncross—fertilisation，aswillbeshowninalaterchapter。Thechiefalterationsinthesecondeditionof’AnimalsandPlants’areintheeleventhchapteron"Bud—variationandoncertainanomalousmodesofreproduction;"thechapteronPangenesis"wasalsolargelyalteredandremodelled。"Hementionsbrieflysomeoftheauthorswhohavenoticedthedoctrine。ProfessorDelpino’s’SullaDarwinianaTeoriadellaPangenesi’（1869），anadversebutfaircriticism，seemstohaveimpressedhimasvaluable。Ofanothercritiquemyfathercharacteristicallysays（’AnimalsandPlants，’2ndeditionvolumeii。page350。），"Dr。LionelBeale（’Nature，’May11，1871，page26）sneersatthewholedoctrinewithmuchacerbityandsomejustice。"Healsopointsoutthat，inMantegazza’s’ElementidiIgiene，’thetheoryofPangenesiswasclearlyforeseen。
Inconnectionwiththissubject，aletterofmyfather’sto’Nature’（April27，1871）shouldbementioned。ApaperbyMr。GaltonhadbeenreadbeforetheRoyalSociety（March30，1871）inwhichweredescribedexperiments，onintertransfusionofblood，designedtotestthetruthofthehypothesisofpangenesis。Myfather，whilegivingallduecredittoMr。Galtonforhisingeniousexperiments，doesnotallowthatpangenesishas"asyetreceiveditsdeath—blow，thoughfrompresentingsomanyvulnerablepointsitslifeisalwaysinjeopardy。"
Heseemstohavefoundtheworkofcorrectingverywearisome，forhewrote:——
"Ihavenonewsaboutmyself，asIammerelyslavingoverthesickeningworkofpreparingneweditions。IwishIcouldgetatouchofpoorLyell’sfeelings，thatitwasdelightfultoimproveasentence，likeapainterimprovingapicture。"
Thefeelingofeffortorstrainoverthispieceofwork，isshowninalettertoProfessorHaeckel:——
"WhatIshalldoinfutureifIlive，Heavenonlyknows;Ioughtperhapstoavoidgeneralandlargesubjects，astoodifficultformewithmyadvancingyears，andIsupposeenfeebledbrain。"
AttheendofMarch，inthisyear，theportraitforwhichhewassittingtoMr。Oulesswasfinished。Hefeltthesittingsagreatfatigue，inspiteofMr。Ouless’sconsideratedesiretosparehimasfaraswaspossible。InalettertoSirJ。D。Hookerhewrote，"Ilookaveryvenerable，acute，melancholyolddog;whetherIreallylooksoIdonotknow。"Thepictureisinthepossessionofthefamily，andisknowntomanythroughM。Rajon’setching。Mr。Ouless’sportraitis，inmyopinion，thefinestrepresentationofmyfatherthathasbeenproduced。
ThefollowingletterreferstothedeathofSirCharlesLyell，whichtookplaceonFebruary22nd，1875，inhisseventy—eighthyear。]
CHARLESDARWINTOMISSBUCKLEY（NOWMRS。FISHER）。（Mrs。FisheractedasSecretarytoSirCharlesLyell。）
Down，February23，1875。
MydearMissBuckley，Iamgrievedtohearofthedeathofmyoldandkindfriend，thoughIknewthatitcouldnotbelongdelayed，andthatitwasahappythingthathislifeshouldnothavebeenprolonged，asIsupposethathismindwouldinevitablyhavesuffered。IamgladthatLadyLyell（LadyLyelldiedin1873。）hasbeensavedthisterribleblow。HisdeathmakesmethinkofthetimewhenIfirstsawhim，andhowfullofsympathyandinteresthewasaboutwhatIcouldtellhimofcoralreefsandSouthAmerica。Ithinkthatthissympathywiththeworkofeveryothernaturalistwasoneofthefinestfeaturesofhischaracter。HowcompletelyherevolutionisedGeology:forIcanremembersomethingofpre—Lyelliandays。
IneverforgetthatalmosteverythingwhichIhavedoneinscienceIowetothestudyofhisgreatworks。Well，hehashadagrandandhappycareer，andnooneeverworkedwithatruerzealinanoblecause。ItseemsstrangetomethatIshallneveragainsitwithhimandLadyLyellattheirbreakfast。Iamverymuchobligedtoyouforhavingsokindlywrittentome。
PraygiveourkindestremembrancestoMissLyell，andIhopethatshehasnotsufferedmuchinhealth，fromfatigueandanxiety。
Believeme，mydearMissBuckley，Yoursverysincerely，CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down，February25[1875]。
MydearHooker，Yourlettersofulloffeelinghasinterestedmegreatly。IcannotsaythatIfelthis[Lyell’s]deathmuch，forIfullyexpectedit，andhavelookedforsomelittletimeathiscareerasfinished。
Idreadednothingsomuchashissurvivingwithimpairedmentalpowers。Hewas，indeed，anoblemaninverymanyways;perhapsinnonemorethaninhiswarmsympathywiththeworkofothers。HowvividlyIcanrecallmyfirstconversationwithhim，andhowheastonishedmebyhisinterestinwhatItoldhim。Howgrandalsowashiscandourandpureloveoftruth。
Well，heisgone，andIfeelasifwewereallsoontogo……IamdeeplyrejoicedaboutWestminsterAbbey（SirC。LyellwasburiedinWestminsterAbbey。），thepossibilityofwhichhadnotoccurredtomewhenIwrotebefore。Ididthinkthathisworkswerethemostenduringofalltestimonials（asyousay）tohim;butthenIdidnotliketheideaofhispassingawaywithnooutwardsignofwhatscientificmenthoughtofhismerits。Nowallthisischanged，andnothingcanbebetterthanWestminsterAbbey。Mrs。Lyellhasaskedmetobeoneofthepall—bearers，butIhavewrittentosaythatIdarednot，asIshouldsolikelyfailinthemidstoftheceremony，andhavemyheadwhirlingoffmyshoulders。Allthisaffairmusthavecostyoumuchfatigueandworry，andhowIdowishyouwereoutofEngland……
[In1881hewrotetoMrs。FisherinreferencetoherarticleonSirCharlesLyellinthe’EncyclopaediaBritannica’:——
"ForsuchapublicationIsupposeyoudonotwanttosaymuchabouthisprivatecharacter，otherwisehisstrongsenseofhumourandloveofsocietymighthavebeenadded。Alsohisextremeinterestintheprogressoftheworld，andinthehappinessofmankind。Alsohisfreedomfromallreligiousbigotry，thoughtheseperhapswouldbeasuperfluity。"
ThefollowingreferstotheZoologicalstationatNaples，asubjectonwhichmyfatherfeltanenthusiasticinterest:]
CHARLESDARWINTOANTONDOHRN。
Down，[1875？]。
MydearDr。Dohrn，Manythanksforyourmostkindletter，Imostheartilyrejoiceatyourimprovedhealthandatthesuccessofyourgrandundertaking，whichwillhavesomuchinfluenceontheprogressofZoologythroughoutEurope。
IfwelooktoEnglandalone，whatcapitalworkhasalreadybeendoneattheStationbyBalfourandRayLankester……WhenyoucometoEngland，IsupposethatyouwillbringMrs。Dohrn，andweshallbedelightedtoseeyoubothhere。IhaveoftenboastedthatIhavehadaliveUhlaninmyhouse！ItwillbeveryinterestingtometoreadyournewviewsontheancestryoftheVertebrates。IshallbesorrytogiveuptheAscidians，towhomIfeelprofoundgratitude;butthegreatthing，asitappearstome，isthatanylinkwhatevershouldbefoundbetweenthemaindivisionsoftheAnimalKingdom……
CHARLESDARWINTOAUGUSTWEISMANN。
Down，December6，1875。
MydearSir，IhavebeenprofoundlyinterestedbyyouressayonAmblystoma（’UmwandlungdesAxolotl。’），andthinkthatyouhaveremovedagreatstumblingblockinthewayofEvolution。Ioncethoughtofreversioninthiscase;butinacrudeandimperfectmanner。Iwritenowtocallyourattentiontothesterilityofmothswhenhatchedoutoftheirproperseason;Igivereferencesinchapter18ofmy’VariationunderDomestication’（volumeii。
page157，ofEnglishedition），andthesecasesillustrate，Ithink，thesterilityofAmblystoma。WoulditnotbeworthwhiletoexaminethereproductiveorgansofthoseindividualsofWINGLESSHemipterawhichoccasionallyhavewings，asinthecaseofthebed—bug。IthinkIhaveheardthatthefemalesofMutillasometimeshavewings。Thesecasesmustbeduetoreversion。Idaresaymanyanomalouscaseswillbehereafterexplainedonthesameprinciple。
Ihintedatthisexplanationintheextraordinarycaseoftheblack—
shoulderedpeacock，theso—calledPavonigripennisgiveninmy’VariationunderDomestication;’andImighthavebeenbolder，asthevarietyisinmanyrespectsintermediatebetweenthetwoknownspecies。
Withmuchrespect，Yourssincerely，CH。DARWIN。
THEVIVISECTIONQUESTION。
[ItwasinNovember1875thatmyfathergavehisevidencebeforetheRoyalCommissiononVivisection。（Seevolumei。）Ihave，therefore，placedtogetherherethematterrelatingtothissubject，irrespectiveofdate。
Somethinghasalreadybeensaidofmyfather’sstrongfeelingwithregardtosufferingbothinmanandbeast。Itwasindeedoneofthestrongestfeelingsinhisnature，andwasexemplifiedinmatterssmallandgreat，inhissympathywiththeeducationalmiseriesofdancingdogs，orinhishorroratthesufferingsofslaves。（Heoncemadeanattempttofreeapatientinamad—house，who（ashewronglysupposed）wassane。Hehadsomecorrespondencewiththegardenerattheasylum，andononeoccasionhefoundaletterfromapatientenclosedwithonefromthegardener。Theletterwasrationalintoneanddeclaredthatthewriterwassaneandwrongfullyconfined。
MyfatherwrotetotheLunacyCommissioners（withoutexplainingthesourceofhisinformation）andinduetimeheardthatthemanhadbeenvisitedbytheCommissioners，andthathewascertainlyinsane。Sometimeafterwardsthepatientwasdischarged，andwrotetothankmyfatherforhisinterference，addingthathehadundoubtedlybeeninsane，whenhewrotehisformerletter。）
Theremembranceofscreams，orothersoundsheardinBrazil，whenhewaspowerlesstointerferewithwhathebelievedtobethetortureofaslave，hauntedhimforyears，especiallyatnight。Insmallermatters，wherehecouldinterfere，hedidsovigorously。Hereturnedonedayfromhiswalkpaleandfaintfromhavingseenahorseill—used，andfromtheagitationofviolentlyremonstratingwiththeman。Onanotheroccasionhesawahorse—
breakerteachinghissontoride，thelittleboywasfrightenedandthemanwasrough;myfatherstopped，andjumpingoutofthecarriagereprovedthemaninnomeasuredterms。
Oneotherlittleincidentmaybementioned，showingthathishumanitytoanimalswaswell—knowninhisownneighbourhood。Avisitor，drivingfromOrpingtontoDown，toldthemantogofaster，"Why，"saidthedriver，"IfI
hadwhippedthehorseTHISmuch，drivingMr。Darwin，hewouldhavegotoutofthecarriageandabusedmewell。"
Withrespecttothespecialpointunderconsideration，——thesufferingsofanimalssubjectedtoexperiment，——nothingcouldshowastrongerfeelingthanthefollowingextractfromalettertoProfessorRayLankester（March22，1871）:——
"Youaskaboutmyopiniononvivisection。Iquiteagreethatitisjustifiableforrealinvestigationsonphysiology;butnotformeredamnableanddetestablecuriosity。Itisasubjectwhichmakesmesickwithhorror，soIwillnotsayanotherwordaboutit，elseIshallnotsleepto—night。"
AnextractfromSirThomasFarrer’snotesshowshowstronglyheexpressedhimselfinasimilarmannerinconversation:——
"ThelasttimeIhadanyconversationwithhimwasatmyhouseinBryanstonSquare，justbeforeoneofhislastseizures。Hewasthendeeplyinterestedinthevivisectionquestion;andwhathesaidmadeadeepimpressiononme。Hewasamaneminentlyfondofanimalsandtendertothem;hewouldnotknowinglyhaveinflictedpainonalivingcreature;butheentertainedthestrongestopinionthattoprohibitexperimentsonlivinganimals，wouldbetoputastoptotheknowledgeofandtheremediesforpainanddisease。"
TheAnti—Vivisectionagitation，towhichthefollowinglettersrefer，seemstohavebecomespeciallyactivein1874，asmaybeseen，e。g。bytheindexto’Nature’forthatyear，inwhichtheword"Vivisection，"suddenlycomesintoprominence。Butbeforethatdatethesubjecthadreceivedtheearnestattentionofbiologists。ThusattheLiverpoolMeetingoftheBritishAssociationin1870，aCommitteewasappointed，whichreported，definingthecircumstancesandconditionsunderwhich，intheopinionofthesignatories，experimentsonlivinganimalswerejustifiable。Inthespringof1875，LordHartismereintroducedaBillintotheUpperHousetoregulatethecourseofphysiologicalresearch。ShortlyafterwardsaBillmorejusttowardsscienceinitsprovisionswasintroducedtotheHouseofCommonsbyMessrs。LyonPlayfair，Walpole，andAshley。Itwas，however，withdrawnontheappointmentofaRoyalCommissiontoinquireintothewholequestion。
TheCommissionerswereLordsCardwellandWinmarleigh，Mr。W。E。Forster，SirJ。B。Karslake，Mr。Huxley，ProfessorErichssen，andMr。R。H。Hutton:
theycommencedtheirinquiryinJuly，1875，andtheReportwaspublishedearlyinthefollowingyear。
Intheearlysummerof1876，LordCarnarvon’sBill，entitled，"AnActtoamendtheLawrelatingtoCrueltytoAnimals，"wasintroduced。ItcannotbedeniedthattheframersofthisBill，yieldingtotheunreasonableclamourofthepublic，wentfarbeyondtherecommendationsoftheRoyalCommission。Asacorrespondentin’Nature’putit（1876，page248），"theevidenceonthestrengthofwhichlegislationwasrecommendedwentbeyondthefacts，theReportwentbeyondtheevidence，theRecommendationsbeyondtheReport;andtheBillcanhardlybesaidtohavegonebeyondtheRecommendations;butrathertohavecontradictedthem。"
Thelegislationwhichmyfatherworkedfor，asdescribedinthefollowingletters，waspracticallywhatwasintroducedasDr。LyonPlayfair’sBill。]
CHARLESDARWINTOMRS。LITCHFIELD。（Hisdaughter。）
January4，1875。
MydearH。
Yourletterhasledmetothinkovervivisection（Iwishsomenewwordlikeanaes—sectioncouldbeinvented（Hecommunicatedto’Nature’（September30，1880）anarticlebyDr。Wilder，ofCornellUniversity，anabstractofwhichwaspublished（page517）。Dr。Wilderadvocatedtheuseoftheword’Callisection’forpainlessoperationsonanimals。）forsomehours，andI
willjotdownmyconclusions，whichwillappearveryunsatisfactorytoyou。
Ihavelongthoughtphysiologyoneofthegreatestofsciences，suresooner，ormoreprobablylater，greatlytobenefitmankind;but，judgingfromallothersciences，thebenefitswillaccrueonlyindirectlyinthesearchforabstracttruth。Itiscertainthatphysiologycanprogressonlybyexperimentsonlivinganimals。Thereforetheproposaltolimitresearchtopointsofwhichwecannowseethebearingsinregardtohealth，etc。，I
lookataspuerile。Ithoughtatfirstitwouldbegoodtolimitvivisectiontopubliclaboratories;butIhaveheardonlyofthoseinLondonandCambridge，andIthinkOxford;butprobablytheremaybeafewothers。Thereforeonlymenlivinginafewgreattownswouldcarryoninvestigation，andthisIshouldconsideragreatevil。Ifprivatemenwerepermittedtoworkintheirownhouses，andrequiredalicence，Idonotseewhoistodeterminewhetheranyparticularmanshouldreceiveone。
Itisyoungunknownmenwhoarethemostlikelytodogoodwork。Iwouldgladlypunishseverelyanyonewhooperatedonananimalnotrenderedinsensible，iftheexperimentmadethispossible;buthereagainIdonotseethatamagistrateorjurycouldpossiblydeterminesuchapoint。
ThereforeIconclude，if（asislikely）someexperimentshavebeentriedtoooften，oranaestheticshavenotbeenusedwhentheycouldhavebeen，thecuremustbeintheimprovementofhumanitarianfeelings。UnderthispointofviewIhaverejoicedatthepresentagitation。Ifstringentlawsarepassed，andthisislikely，seeinghowunscientifictheHouseofCommonsis，andthatthegentlemenofEnglandarehumane，aslongastheirsportsarenotconsidered，whichentailedahundredorthousand—foldmoresufferingthantheexperimentsofphysiologists——ifsuchlawsarepassed，theresultwillassuredlybethatphysiology，whichhasbeenuntilwithinthelastfewyearsatastandstillinEngland，willlanguishorquitecease。ItwillthenbecarriedonsolelyontheContinent;andtherewillbesomanythefewerworkersonthisgrandsubject，andthisIshouldgreatlyregret。Bytheway，F。Balfour，whohasworkedfortwoorthreeyearsinthelaboratoryatCambridge，declarestoGeorgethathehasneverseenanexperiment，exceptwithanimalsrenderedinsensible。NodoubtthenamesofDoctorswillhavegreatweightwiththeHouseofCommons;butverymanypractitionersneitherknownorcareanythingabouttheprogressofknowledge。Icannotatpresentseemywaytosignanypetition，withouthearingwhatphysiologiststhoughtwouldbeitseffect，andthenjudgingformyself。IcertainlycouldnotsignthepapersentmebyMissCobbe，withitsmonstrous（asitseemstome）attackonVirchowforexperimentingontheTrichinae。Iamtiredandsonomore。
Yoursaffectionately，CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down，April14[1875]。
MydearHooker，IworkedallthetimeinLondononthevivisectionquestion;andwenowthinkitadvisabletogofurtherthanamerepetition。Litchfield（Mr。
R。B。Litchfield，hisson—in—law。）drewupasketchofaBill，theessentialfeaturesofwhichhavebeenapprovedbySanderson，SimonandHuxley，andfromconversation，will，Ibelieve，beapprovedbyPaget，andalmostcertainly，Ithink，byMichaelFoster。Sanderson，SimonandPagetwishmetoseeLordDerby，andendeavourtogainhisadvocacywiththeHomeSecretary。Now，ifthisiscarriedintoeffect，itwillbeofgreatimportancetometobeabletosaythattheBillinitsessentialfeatureshastheapprovalofsomehalf—dozeneminentscientificmen。IhavethereforeaskedLitchfieldtoencloseacopytoyouinitsfirstroughform;andifitisnotessentiallymodifiedmayIsaythatitmeetswithyourapprovalasPresidentoftheRoyalSociety？Theobjectistoprotectanimals，andatthesametimenottoinjurePhysiology，andHuxleyandSanderson’sapprovalalmostsufficesonthishead。Prayletmehavealinefromyousoon。
Yoursaffectionately，CHARLESDARWIN。
[ThePhysiologicalSociety，whichwasfoundedin1876，wasinsomemeasuretheoutcomeoftheanti—vivisectionmovement，sinceitwasthisagitationwhichimpressedonPhysiologiststheneedofacentreforthoseengagedinthisparticularbranchofscience。WithrespecttotheSociety，myfatherwrotetoMr。Romanes（May29，1876）:——
"IwasverymuchgratifiedbythewhollyunexpectedhonourofbeingelectedoneoftheHonoraryMembers。Thismarkofsympathyhaspleasedmetoaveryhighdegree。"
Thefollowingletterappearedinthe"Times"，April18th，1881:]
CHARLESDARWINTOFRITHIOFHOLMGREN。（ProfessorofPhysiologyatUpsala。）
Down，April14，1881。
DearSir，InanswertoyourcourteousletterofApril7，Ihavenoobjectiontoexpressmyopinionwithrespecttotherightofexperimentingonlivinganimals。Iusethislatterexpressionasmorecorrectandcomprehensivethanthatofvivisection。Youareatlibertytomakeanyuseofthisletterwhichyoumaythinkfit，butifpublishedIshouldwishthewholetoappear。Ihaveallmylifebeenastrongadvocateforhumanitytoanimals，andhavedonewhatIcouldinmywritingstoenforcethisduty。Severalyearsago，whentheagitationagainstphysiologistscommencedinEngland，itwasassertedthatinhumanitywasherepractised，anduselesssufferingcausedtoanimals;andIwasledtothinkthatitmightbeadvisabletohaveanActofParliamentonthesubject。IthentookanactivepartintryingtogetaBillpassed，suchaswouldhaveremovedalljustcauseofcomplaint，andatthesametimehaveleftphysiologistsfreetopursuetheirresearches，——aBillverydifferentfromtheActwhichhassincebeenpassed。ItisrighttoaddthattheinvestigationofthematterbyaRoyalCommissionprovedthattheaccusationsmadeagainstourEnglishphysiologistswerefalse。FromallthatIhaveheard，however，IfearthatinsomepartsofEuropelittleregardispaidtothesufferingsofanimals，andifthisbethecase，Ishouldbegladtohearoflegislationagainstinhumanityinanysuchcountry。Ontheotherhand，Iknowthatphysiologycannotpossiblyprogressexceptbymeansofexperimentsonlivinganimals，andIfeelthedeepestconvictionthathewhoretardstheprogressofphysiologycommitsacrimeagainstmankind。Anyonewhoremembers，asI
can，thestateofthissciencehalfacenturyago，mustadmitthatithasmadeimmenseprogress，anditisnowprogressingatanever—increasingrate。Whatimprovementsinmedicalpracticemaybedirectlyattributedtophysiologicalresearchisaquestionwhichcanbeproperlydiscussedonlybythosephysiologistsandmedicalpractitionerswhohavestudiedthehistoryoftheirsubjects;but，asfarasIcanlearn，thebenefitsarealreadygreat。