Iamlivingveryquietly，andthereforepleasantly，andamcrawlingonslowlybutsteadilywithmywork。Ihavecometooneconclusion，whichyouwillthinkprovesmetobeaverysensibleman，namely，thatwhateveryousayprovesright;andasaproofofthis，Iamcomingintoyourwayofonlyworkingabouttwohoursataspell;Ithengooutanddomybusinessinthestreets，returnandsettoworkagain，andthusmaketwoseparatedaysoutofone。Thenewplananswerscapitally;afterthesecondhalfdayisfinishedIgoanddineattheAthenaeumlikeagentleman，orratherlikealord，forIamsurethefirsteveningIsatinthatgreatdrawing—room，allonasofabymyself，Ifeltjustlikeaduke。IamfullofadmirationattheAthenaeum，onemeetssomanypeopletherethatonelikestosee。TheveryfirsttimeIdinedthere（i。e。lastweek）ImetDr。Fitton（W。H。
　　Fitton（1780—1861）wasaphysicianandgeologist，andsometimepresidentoftheGeologicalSociety。Heestablishedthe’Proceedings，’amodeofpublicationafterwardsadoptedbyothersocieties。）atthedoor，andhegottogetherquiteaparty——RobertBrown，whoisgonetoParisandAuvergne，Macleay[？]andDr。Boott。（FrancisBoott（1792—1863）ischieflyknownasabotanistthroughhisworkonthegenusCarex。Hewasalsowell—knowninconnectionwiththeLinneanSocietyofwhichhewasformanyyearsanoffice—bearer。Heisdescribed（inabiographicalsketchpublishedinthe"Gardener’sChronicle"，1864）ashavingbeenoneofthefirstphysiciansinLondonwhogaveupthecustomaryblackcoat，knee—breechesandsilkstockings，andadoptedtheordinarydressoftheperiod，abluecoatwithbrassbuttons，andabuffwaiscoat，acostumewhichhecontinuedtoweartothelast。Aftergivinguppractice，whichhedidearlyinlife，hespentmuchofhistimeinactsofunpretendingphilanthropy。）YourhelpingmeintotheAthenaeumhasnotbeenthrownaway，andIenjoyitthemorebecauseIfullyexpectedtodetestit。
　　Iamwritingyouamostunmercifulletter，butIshallgetOwentotakeittoNewcastle。IfyouhaveamindtobeaverygenerousmanyouwillwritetomefromKinnordy（ThehouseofLyell’sfather。），andtellmesomeNewcastlenews，aswellasabouttheCraig，andaboutyourselfandMrs。
　　Lyell，andeverythingelseintheworld。IwillsendbyHallthe’EntomologicalTransactions，’whichIhaveborrowedforyou;youwillbedisappointedin——’spapers，thatisifyousupposemydearfriendhasasingleclearideauponanyonesubject。HehassoinvolvedrecentinsectsandtruefossilinsectsinonetablethatIfearyouwillnotmakemuchoutofit，thoughitisasubjectwhichoughtIshouldthinktocomeintothe’Principles。’Youwillbeamusedatsomeoftheridiculo—sublimepassagesinthepapers，andnodoubtwillfeelacutelyasneerthereisatyourself。
　　IhaveheardfrommorethanonequarterthatquarrellingisexpectedatNewcastle（AtthemeetingoftheBritishAssociation。）;Iamsorrytohearit。Imetold——thiseveningattheAthenaeum，andhemutteredsomethingaboutwritingtoyouorsomeoneonthesubject;Iamhoweverallinthedark。Isuppose，however，Ishallbeilluminated，forIamgoingtodinewithhiminafewdays，asmyinventivepowersfailedinmakinganyexcuse。
　　Afriendofminedinedwithhimtheotherday，apartyoffour，andtheyfinishedtenbottlesofwine——apleasantprospectforme;butIamdeterminednoteventotastehiswine，partlyforthefunofseeinghisinfinitedisgustandsurprise……
　　Ipityyoutheinflictionofthismostunmercifulletter。PrayremembermemostkindlytoMrs。LyellwhenyouarriveatKinnordy。Isawhernameinthelandlord’sbookofInverorum。TellMrs。Lyelltoreadthesecondseriesof’Mr。SlickofSlickville’sSayings。’……Healmostbeats"Samivel，"
　　thatprinceofheroes。Goodnight，mydearLyell;youwillthinkIhavebeendrinkingsomestrongdrinktowritesomuchnonsense，butIdidnoteventasteMinerva’ssmallbeerto—day。
　　Yoursmostsincerely，CHAS。DARWIN。
　　CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
　　Fridaynight，September13th[1838]。
　　MydearLyell，Iwasastonishedanddelightedatyourgloriouslylongletter，andIamsureIamverymuchobligedtoMrs。Lyellforhavingtakenthetroubletowritesomuch。（Lyelldictatedmuchofhiscorrespondence。）Imeantohaveagoodhour’senjoymentandscribbleawaytoyou，whohavesomuchgeologicalsympathythatIdonotcarehowegotisticallyIwrite……
　　IhavegotsomuchtosayaboutallsortsoftriflingthingsthatIhardlyknowwhattobeginabout。IneednotsayhowpleasedIamtohearthatMr。
　　Lyell（Fatherofthegeologist。）likesmyJournal。Tohearsuchtidingsisakindofresurrection，forIfeeltowardsmyfirst—bornchildasifithadlongsincebeendead，buried，andforgotten;butthepastisnothingandthefutureeverythingtousgeologists，asyoushowinyourcapitalmottotothe’Elements。’Bytheway，haveyoureadthearticle，inthe’EdinburghReview，’onM。Comte，’CoursdelaPhilosophie’（orsomesuchtitle）？Itiscapital;therearesomefinesentencesabouttheveryessenceofsciencebeingprediction，whichremindedmeof"itslawbeingprogress。"
　　Iwillnowbeginandgothroughyourletterseriatim。IdaresayyourplanofputtingtheEliedeBeaumont’schapterseparatelyandearlywillbeverygood;anyhow，itisshowingaboldfrontinthefirsteditionwhichistobetranslatedintoFrench。Itwillbeacuriouspointtogeologistshereaftertonotehowlongaman’snamewillsupportatheorysocompletelyexposedasthatofDeBeaumont’shasbeenbyyou;yousayyou"begintohopethatthegreatprinciplesthereinsistedonwillstandthetestoftime。"BEGINTOHOPE:why，thePOSSIBILITYofadoubthasnevercrossedmymindformanyaday。Thismaybeveryunphilosophical，butmygeologicalsalvationisstakedonit。AfterhavingjustcomebackfromGlenRoy，andfoundhowdifficultiessmoothawayunderyourprinciples，itmakesmequiteindignantthatyoushouldtalkofHOPING。Withrespecttothequestion，howfarmycoraltheorybearsonDeBeaumont’stheory，I
　　thinkitwouldbeprudenttoquotemewithgreatcautionuntilmywholeaccountispublished，andthenyou（andothers）canjudgehowfarthereisfoundationforsuchgeneralisation。Mind，Idonotdoubtitstruth;buttheextensionofanyviewoversuchlargespaces，fromcomparativelyfewfacts，mustbereceivedwithmuchcaution。Idonotmyselftheleastdoubtthatwithintherecent（orasyou，muchtomyannoyment，wouldcallit，"NewPliocene"）period，tortuousbands——notallthebandsparalleltoeachother——havebeenelevatedandcorrespondingonessubsided，thoughwithinthesameperiodsomepartsprobablyremainedforatimestationary，orevensubsided。Idonotbelieveamoreutterlyfalseviewcouldhavebeeninventedthangreatstraightlinesbeingsuddenlythrownup。
　　WhenmybookonVolcanoesandCoralReefswillbepublishedIhardlyknow;
　　Ifearitwillbeatleastfourorfivemonths;though，mind，thegreaterpartiswritten。Ifindsomuchtimeislostincorrectingdetailsandascertainingtheiraccuracy。TheGovernmentZoologicalworkisamillstoneroundmyneck，andtheGlenRoypaperhaslostmesixweeks。Iwillnot，however，saylost;for，supposingIcanprovetoothers’satisfactionwhatIhaveconvincedmyselfisthecase，theinferenceIthinkyouwillallowtobeimportant。Icannotdoubtthatthemoltenmatterbeneaththeearth’scrustpossessesahighdegreeoffluidity，almostliketheseabeneaththeblockice。Bytheway，IhopeyouwillgivemesomeSwedishcasetoquote，ofshellsbeingpreservedonthesurface，butnotincontemporaneousbedsofgravel……
　　RememberwhatIhaveoftenheardyousay:thecountryisverybadfortheintellects;theScotchmistswillputoutsomevolcanicspeculations。YouseeIamaffectingtobecomeveryCockneyfied，andtodespisethepoorcountry—folk，whobreathfreshairinsteadofsmoke，andseethegoodlyfieldsinsteadofthebrickhousesinMarlboroughStreet，theverysightofwhichIconfessIabhor。IamgladtohearwhatafavourablereportyougiveoftheBritishAssociation。IamthemorepleasedbecauseIhavebeenfightingitsbattleswithBasilHall，Stokes，andseveralothers，havingmadeupmymind，fromthereportinthe"Athenaeum"，thatitmusthavebeenanexcellentmeeting。IhavebeenmuchamusedwithanaccountIhavereceivedofthewarsofDonRoderick（Murchison。）andBabbage。Whatagrievouspityitisthatthelattershouldbesoimplacable……Thisisamostrigmaroleletter，foraftereachsentenceItakebreath，andyouwillhaveneedofitinreadingit……
　　IwishwithallmyheartthatmyGeologicalbookwasout。Ihaveeverymotivetoworkhard，andwill，followingyoursteps，workjustthatdegreeofhardnesstokeepwell。Ishouldlikemyvolumetobeoutbeforeyourneweditionof’Principles’appears。BesidestheCoraltheory，thevolcanicchapterswill，Ithink，containsomenewfacts。Ihavelatelybeensadlytemptedtobeidle——thatis，asfaraspuregeologyisconcerned——bythedelightfulnumberofnewviewswhichhavebeencominginthicklyandsteadily，——ontheclassificationandaffinitiesandinstinctsofanimals——bearingonthequestionofspecies。Note—bookafternote—bookhasbeenfilledwithfactswhichbegintogroupthemselvesCLEARLYundersub—laws。
　　Goodnight，mydearLyell。IhavefilledmyletterandenjoyedmytalktoyouasmuchasIcanwithouthavingyouinpropriapersona。Thinkofthebadeffectsofthecountry——sooncemoregoodnight。
　　Everyours，CHAS。DARWIN。
　　PrayagaingivemybestthankstoMrs。Lyell。
　　[Therecordofwhathewroteduringtheyeardoesnotgiveatrueindexofthemostimportantworkthatwasinprogress，——thelayingofthefoundation—stonesofwhatwastobetheachievementofhislife。ThisisshownintheforegoinglettertoLyell，wherehespeaksofbeing"idle，"
　　andthefollowingextractfromalettertoFox，writteninJune，isofinterestinthispointofview:
　　"Iamdelightedtohearyouaresuchagoodmanasnottohaveforgottenmyquestionsaboutthecrossingofanimals。Itismyprimehobby，andI
　　reallythinksomedayIshallbeabletodosomethinginthatmostintricatesubject，speciesandvarieties。"]
　　1839—1841。
　　[Inthewinterof1839{January29）myfatherwasmarriedtohiscousin，EmmaWedgwood。（DaughterofJosiahWedgwoodofMaer，andgrand—daughterofthefounderoftheEtruriaPotteryWorks。）Thehouseinwhichtheylivedforthefirstfewyearsoftheirmarriedlife，No。12UpperGowerStreet，wasasmallcommon—placeLondonhouse，withadrawing—roominfront，andasmallroombehind，inwhichtheylivedforthesakeofquietness。Inlateryearsmyfatherusedtolaughoverthesurpassinguglinessofthefurniture，carpets，etc。，oftheGowerStreethouse。TheonlyredeemingfeaturewasabettergardenthanmostLondonhouseshave，astripaswideasthehouse，andthirtyyardslong。EventhissmallspaceofdingygrassmadetheirLondonhousemoretolerabletoitstwocountry—bredinhabitants。
　　OfhislifeinLondonhewritestoFox（October1839）:"Wearelivingalifeofextremequietness;Delamereitself，whichyoudescribeassosecludedaspot，is，Iwillanswerforit，quitedissipatedcomparedwithGowerStreet。Wehavegivenupallparties，fortheyagreewithneitherofus;andifoneisquietinLondon，thereisnothinglikeitsquietness——
　　thereisagrandeuraboutitssmokyfogs，andthedulldistantsoundsofcabsandcoaches;infactyoumayperceiveIambecomingathorough—pacedCockney，andIgloryinthoughtsthatIshallbehereforthenextsixmonths。"
　　TheentriesofillhealthintheDiaryincreaseinnumberduringtheseyears，andasaconsequencetheholidaysbecomelongerandmorefrequent。
　　>FromApril26toMay13，1839，hewasatMaerandShrewsbury。Again，fromAugust23toOctober2hewasawayfromLondonatMaer，Shrewsbury，andatBirminghamforthemeetingoftheBritishAssociation。
　　TheentryunderAugust1839is:"DuringmyvisittoMaer，readalittle，wasmuchunwellandscandalouslyidle。Ihavederivedthismuchgood，thatNOTHINGissointolerableasidleness。"
　　Attheendof1839hiseldestchildwasborn，anditwasthenthathebeganhisobservationsultimatelypublishedinthe’ExpressionoftheEmotions。’
　　Hisbookonthissubject，andtheshortpaperpublishedin’Mind，’（July1877。）showhowcloselyheobservedhischild。Heseemstohavebeensurprisedathisownfeelingsforayoungbaby，forhewrotetoFox（July1840）:"He[i。e。thebaby]issocharmingthatIcannotpretendtoanymodesty。Idefyanybodytoflatterusonourbaby，forIdefyanyonetosayanythinginitspraiseofwhichwearenotfullyconscious……Ihadnotthesmallestconceptiontherewassomuchinafive—monthbaby。YouwillperceivebythisthatIhaveafinedegreeofpaternalfervour。"
　　Duringtheseyearsheworkedintermittentlyat’CoralReefs，’beingconstantlyinterruptedbyillhealth。Thushespeaksof"recommencing"thesubjectinFebruary1839，andagainintheOctoberofthesameyear，andoncemoreinJuly1841，"aftermorethanthirteenmonths’interval。"HisotherscientificworkconsistedofacontributiontotheGeologicalSociety（’Geol。Soc。Proc。’iii。1842，and’Geol。Soc。Trans。’vi），onthebouldersand"till"ofSouthAmerica，aswellasafewotherminorpapersongeologicalsubjects。HealsoworkedbusilyattheornithologicalpartoftheZoologyofthe"Beagle"，i。e。thenoticeofthehabitsandrangesofthebirdswhichweredescribedbyGould。]
　　CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
　　Wednesdaymorning[February1840]。
　　MydearLyell，Manythanksforyourkindnote。Iwillsendforthe"Scotsman"。Dr。
　　Hollandthinkshehasfoundoutwhatisthematterwithme，andnowhopesheshallbeabletosetmegoingagain。Isitnotmortifying，itisnownineweekssinceIhavedoneawholeday’swork，andnotmorethanfourhalfdays。ButIwon’tgrumbleanymore，thoughitishardworktopreventdoingso。SincereceivingyournoteIhavereadovermychapteronCoral，andfindIampreparedtostandbyalmosteverything;itismuchmorecautiouslyandaccuratelywrittenthanIthought。Ihadsetmyheartuponhavingmyvolumecompletedbeforeyournewedition，butnot，youmaybelieveme，foryoutonoticeanythingnewinit（forthereisverylittlebesidesdetails），butyouaretheonemaninEuropewhoseopinionofthegeneraltruthofatoughishargumentIshouldbealwaysmostanxioustohear。MyMS。isinsuchconfusion，otherwiseIamsureyoushouldmostwillinglyifithadbeenworthyourwhile，havelookedatanypartyouchoose……
　　[InalettertoFox（January1841）heshowsthathis"Specieswork"wasstilloccupyinghismind:——
　　"IfyouattendatalltoNaturalHistoryIsendyouthisP。S。asamemento，thatIcontinuetocollectallkindsoffactsabout’VarietiesandSpecies，’formysome—dayworktobesoentitled;thesmallestcontributionsthankfullyaccepted;descriptionsofoffspringofallcrossesbetweenalldomesticbirdsandanimals，dogs，cats，etc。，etc。，veryvaluable。Don’tforget，ifyourhalf—bredAfricancatshoulddiethatI
　　shouldbeverymuchobligedforitscarcasesentupinalittlehamperfortheskeleton;it，oranycross—bredpigeons，fowl，duck，etc。，etc。，willbemoreacceptablethanthefinesthaunchofvenison，orthefinestturtle。"
　　Laterintheyear（September）hewritestoFoxabouthishealth，andalsowithreferencetohisplanofmovingintothecountry:——
　　"Ihavesteadilybeengainingground，andreallybelievenowIshallsomedaybequitestrong。IwritedailyforacoupleofhoursonmyCoralvolume，andtakealittlewalkorrideeveryday。Igrowverytiredintheevenings，andamnotabletogooutatthattime，orhardlytoreceivemynearestrelations;butmylifeceasestobeburdensomenowthatIcandosomething。WearetakingstepstoleaveLondon，andliveabouttwentymilesfromitonsomerailway。"]
　　1842。
　　[Therecordofworkincludeshisvolumeon’CoralReefs’（AnoticeoftheCoralReefworkappearedintheGeograph。Soc。Journal，xii。，page115。），themanuscriptofwhichwasatlastsenttotheprintersinJanuaryofthisyear，andthelastproofcorrectedinMay。Hethuswritesoftheworkinhisdiary:——
　　"Icommencedthisworkthreeyearsandsevenmonthsago。Outofthisperiodabouttwentymonths（besidesworkduring"Beagle’s"voyage）hasbeenspentonit，andbesidesit，IhaveonlycompiledtheBirdpartofZoology;
　　AppendixtoJournal，paperonBoulders，andcorrectedpapersonGlenRoyandearthquakes，readingonspecies，andrestalllostbyillness。"
　　InMayandJunehewasatShrewsburyandMaer，whencehewentontomakethelittletourinWales，ofwhichhespokeinhis’Recollections，’andofwhichtheresultswerepublishedas"NotesontheeffectsproducedbytheancientglaciersofCaernarvonshire，andontheBoulderstransportedbyfloatingIce。"（’PhilosophicalMagazine，’1842，page352。）
　　Mr。ArchibaldGeikiespeaksofthispaperasstanding"almostatthetopofthelonglistofEnglishcontributionstothehistoryoftheIceAge。"
　　CharlesDarwin，’Nature’Series，page23。）
　　ThelatterpartofthisyearbelongstotheperiodincludingthesettlementatDown，andisthereforedealtwithinanotherchapter。]
　　CHAPTER1。VIII。
　　RELIGION。
　　[Thehistoryofthispartofmyfather’slifemayjustlyincludesomementionofhisreligiousviews。Foralthough，ashepointsout，hedidnotgivecontinuoussystematicthoughttoreligiousquestions，yetweknowfromhisownwordsthataboutthistime（1836—39）thesubjectwasmuchbeforehismind。
　　Inhispublishedworkshewasreticentonthematterofreligion，andwhathehasleftonthesubjectwasnotwrittenwithaviewtopublication。（Asanexceptionmaybementioned，afewwordsofconcurrencewithDr。Abbot’s’TruthsfortheTimes，’whichmyfatherallowedtobepublishedinthe"Index"。）
　　Ibelievethathisreticencearosefromseveralcauses。Hefeltstronglythataman’sreligionisanessentiallyprivatematter，andoneconcerninghimselfalone。Thisisindicatedbythefollowingextractfromaletterof1879:——（AddressedtoMr。J。Fordyce，andpublishedbyhiminhis’AspectsofScepticism，’1883。）
　　"Whatmyownviewsmaybeisaquestionofnoconsequencetoanyonebutmyself。But，asyouask，Imaystatethatmyjudgmentoftenfluctuates……InmymostextremefluctuationsIhaveneverbeenanAtheistinthesenseofdenyingtheexistenceofaGod。Ithinkthatgenerally（andmoreandmoreasIgrowolder），butnotalways，thatanAgnosticwouldbethemorecorrectdescriptionofmystateofmind。"
　　Henaturallyshrankfromwoundingthesensibilitiesofothersinreligiousmatters，andhewasalsoinfluencedbytheconsciousnessthatamanoughtnottopublishonasubjecttowhichhehasnotgivenspecialandcontinuousthought。ThathefeltthiscautiontoapplytohimselfinthematterofreligionisshowninalettertoDr。F。E。Abbot，ofCambridge，U。S。（September6，1871）。Afterexplainingthattheweaknessarisingfromhisbadhealthpreventedhimfromfeeling"equaltodeepreflection，onthedeepestsubjectwhichcanfillaman’smind，"hegoesontosay:"Withrespecttomyformernotestoyou，Iquiteforgettheircontents。Ihavetowritemanyletters，andcanreflectbutlittleonwhatIwrite;butI
　　fullybelieveandhopethatIhaveneverwrittenaword，whichatthetimeIdidnotthink;butIthinkyouwillagreewithme，thatanythingwhichistobegiventothepublicoughttobematurelyweighedandcautiouslyput。
　　Itneveroccurredtomethatyouwouldwishtoprintanyextractfrommynotes:ifithad，Iwouldhavekeptacopy。Iput’private’fromhabit，onlyasyetpartiallyacquired，fromsomehastynotesofminehavingbeenprinted，whichwerenotintheleastdegreeworthprinting，thoughotherwiseunobjectionable。Itissimplyridiculoustosupposethatmyformernotetoyouwouldbeworthsendingtome，withanypartmarkedwhichyoudesiretoprint;butifyouliketodoso，IwillatoncesaywhetherI
　　shouldhaveanyobjection。Ifeelinsomedegreeunwillingtoexpressmyselfpubliclyonreligioussubjects，asIdonotfeelthatIhavethoughtdeeplyenoughtojustifyanypublicity。"
　　ImayalsoquotefromanotherlettertoDr。Abbot（November16，1871），inwhichmyfathergivesmorefullyhisreasonsfornotfeelingcompetenttowriteonreligiousandmoralsubjects:——
　　"IcansaywithentiretruththatIfeelhonouredbyyourrequestthatI
　　shouldbecomeacontributortothe"Index"，andammuchobligedforthedraft。Ifully，also，subscribetothepropositionthatitisthedutyofeveryonetospreadwhathebelievestobethetruth;andIhonouryoufordoingso，withsomuchdevotionandzeal。ButIcannotcomplywithyourrequestforthefollowingreasons;andexcusemeforgivingtheminsomedetail，asIshouldbeverysorrytoappearinyoureyesungracious。Myhealthisveryweak:INEVERpass24hourswithoutmanyhoursofdiscomfort，whenIcandonothingwhatever。Ihavethus，also，losttwowholeconsecutivemonthsthisseason。Owingtothisweakness，andmyheadbeingoftengiddy，Iamunabletomasternewsubjectsrequiringmuchthought，andcandealonlywitholdmaterials。AtnotimeamIaquickthinkerorwriter:whateverIhavedoneinsciencehassolelybeenbylongpondering，patienceandindustry。
　　"NowIhaveneversystematicallythoughtmuchonreligioninrelationtoscience，oronmoralsinrelationtosociety;andwithoutsteadilykeepingmymindonsuchsubjectsforaLONGperiod，Iamreallyincapableofwritinganythingworthsendingtothe’Index’。"
　　Hewasmorethanonceaskedtogivehisviewsonreligion，andhehad，asarule，noobjectiontodoingsoinaprivateletter。ThusinanswertoaDutchstudenthewrote（April2，1873）:——
　　"Iamsureyouwillexcusemywritingatlength，whenItellyouthatI
　　havelongbeenmuchoutofhealth，andamnowstayingawayfrommyhomeforrest。
　　"Itisimpossibletoansweryourquestionbriefly;andIamnotsurethatI
　　coulddoso，evenifIwroteatsomelength。ButImaysaythattheimpossibilityofconceivingthatthisgrandandwondrousuniverse，withourconsciousselves，arosethroughchance，seemstomethechiefargumentfortheexistenceofGod;butwhetherthisisanargumentofrealvalue，Ihaveneverbeenabletodecide。Iamawarethatifweadmitafirstcause，themindstillcravestoknowwhenceitcame，andhowitarose。NorcanI
　　overlookthedifficultyfromtheimmenseamountofsufferingthroughtheworld。Iam，also，inducedtodefertoacertainextenttothejudgmentofthemanyablemenwhohavefullybelievedinGod;buthereagainIseehowpooranargumentthisis。Thesafestconclusionseemstomethatthewholesubjectisbeyondthescopeofman’sintellect;butmancandohisduty。"
　　Againin1879hewasappliedtobyaGermanstudent，inasimilarmanner。
　　Theletterwasansweredbyamemberofmyfather’sfamily，whowrote:——
　　"Mr。Darwinbegsmetosaythathereceivessomanyletters，thathecannotanswerthemall。
　　"HeconsidersthatthetheoryofEvolutionisquitecompatiblewiththebeliefinaGod;butthatyoumustrememberthatdifferentpersonshavedifferentdefinitionsofwhattheymeanbyGod。"
　　This，however，didnotsatisfytheGermanyouth，whoagainwrotetomyfather，andreceivedfromhimthefollowingreply:——
　　"Iammuchengaged，anoldman，andoutofhealth，andIcannotsparetimetoansweryourquestionsfully，——norindeedcantheybeanswered。SciencehasnothingtodowithChrist，exceptinsofarasthehabitofscientificresearchmakesamancautiousinadmittingevidence。Formyself，Idonotbelievethatthereeverhasbeenanyrevelation。Asforafuturelife，everymanmustjudgeforhimselfbetweenconflictingvagueprobabilities。"
　　Thepassageswhichherefollowareextracts，somewhatabbreviated，fromapartoftheAutobiography，writtenin1876，inwhichmyfathergivesthehistoryofhisreligiousviews:——
　　"Duringthesetwoyears（October1836toJanuary1839。）Iwasledtothinkmuchaboutreligion。Whilstonboardthe’Beagle’Iwasquiteorthodox，andIrememberbeingheartilylaughedatbyseveraloftheofficers（thoughthemselvesorthodox）forquotingtheBibleasanunanswerableauthorityonsomepointofmorality。Isupposeitwasthenoveltyoftheargumentthatamusedthem。ButIhadgraduallycomebythistime，i。e。1836to1839，toseethattheOldTestamentwasnomoretobetrustedthanthesacredbooksoftheHindoos。Thequestionthencontinuallyrosebeforemymindandwouldnotbebanished，——isitcrediblethatifGodwerenowtomakearevelationtotheHindoos，hewouldpermitittobeconnectedwiththebeliefinVishnu，Siva，etc。，asChristianityisconnectedwiththeOldTestament？Thisappearedtomeutterlyincredible。
　　"ByfurtherreflectingthattheclearestevidencewouldberequisitetomakeanysanemanbelieveinthemiraclesbywhichChristianityissupported，——andthatthemoreweknowofthefixedlawsofnaturethemoreincredibledomiraclesbecome，——thatthemenatthattimewereignorantandcreduloustoadegreealmostincomprehensiblebyus，——thattheGospelscannotbeprovedtohavebeenwrittensimultaneouslywiththeevents，——thattheydifferinmanyimportantdetails，fartooimportant，asitseemedtome，tobeadmittedastheusualinaccuraciesofeye—witnesses;——bysuchreflectionsasthese，whichIgivenotashavingtheleastnoveltyorvalue，butastheyinfluencedme，IgraduallycametodisbelieveinChristianityasadivinerevelation。Thefactthatmanyfalsereligionshavespreadoverlargeportionsoftheearthlikewild—firehadsomeweightwithme。
　　"ButIwasveryunwillingtogiveupmybelief;Ifeelsureofthis，forI
　　canwellrememberoftenandofteninventingday—dreamsofoldlettersbetweendistinguishedRomans，andmanuscriptsbeingdiscoveredatPompeiiorelsewhere，whichconfirmedinthemoststrikingmannerallthatwaswrittenintheGospels。ButIfounditmoreandmoredifficult，withfreescopegiventomyimagination，toinventevidencewhichwouldsufficetoconvinceme。Thusdisbeliefcreptovermeataveryslowrate，butwasatlastcomplete。TheratewassoslowthatIfeltnodistress。
　　"AlthoughIdidnotthinkmuchabouttheexistenceofapersonalGoduntilaconsiderablylaterperiodofmylife，IwillheregivethevagueconclusionstowhichIhavebeendriven。TheoldargumentfromdesigninNature，asgivenbyPaley，whichformerlyseemedtomesoconclusive，fails，nowthatthelawofnaturalselectionhasbeendiscovered。Wecannolongerarguethat，forinstance，thebeautifulhingeofabivalveshellmusthavebeenmadebyanintelligentbeing，likethehingeofadoorbyman。Thereseemstobenomoredesigninthevariabilityoforganicbeings，andintheactionofnaturalselection，thaninthecoursewhichthewindblows。ButIhavediscussedthissubjectattheendofmybookonthe’VariationsofDomesticatedAnimalsandPlants’（Myfatheraskswhetherwearetobelievethattheformsarepreordainedofthebrokenfragmentsofrocktumbledfromaprecipicewhicharefittedtogetherbymantobuildhishouses。Ifnot，whyshouldwebelievethatthevariationsofdomesticanimalsorplantsarepreordainedforthesakeofthebreeder？"Butifwegiveuptheprincipleinonecase，……noshadowofreasoncanbeassignedforthebeliefthatvariations，alikeinnatureandtheresultofthesamegenerallaws，whichhavebeenthegroundworkthroughnaturalselectionoftheformationofthemostperfectlyadaptedanimalsintheworld，manincluded，wereintentionallyandspeciallyguided。"——’TheVariationofAnimalsandPlants，’1stEditionvolumeii。page431。——F。D。），andtheargumenttheregivenhasnever，asfarasIcansee，beenanswered。
　　"Butpassingovertheendlessbeautifuladaptationswhichweeverywheremeetwith，itmaybeaskedhowcanthegenerallybeneficentarrangementoftheworldbeaccountedfor？Somewritersindeedaresomuchimpressedwiththeamountofsufferingintheworld，thattheydoubt，ifwelooktoallsentientbeings，whetherthereismoreofmiseryorofhappiness;whethertheworldasawholeisagoodorbadone。Accordingtomyjudgmenthappinessdecidedlyprevails，thoughthiswouldbeverydifficulttoprove。
　　Ifthetruthofthisconclusionbegranted，itharmoniseswellwiththeeffectswhichwemightexpectfromnaturalselection。Ifalltheindividualsofanyspecieswerehabituallytosuffertoanextremedegree，theywouldneglecttopropagatetheirkind;butwehavenoreasontobelievethatthishasever，oratleastoftenoccurred。Someotherconsiderations，moreover，leadtothebeliefthatallsentientbeingshavebeenformedsoastoenjoy，asageneralrule，happiness。
　　"Everyonewhobelieves，asIdo，thatallthecorporealandmentalorgans（exceptingthosewhichareneitheradvantageousnordisadvantageoustothepossessor）ofallbeingshavebeendevelopedthroughnaturalselection，orthesurvivalofthefittest，togetherwithuseorhabit，willadmitthattheseorganshavebeenformedsothattheirpossessorsmaycompetesuccessfullywithotherbeings，andthusincreaseinnumber。Nowananimalmaybeledtopursuethatcourseofactionwhichismostbeneficialtothespeciesbysuffering，suchaspain，hunger，thirst，andfear;orbypleasure，asineatinganddrinking，andinthepropagationofthespecies，etc。;orbybothmeanscombined，asinthesearchforfood。Butpainorsufferingofanykind，iflongcontinued，causesdepressionandlessensthepowerofaction，yetiswelladaptedtomakeacreatureguarditselfagainstanygreatorsuddenevil。Pleasurablesensations，ontheotherhand，maybelongcontinuedwithoutanydepressingeffect;onthecontrary，theystimulatethewholesystemtoincreasedaction。Henceithascometopassthatmostorallsentientbeingshavebeendevelopedinsuchamanner，throughnaturalselection，thatpleasurablesensationsserveastheirhabitualguides。Weseethisinthepleasurefromexertion，evenoccasionallyfromgreatexertionofthebodyormind，——inthepleasureofourdailymeals，andespeciallyinthepleasurederivedfromsociability，andfromlovingourfamilies。Thesumofsuchpleasuresasthese，whicharehabitualorfrequentlyrecurrent，give，asIcanhardlydoubt，tomostsentientbeingsanexcessofhappinessovermisery，althoughmanyoccasionallysuffermuch。SuchsufferingisquitecompatiblewiththebeliefinNaturalSelection，whichisnotperfectinitsaction，buttendsonlytorendereachspeciesassuccessfulaspossibleinthebattleforlifewithotherspecies，inwonderfullycomplexandchangingcircumstances。
　　"Thatthereismuchsufferingintheworldnoonedisputes。Somehaveattemptedtoexplainthiswithreferencetomanbyimaginingthatitservesforhismoralimprovement。Butthenumberofmenintheworldisasnothingcomparedwiththatofallothersentientbeings，andtheyoftensuffergreatlywithoutanymoralimprovement。ThisveryoldargumentfromtheexistenceofsufferingagainsttheexistenceofanintelligentFirstCauseseemstomeastrongone;whereas，asjustremarked，thepresenceofmuchsufferingagreeswellwiththeviewthatallorganicbeingshavebeendevelopedthroughvariationandnaturalselection。
　　"AtthepresentdaythemostusualargumentfortheexistenceofanintelligentGodisdrawnfromthedeepinwardconvictionandfeelingswhichareexperiencedbymostpersons。
　　"FormerlyIwasledbyfeelingssuchasthosejustreferredto（althoughI
　　donotthinkthatthereligioussentimentwaseverstronglydevelopedinme），tothefirmconvictionoftheexistenceofGod，andoftheimmortalityofthesoul。InmyJournalIwrotethatwhilststandinginthemidstofthegrandeurofaBrazilianforest，"itisnotpossibletogiveanadequateideaofthehigherfeelingsofwonder，admiration，anddevotion，whichfillandelevatethemind。"Iwellremembermyconvictionthatthereismoreinmanthanthemerebreathofhisbody。Butnowthegrandestsceneswouldnotcauseanysuchconvictionsandfeelingstoriseinmymind。ItmaybetrulysaidthatIamlikeamanwhohasbecomecolour—blind，andtheuniversalbeliefbymenoftheexistenceofrednessmakesmypresentlossofperceptionofnottheleastvalueasevidence。ThisargumentwouldbeavalidoneifallmenofallraceshadthesameinwardconvictionoftheexistenceofoneGod;butweknowthatthisisveryfarfrombeingthecase。ThereforeIcannotseethatsuchinwardconvictionsandfeelingsareofanyweightasevidenceofwhatreallyexists。Thestateofmindwhichgrandscenesformerlyexcitedinme，andwhichwasintimatelyconnectedwithabeliefinGod，didnotessentiallydifferfromthatwhichisoftencalledthesenseofsublimity;andhoweverdifficultitmaybetoexplainthegenesisofthissense，itcanhardlybeadvancedasanargumentfortheexistenceofGod，anymorethanthepowerfulthoughvagueandsimilarfeelingsexcitedbymusic。