[Aquotationfromanotherletter(1846)toFitz—Roymaybeworthgiving,asshowingmyfather’saffectionateremembranceofhisoldCaptain。
"Farewell,dearFitz—Roy,Ioftenthinkofyourmanyactsofkindnesstome,andnotseldomestonthetime,nodoubtquiteforgottenbyyou,when,beforemakingMadeira,youcameandarrangedmyhammockwithyourownhands,andwhich,asIafterwardsheard,broughttearsintomyfather’seyes。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
[Down,September5,1843。]
Mondaymorning。
MydearFox,WhenIsentofftheglacierpaper,Iwasjustgoingoutandsohadnotimetowrite。Ihopeyourfriendwillenjoy(andIwishyouweregoingtherewithhim)histourasmuchasIdid。Itwasakindofgeologicalnovel。
Butyourfriendmusthavepatience,forhewillnotgetagoodGLACIALEYE
forafewdays。MurchisonandCountKeyserlingRUSHEDthroughNorthWalesthesameautumnandcouldseenothingexcepttheeffectsofraintricklingovertherocks!Icross—examinedMurchisonalittle,andevidentlysawhehadlookedcarefullyatnothing。IfeelCERTAINabouttheglacier—effectsinNorthWales。Getupyoursteam,ifthisweatherlasts,andhavearambleinWales;itsgloriousscenerymustdoeveryone’sheartandbodygood。IwishIhadenergytocometoDelamereandgowithyou;butasyouobserve,youmightaswellaskSt。Paul’s。WheneverIgivemyselfatrip,itshallbe,Ithink,toScotland,tohuntformoreparallelroads。MymarinetheoryfortheseroadswasforatimeknockedontheheadbyAgassizice—work,butitisnowrevivingagain……
Farewell,——wearegettingnearlyfinished——almostalltheworkmengone,andthegravellayingdownonthewalks。AveMaria!howthemoneydoesgo。
TherearetwiceasmanytemptationstoextravaganceinthecountrycomparedwithLondon。Adios。
Yours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[1844?]……Ihavealsoreadthe’Vestiges,’(’TheVestigesoftheNaturalHistoryofCreation’waspublishedanonymouslyin1844,andisconfidentlybelievedtohavebeenwrittenbythelateRobertChambers。Myfather’scopygivessignsofhavingbeencarefullyread,alonglistofmarkedpassagesbeingpinnedinattheend。Oneusefullessonheseemstohavelearnedfromit。
Hewrites:"Theideaofafishpassingintoareptile,monstrous。Iwillnotspecifyanygenealogies——muchtoolittleknownatpresent。"HerefersagaintothebookinalettertoFox,February,1845:"Haveyoureadthatstrange,unphilosophicalbutcapitally—writtenbook,the’Vestiges’:ithasmademoretalkthananyworkoflate,andhasbeenbysomeattributedtome——atwhichIoughttobemuchflatteredandunflattered。"),buthavebeensomewhatlessamusedatitthanyouappeartohavebeen:thewritingandarrangementarecertainlyadmirable,buthisgeologystrikesmeasbad,andhiszoologyfarworse。Ishouldbeverymuchobliged,ifatanyfutureorleisuretimeyoucouldtellmeonwhatyougroundyourdoubtfulbeliefinimaginationofamotheraffectingheroffspring。(ThisreferstothecaseofarelativeofSirJ。Hooker’s,whoinsistedthatamole,whichappearedononeofherchildren,wastheeffectoffrightuponherselfonhaving,beforethebirthofthechild,blottedwithsepiaacopyofTurner’s’LiberStudiorum’thathadbeenlenttoherwithspecialinjunctionstobecareful。)Ihaveattendedtotheseveralstatementsscatteredabout,butdonotbelieveinmorethanaccidentalcoincidences。
W。Huntertoldmyfather,theninalying—inhospital,thatinmanythousandcases,hehadaskedthemother,BEFOREHERCONFINEMENT,whetheranythinghadaffectedherimagination,andrecordedtheanswers;andabsolutelynotonecasecameright,though,whenthechildwasanythingremarkable,theyafterwardsmadethecaptofit。Reproductionseemsgovernedbysuchsimilarlawsinthewholeanimalkingdom,thatIammostloth[tobelieve]……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。M。HERBERT。
Down[1844or1845]。
MydearHerbert,Iwasverygladtoseeyourhandwritingandhearabitofnewsaboutyou。
Thoughyoucannotcomeherethisautumn,IdohopeyouandMrs。Herbertwillcomeinthewinter,andwewillhavelotsoftalkofoldtimes,andlotsofBeethoven。
Ihavelittleorrathernothingtosayaboutmyself;welivelikeclock—
work,andinwhatmostpeoplewouldconsiderthedullestpossiblemanner。
Ihaveoflatebeenslavingextrahard,tothegreatdiscomfitureofwretcheddigestiveorgans,atSouthAmerica,andthankallthefates,I
havedonethree—fourthsofit。WritingplainEnglishgrowswithmemoreandmoredifficult,andneverattainable。Asforyourpretendingthatyouwillreadanythingsodullasmypuregeologicaldescriptions,laynotsuchaflatteringunctiononmysoul(OnthesamesubjecthewrotetoFitz—Roy:
"Ihavesentmy’SouthAmericanGeology’toDoverStreet,andyouwillgetit,nodoubt,inthecourseoftime。Youdonotknowwhatyouthreatenwhenyouproposetoreadit——itispurelygeological。Isaidtomybrother,’Youwillofcoursereadit,’andhisanswerwas,’Uponmylife,I
wouldsoonerevenbuyit。’")foritisincredible。Ihavelongdiscoveredthatgeologistsneverreadeachother’sworks,andthattheonlyobjectinwritingabookisaproofofearnestness,andthatyoudonotformyouropinionswithoutundergoinglabourofsomekind。Geologyisatpresentveryoral,andwhatIheresayistoagreatextentquitetrue。ButIamgivingyouadiscussionaslongasachapterintheodiousbookitself。
IhavelatelybeentoShrewsbury,andfoundmyfathersurprisinglywellandcheerful。
Believeme,mydearoldfriend,everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,Monday[February10th,1845]。
MydearHooker,Iammuchobligedforyourveryagreeableletter;itwasverygood—natured,inthemidstofyourscientificandtheatricaldissipation,tothinkofwritingsolongalettertome。Iamastonishedatyournews,andImustcondolewithyouinyourPRESENTviewoftheProfessorship(SirJ。D。HookerwasacandidatefortheProfessorshipofBotanyatEdinburghUniversity。),andmostheartilydeploreitonmyownaccount。Thereissomethingsochillinginaseparationofsomanyhundredmiles,thoughwedidnotseemuchofeachotherwhennearer。YouwillhardlybelievehowdeeplyI
regretforMYSELFyourpresentprospects。Ihadlookedforwardto[our]
seeingmuchofeachotherduringourlives。Itisaheavydisappointment;
andinamereselfishpointofview,asaidingmeinmywork,yourlossisindeedirreparable。But,ontheotherhand,Icannotdoubtthatyoutakeatpresentadesponding,insteadofbright,viewofyourprospects:surelytherearegreatadvantages,aswellasdisadvantages。Theplaceisoneofeminence;andreallyitappearstometherearesomanyindifferentworkers,andsofewreaders,thatitisahighadvantage,inapurelyscientificpointofview,foragoodworkertoholdapositionwhichleadsotherstoattendtohiswork。IforgetwhetheryouattendedEdinburgh,asastudent,butinmytimetherewasaknotofmenwhowerefarfrombeingtheindifferentanddulllistenerswhichyouexpectforyouraudience。
ReflectwhatasatisfactionandhonouritwouldbetoMAKEagoodbotanist——withyourdispositionyouwillbetomanywhatHenslowwasatCambridgetomeandothers,amostkindfriendandguide。Thenwhatafinegarden,andhowgoodaPublicLibrary!why,ForbesalwaysregretstheadvantagesofEdinburghforwork:thinkoftheinestimableadvantageofgettingwithinashortwalkofthosenoblerocksandhillsandsandyshoresnearEdinburgh!
Indeed,Icannotpityyoumuch,thoughIpitymyselfexceedinglyinyourloss。Surelylecturingwill,inayearortwo,withyourGREATcapacityforwork(whateveryoumaybepleasedtosaytothecontrary)becomeeasy,andyouwillhaveafairtimeforyourAntarcticFloraandgeneralviewsofdistribution。IfIthoughtyourProfessorshipwouldstopyourwork,I
shouldwishitandallthegoodworldlyconsequencesatelDiavolo。IknowIshalllivetoseeyouthefirstauthorityinEuropeonthatgrandsubject,thatalmostkeystoneofthelawsofcreation,GeographicalDistribution。Well,thereisonecomfort,youwillbeatKew,nodoubt,everyyear,soIshallfinishbyforcingdownyourthroatmysincerecongratulations。Thanksforallyournews。IgrievetohearHumboldtisfailing;onecannothelpfeeling,thoughunrightly,thatsuchanendishumiliating:evenwhenIsawhimhetalkedbeyondallreason。Ifyouseehimagain,praygivehimmymostrespectfulandkindcompliments,andsaythatIneverforgetthatmywholecourseoflifeisduetohavingreadandre—readasayouthhis’PersonalNarrative。’Howtrueandpleasingareallyourremarksonhiskindness;thinkhowmanyopportunitiesyouwillhave,inyournewplace,ofbeingaHumboldttoothers。AskhimabouttheriverinN。E。Europe,withtheFloraverydifferentonitsoppositebanks。I
havegotandreadyourWilkes;whatafeeblebookinmatterandstyle,andhowsplendidlygotup!DowritemealinefromBerlin。Alsothanksfortheproof—sheets。Idonot,however,meanproofplates;Ivaluethem,assavingmecopyingextracts。Farewell,mydearHooker,withaheavyheartI
wishyoujoyofyourprospects。
Yoursincerefriend,C。DARWIN。
[Thesecondeditionofthe’Journal,’towhichthefollowingletterrefers,wascompletedbetweenApril25thandAugust25th。ItwaspublishedbyMr。
Murrayinthe’ColonialandHomeLibrary,’andinthismoreaccessibleformsoonhadalargesale。
UptothetimeofhisfirstnegotiationswithMr。Murrayforitspublicationinthisform,hehadreceivedpaymentonlyintheformofalargenumberofpresentationcopies,andheseemstohavebeengladtosellthecopyrightofthesecondeditiontoMr。Murrayfor150pounds。
Thepointsofdifferencebetweenitandthefirsteditionareofinterestchieflyinconnectionwiththegrowthoftheauthor’sviewsonevolution,andwillbeconsideredlater。]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down[July,1845]。
MydearLyell,Isendyouthefirstpart(Nodoubtproof—sheets。)ofthenewedition[ofthe’JournalofResearches’],whichIsoentirelyowetoyou。YouwillseethatIhaveventuredtodedicateittoyou(Thededicationofthesecondeditionofthe’JournalofResearches,’isasfollows:——"ToCharlesLyell,Esq。,F。R。S。,thissecondeditionisdedicatedwithgratefulpleasure——asanacknowledgmentthatthechiefpartofwhateverscientificmeritthisJournalandtheotherworksoftheAuthormaypossess,hasbeenderivedfromstudyingthewell—knownandadmirable’PrinciplesofGeology。’"),andItrustthatthiscannotbedisagreeable。Ihavelongwished,notsomuchforyoursake,asformyownfeelingsofhonesty,toacknowledgemoreplainlythanbymerereference,howmuchIgeologicallyoweyou。Thoseauthors,however,wholikeyou,educatepeople’smindsaswellasteachthemspecialfacts,cannever,Ishouldthink,havefulljusticedonethemexceptbyposterity,forthemindthusinsensiblyimprovedcanhardlyperceiveitsownupwardascent。IhadintendedputtinginthepresentacknowledgmentinthethirdpartofmyGeology,butitssaleissoexceedinglysmallthatIshouldnothavehadthesatisfactionofthinkingthatasfaraslayinmypowerIhadowned,thoughimperfectly,mydebt。
PraydonotthinkthatIamsosilly,astosupposethatmydedicationcananywaysgratifyyou,exceptsofarasItrustyouwillreceiveit,asamostsinceremarkofmygratitudeandfriendship。IthinkIhaveimprovedthisedition,especiallythesecondpart,whichIhavejustfinished。I
haveaddedagooddealabouttheFuegians,andcutdownintohalfthemercilesslylongdiscussiononclimateandglaciers,etc。Idonotrecollectanythingaddedtothefirstpart,longenoughtocallyourattentionto;thereisapageofdescriptionofaverycuriousbreedofoxeninBandaOriental。Ishouldlikeyoutoreadthefewlastpages;
thereisalittlediscussiononextinction,whichwillnotperhapsstrikeyouasnew,thoughithassostruckme,andhasplacedinmymindallthedifficultieswithrespecttothecausesofextinction,inthesameclasswithotherdifficultieswhicharegenerallyquiteoverlookedandundervaluedbynaturalists;Iought,however,tohavemademydiscussionlongerandshewnbyfacts,asIeasilycould,howsteadilyeveryspeciesmustbecheckedinitsnumbers。
IreceivedyourTravels(’TravelsinNorthAmerica,’2volumes,1845。)
yesterday;andIlikeexceedinglyitsexternalandinternalappearance;I
readonlyaboutadozenpageslastnight(forIwastiredwithhay—making),butIsawquiteenoughtoperceivehowVERYmuchitwillinterestme,andhowmanypassageswillbescored。IampleasedtofindagoodsprinklingofNaturalHistory;Ishallbeastonishedifitdoesnotsellverylargely……
HowsorryIamtothinkthatweshallnotseeyouhereagainforsolong;I
wishyoumayknockyourselfalittlebitupbeforeyoustartandrequireaday’sfreshair,beforetheoceanbreezesblowonyou……
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down,Saturday[August1st,1845]。
MydearLyell,Ihavebeenwishingtowritetoyouforaweekpast,buteveryfiveminutes’worthofstrengthhasbeenexpendedingettingoutmysecondpart。
(Ofthesecondeditionofthe’JournalofResearches。’)YournotepleasedmeagooddealmoreIdaresaythanmydedicationdidyou,andIthankyoumuchforit。Yourworkhasinterestedmemuch,andIwillgiveyoumyimpressions,though,asIneverthoughtyouwouldcaretohearwhatI
thoughtofthenon—scientificparts,Imadenonotes,nortookpainstorememberanyparticularimpressionoftwo—thirdsofthefirstvolume。ThefirstimpressionIshouldsaywouldbewithmost(thoughIhaveliterallyseennotonesoulsincereadingit)regretattherenotbeingmoreofthenon—scientific[parts]。Iamnotagoodjudge,forIhavereadnothing,i。e。non—scientificaboutNorthAmerica,butthewholestruckmeasverynew,fresh,andinteresting。Yourdiscussionsboretomymindtheevidentstampofmaturedthought,andofconclusionsdrawnfromfactsobservedbyyourself,andnotfromtheopinionsofthepeoplewhomyoumet;andthisI
suspectiscomparativelyrare。
Yourslavediscussiondisturbedmemuch;butasyouwouldcarenomoreformyopiniononthisheadthanfortheashesofthisletter,Iwillsaynothingexceptthatitgavemesomesleepless,mostuncomfortablehours。
YouraccountofthereligiousstateoftheStatesparticularlyinterestedme;IamsurprisedthroughoutatyourveryproperboldnessagainsttheClergy。InyourUniversitychaptertheClergy,andnottheStateofEducation,aremostseverelyandjustlyhandled,andthisIthinkisverybold,forIconceiveyoumightcrushaleaden—headedoldDon,asaDon,withmoresafety,thantouchthefingerofthatCorporateAnimal,theClergy。WhatacontrastinEducationdoesEnglandshowitself!Yourapology(usingtheterm,liketheoldreligionistswhomeantanythingbutanapology)forlectures,struckmeasveryclever;butalltheargumentsintheworldonyourside,arenotequaltoonecourseofJamieson’sLecturesontheotherside,whichIformerlyformysinsexperienced。
AlthoughIhadreadaboutthe’CoalfieldsinNorthAmerica,’Ineverinthesmallestdegreereallycomprehendedtheirarea,theirthicknessandfavourableposition;nothinghardlyastoundedmemoreinyourbook。
Somefewpartsstruckmeasratherheterogeneous,butIdonotknowwhethertoanextentthatatallsignified。Imissedhowever,agooddeal,somegeneralheadingtothechapters,suchasthetwoorthreeprincipalplacesvisited。Onehasnorighttoexpectanauthortowritedowntothezeroofgeographicalignoranceofthereader;butInotknowingasingleplace,wasoccasionallyratherplaguedintracingyourcourse。Sometimesinthebeginningofachapter,inoneparagraphyourcoursewastracedthroughahalfdozenplaces;anyone,asignorantasmyself,ifhecouldbefound,wouldprefersuchadisturbingparagraphleftout。Icutyourmaploose,andIfoundthatagreatcomfort;Icouldnotfollowyourengravedtrack。
Ithinkinasecondedition,interspaceshereandthereofonelineopen,wouldbeanimprovement。Bytheway,ItakecredittomyselfingivingmyJournalalessscientificairinhavingprintedallnamesofspeciesandgenerainRomans;theprintinglooks,also,better。Alltheillustrationsstrikemeascapital,andthemapisanadmirablevolumeinitself。Ifyour’Principles’hadnotmetwithsuchuniversaladmiration,Ishouldhavefearedtherewouldhavebeentoomuchgeologyinthisforthegeneralreader;certainlyallthatthemostclearandlightstylecoulddo,hasbeendone。Tomyselfthegeologywasanexcellent,well—condensed,well—
digestedresumeofallthathasbeenmadeoutinNorthAmerica,andeverygeologistoughttobegratefultoyou。ThesummingupoftheNiagarachapterappearedtomethegrandestpart;IwasalsodeeplyinterestedbyyourdiscussionontheoriginoftheSilurianformations。IhavemadescoresofSCORESmarkingpassageshereafterusefultome。
Allthecoaltheoryappearedtomeverygood;butitisnousegoingonenumeratinginthismanner。IwishtherehadbeenmoreNaturalHistory;I
likedALLthescatteredfragments。Ihavenowgivenyouanexacttranscriptofmythoughts,buttheyarehardlyworthyourreading……
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down,August25th[1845]。
MydearLyell,ThisisliterallythefirstdayonwhichIhavehadanytimetospare;andIwillamusemyselfbybeginningalettertoyou……
IwasdelightedwithyourletterinwhichyoutouchonSlavery;Iwishthesamefeelingshadbeenapparentinyourpublisheddiscussion。ButIwillnotwriteonthissubject,Ishouldperhapsannoyyou,andmostcertainlymyself。IhaveexhaledmyselfwithaparagraphortwoinmyJournalonthesinofBrazilianslavery;youperhapswillthinkthatitisinanswertoyou;butsuchisnotthecase。IhaveremarkedonnothingwhichIdidnothearonthecoastofSouthAmerica。Myfewsentences,however,aremerelyanexplosionoffeeling。Howcouldyourelatesoplacidlythatatrocioussentiment(Inthepassagereferredto,Lyelldoesnotgivehisownviews,butthoseofaplanter。)aboutseparatingchildrenfromtheirparents;andinthenextpagespeakofbeingdistressedatthewhitesnothavingprospered;Iassureyouthecontrastmademeexclaimout。ButIhavebrokenmyintention,andsonomoreonthisodiousdeadlysubject。
Thereisafavourable,butnotstrongenoughreviewonyou,inthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"。IamsorrytoseethatLindleyabidesbythecarbonicacidgastheory。Bytheway,IwasmuchpleasedbyLindleypickingoutmyextinctionparagraphsandgivingthemuncurtailed。Tomymind,puttingthecomparativerarityofexistingspeciesinthesamecategorywithextinctionhasremovedagreatweight;thoughofcourseitdoesnotexplainanything,itshowsthatuntilwecanexplaincomparativerarity,weoughtnottofeelanysurpriseatnotexplainingextinction……
Iammuchpleasedtohearofthecallforaneweditionofthe’Principles’:whatgloriousgoodthatworkhasdone。Ifearthistimeyouwillnotbeamongsttheoldrocks;howIshallrejoicetolivetoseeyoupublishanddiscoveranotherstagebelowtheSilurian——itwouldbethegrandeststeppossible,Ithink。IamverygladtohearwhatprogressBunburyismakinginfossilBotany;thereisafinehiatusforhimtofillupinthiscountry。Iwillcertainlycallonhimthiswinter……FromwhatlittleIsawofhim,Icanquitebelieveeverythingwhichyousayofhistalents……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Shrewsbury[1845?]。
MydearHooker,Ihavejustreceivedyournote,whichhasastonishedme,andhasmosttrulygrievedme。Ineverforoneminutedoubtedofyoursuccess,forImosterroneouslyimagined,thatmeritwassuretogaintheday。Ifeelmostsurethatthedaywillcomesoon,whenthosewhohavevotedagainstyou,iftheyhaveanyshameorconscienceinthem,willbeashamedathavingallowedpoliticstoblindtheireyestoyourqualifications,andthosequalificationsvouchedforbyHumboldtandBrown!Well,thosetestimonialsmustbeaconsolationtoyou。Prohpudor!Iamvexedandindignantbyturns。IcannoteventakecomfortinthinkingthatIshallseemoreofyou,andextractmoreknowledgefromyourwell—arrangedstock。Iampleasedtothink,thatafterhavingreadafewofyourletters,IneveroncedoubtedthepositionyouwillultimatelyholdamongstEuropeanBotanists。Icanthinkaboutnothingelse,otherwiseIshouldlike[to]
discuss’Cosmos’(AtranslationofHumboldt’s’Kosmos。’)withyou。ItrustyouwillpaymeandmywifeavisitthisautumnatDown。IshallbeatDownonthe24th,andtillthenmovingabout。
MydearHooker,allowmetocallmyselfYourverytruefriend,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
October8th[1845],Shrewsbury……IhavelatelybeentakingalittletourtoseeafarmIhavepurchasedinLincolnshire(HespeaksofhisLincolnshirefarminalettertoHenslow(July4th):——"IhaveboughtafarminLincolnshire,andwhenIgotherethisautumn,ImeantoseewhatIcandoinprovidinganycottageonmysmallestatewithgardens。Itisahopelessthingtolookto,butI
believefewthingswoulddothiscountrymoregoodinfutureagesthanthedestructionofprimogeniture,soastolessenthedifferenceinland—
wealth,andmakemoresmallfreeholders。Howatrociouslyunjustarethestamplaws,whichrenderitsoexpensiveforthepoormantobuyhisquarterofanacre;itmakesone’sbloodburnwithindignation。")andthentoYork,whereIvisitedtheDeanofManchester(Hon。andRev。W。Herbert。
ThevisitismentionedinalettertoDr。Hooker:——"Ihavebeentakingalittletour,partlyonbusiness,andvisitedtheDeanofManchester,andhadverymuchinterestingtalkwithhimonhybrids,sterility,andvariation,etc。,etc。Heisfullofself—gainedknowledge,butknowssurprisinglylittlewhatothershavedoneonthesamesubjects。Heisveryheterodoxon’species’:notmuchbetterasmostnaturalistswouldesteemit,thanpoorMr。Vestiges。")thegreatmakerofHybrids,whogavememuchcuriousinformation。IalsovisitedWatertonatWaltonHall,andwasextremelyamusedwithmyvisitthere。Heisanamusingstrangefellow;atourearlydinner,ourpartyconsistedoftwoCatholicpriestsandtwoMulattresses!Heispastsixtyyearsold,andthedaybeforerandownandcaughtaleveretinaturnip—field。Itisafineoldhouse,andthelakeswarmswithwater—fowl。IthensawChatsworth,andwasintransportwiththegreathothouse;itisaperfectfragmentofatropicalforest,andthesightmademethinkwithdelightofoldrecollections。Mylittleten—daytourmademefeelwonderfullystrongatthetime,butthegoodeffectsdidnotlast。Mywife,Iamsorrytosay,doesnotgetverystrong,andthechildrenarethehopeofthefamily,fortheyareallhappy,life,andspirits。IhavebeenmuchinterestedwithSedgwick’sreview(Sedgwick’sreviewofthe’VestigesofCreation’inthe’EdinburghReview,’July,1845。)thoughIfinditfarfrompopularwithourscientificreaders。I
thinksomefewpassagessavourofthedogmatismofthepulpit,ratherthanofthephilosophyoftheProfessor’sChair;andsomeofthewitstrikesmeasonlyworthyof——inthe’Quarterly。’Nevertheless,itisagrandpieceofargumentagainstmutabilityofspecies,andIreaditwithfearandtrembling,butwaswellpleasedtofindthatIhadnotoverlookedanyofthearguments,thoughIhadputthemtomyselfasfeeblyasmilkandwater。
Haveyouread’Cosmos’yet?TheEnglishtranslationiswretched,andthesemi—metaphysico—politicodescriptionsinthefirstpartarebarelyintelligible;butIthinkthevolcanicdiscussionwellworthyourattention,ithasastonishedmebyitsvigourandinformation。IgrievetofindHumboldtanadorerofVonBuch,withhisclassificationofvolcanos,cratersofelevation,etc。,etc。,andcarbonicacidgasatmosphere。Heisindeedawonderfulman。
IhopetogethomeinafortnightandsticktomywearyfulSouthAmericatillIfinishit。IshallbeveryanxioustohearhowyougetonfromtheHorners,butyoumustnotthinkofwastingyourtimebywritingtome。Weshallmiss,indeed,yourvisitstoDown,andIshallfeelalostmaninLondonwithoutmymorning"houseofcall"atHartStreet……
Believeme,mydearLyell,everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,Farnborough,Kent。
Thursday,September,1846。
MydearHooker,IhopethisletterwillcatchyouatClifton,butIhavebeenpreventedwritingbybeingunwell,andhavinghadtheHornershereasvisitors,which,withmyabominablepress—work,hasfullyoccupiedmytime。Itis,indeed,alongtimesincewewrotetoeachother;though,Ibegtotellyou,thatIwrotelast,butwhataboutIcannotremember,except,Iknow,itwasafterreadingyourlastnumbers(SirJ。D。Hooker’sAntarcticBotany。),andIsendyouauniquelylaudatoryepistle,consideringitwasfromamanwhohardlyknowsaDaisyfromaDandeliontoaprofessedBotanist……
Icannotrememberwhatpapershavegivenmetheimpression,butIhavethat,whichyoustatetobethecase,firmlyfixedonmymind,namely,thelittlechemicalimportanceofthesoiltoitsvegetation。Whatastrongfactitis,asR。Brownonceremarkedtome,ofcertainplantsbeingcalcareousoneshere,whicharenotsounderamorefavourableclimateontheContinent,orthereverse,forIforgetwhich;butyou,nodoubt,willknowtowhatIrefer。By—the—way,therearesomesuchcasesinHerbert’spaperinthe’HorticulturalJournal。’(’JournaloftheHorticulturalSociety,’1846。)Haveyoureadit:itstruckmeasextremelyoriginal,andbearsDIRECTLYonyourpresentresearches。(SirJ。D。Hookerwasatthistimeattendingtopolymorphism,variability,etc。)ToaNON—BOTANIST
thechalkhasthemostpeculiaraspectofanyflorainEngland;whywillyounotcomeheretomakeyourobservations?WEgotoSouthampton,ifmycourageandstomachdonotfail,fortheBrit。Assoc。(Doyounotconsiderityourdutytobethere?)AndwhycannotyoucomehereafterwardandWORK?……
THEMONOGRAPHOFTHECIRRIPEDIA,October1846toOctober1854。
[WritingtoSirJ。D。Hookerin1845,myfathersays:"IhopethisnextsummertofinishmySouthAmericanGeology,thentogetoutalittleZoology,andhurrahformyspecieswork……"ThispassageservestoshowthathehadatthistimenointentionofmakinganexhaustivestudyoftheCirripedes。Indeeditwouldseemthathisoriginalintentionwas,asI
learnfromSirJ。D。Hooker,merelytoworkoutonespecialproblem。ThisisquiteinkeepingwiththefollowingpassageintheAutobiography:"WhenonthecoastofChile,Ifoundamostcuriousform,whichburrowedintotheshellsofConcholepas,andwhichdifferedsomuchfromallotherCirripedesthatIhadtoformanewsub—orderforitssolereception……TounderstandthestructureofmynewCirripedeIhadtoexamineanddissectmanyofthecommonforms;andthisgraduallyledmeontotakeupthewholegroup。"Inlateryearsheseemstohavefeltsomedoubtastothevalueoftheseeightyearsofwork,——forinstancewhenhewroteinhisAutobiography——"Myworkwasofconsiderableusetome,whenIhadtodiscussinthe’OriginofSpecies,’theprinciplesofanaturalclassification。NeverthelessIdoubtwhethertheworkwasworththeconsumptionofsomuchtime。"YetIlearnfromSirJ。D。Hookerthathecertainlyrecognisedatthetimeitsvaluetohimselfassystematictraining。SirJosephwritestome:"Yourfatherrecognisedthreestagesinhiscareerasabiologist:themerecollectoratCambridge;thecollectorandobserverinthe"Beagle",andforsomeyearsafterwards;andthetrainednaturalistafter,andonlyaftertheCirripedework。Thathewasathinkerallalongistrueenough,andthereisavastdealinhiswritingsprevioustotheCirripedesthatatrainednaturalistcouldbutemulate……Heoftenalludedtoitasavalueddiscipline,andaddedthateventhe’hateful’workofdiggingoutsynonyms,andofdescribing,notonlyimprovedhismethodsbutopenedhiseyestothedifficultiesandmeritsoftheworksofthedullestofcataloguers。Oneresultwasthathewouldneverallowadepreciatoryremarktopassunchallengedonthepoorestclassofscientificworkers,providedthattheirworkwashonest,andgoodofitskind。Ihavealwaysregardeditasoneofthefinesttraitsofhischaracter,——thisgenerousappreciationofthehod—menofscience,andoftheirlabours……anditwasmonographingtheBarnaclesthatbroughtitabout。"
ProfessorHuxleyallowsmetoquotehisopinionastothevalueoftheeightyearsgiventotheCirripedes:——
"InmyopinionyoursagaciousfatherneverdidawiserthingthanwhenhedevotedhimselftotheyearsofpatienttoilwhichtheCirripede—bookcosthim。
"Liketherestofus,hehadnopropertraininginbiologicalscience,andithasalwaysstruckmeasaremarkableinstanceofhisscientificinsight,thathesawthenecessityofgivinghimselfsuchtraining,andofhiscourage,thathedidnotshirkthelabourofobtainingit。
"Thegreatdangerwhichbesetsallmenoflargespeculativefaculty,isthetemptationtodealwiththeacceptedstatementsoffactsinnaturalscience,asiftheywerenotonlycorrect,butexhaustive;asiftheymightbedealtwithdeductively,inthesamewayaspropositionsinEuclidmaybedealtwith。Inreality,everysuchstatement,howevertrueitmaybe,istrueonlyrelativelytothemeansofobservationandthepointofviewofthosewhohaveenunciatedit。Sofaritmaybedependedupon。Butwhetheritwillbeareveryspeculativeconclusionthatmaybelogicallydeducedfromit,isquiteanotherquestion。
"Yourfatherwasbuildingavastsuperstructureuponthefoundationsfurnishedbytherecognisedfactsofgeologicalandbiologicalscience。InPhysicalGeography,inGeologyproper,inGeographicalDistribution,andinPalaeontology,hehadacquiredanextensivepracticaltrainingduringthevoyageofthe"Beagle"。Heknewofhisownknowledgethewayinwhichtherawmaterialsofthesebranchesofscienceareacquired,andwasthereforeamostcompetentjudgeofthespeculativestraintheywouldbear。Thatwhichheneeded,afterhisreturntoEngland,wasacorrespondingacquaintancewithAnatomyandDevelopment,andtheirrelationtoTaxonomy——
andheacquiredthisbyhisCirripedework。
"Thus,inmyapprehension,thevalueoftheCirripedemonographliesnotmerelyinthefactthatitisaveryadmirablepieceofwork,andconstitutedagreatadditiontopositiveknowledge,butstillmoreinthecircumstancethatitwasapieceofcriticalself—discipline,theeffectofwhichmanifesteditselfineverythingyourfatherwroteafterwards,andsavedhimfromendlesserrorsofdetail。
"Sofarfromsuchworkbeingalossoftime,Ibelieveitwouldhavebeenwellworthhiswhile,haditbeenpracticable,tohavesupplementeditbyaspecialstudyofembryologyandphysiology。Hishandswouldhavebeengreatlystrengthenedtherebywhenhecametowriteoutsundrychaptersofthe’OriginofSpecies。’Butofcourseinthosedaysitwasalmostimpossibleforhimtofindfacilitiesforsuchwork。"
NoonecanlookathetwovolumesontherecentCirripedes,of399and684
pagesrespectively(nottospeakofthevolumesonthefossilspecies),withoutbeingstruckbytheimmenseamountofdetailedworkwhichtheycontain。Thefortyplates,someofthemwiththirtyfigures,andthefourteenpagesofindexinthetwovolumestogether,givesomeroughideaofthelabourspentonthework。(ThereaderunacquaintedwithZoologywillfindsomeaccountofthemoreinterestingresultsinMr。Romanes’