articleon"CharlesDarwin"(’Nature’Series,1882)。)Thestateofknowledge,asregardstheCirripedes,wasmostunsatisfactoryatthetimethatmyfatherbegantoworkatthem。Asanillustrationofthisfact,itmaybementionedthathehadeventore—organisethenomenclatureofthegroup,or,asheexpressedit,he"unwillinglyfounditindispensabletogivenamestoseveralvalves,andtosomefewofthesofterpartsofCirripedes。"(Vol。i。page3。)Itisinterestingtolearnfromhisdiarytheamountoftimewhichhegavetodifferentgenera。ThusthegenusChthamalus,thedescriptionofwhichoccupiestwenty—twopages,occupiedhimforthirty—sixdays;Coronulatooknineteendays,andisdescribedintwenty—sevenpages。WritingtoFitz—Roy,hespeaksofbeing"forthelasthalf—monthdailyhardatworkindissectingalittleanimalaboutthesizeofapin’shead,fromtheChonosarchipelago,andIcouldspendanothermonth,anddailyseemorebeautifulstructure。"
Thoughhebecameexcessivelywearyoftheworkbeforetheendoftheeightyears,hehadmuchkeenenjoymentinthecourseofit。ThushewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker(1847?):——"Asyousay,thereisanextraordinarypleasureinpureobservation;notbutwhatIsuspectthepleasureinthiscaseisratherderivedfromcomparisonsforminginone’smindwithalliedstructures。Afterhavingbeensolongemployedinwritingmyoldgeologicalobservations,itisdelightfultouseone’seyesandfingersagain。"Itwas,infact,areturntotheworkwhichoccupiedsomuchofhistimewhenatseaduringhisvoyage。Hiszoologicalnotesofthatperiodgiveanimpressionofvigorouswork,hamperedbyignoranceandwantofappliances。Andhisuntiringindustryinthedissectionofmarineanimals,especiallyofCrustacea,musthavebeenofvaluetohimastrainingforhisCirripedework。Mostofhisworkwasdonewiththesimpledissectingmicroscope——butitwastheneedwhichhefoundforhigherpowersthatinducedhim,in1846,tobuyacompoundmicroscope。HewrotetoHooker:——"WhenIwasdrawingwithL。,Iwassodelightedwiththeappearanceoftheobjects,especiallywiththeirperspective,asseenthroughtheweakpowersofagoodcompoundmicroscope,thatIamgoingtoorderone;indeed,Ioftenhavestructuresinwhichthe1/30isnotpowerenough。"
Duringpartofthetimecoveredbythepresentchapter,myfathersufferedperhapsmorefromill—healththanatanyothertimeofhislife。Hefeltseverelythedepressinginfluenceoftheselongyearsofillness;thusasearlyas1840hewrotetoFox:"Iamgrownadull,old,spiritlessdogtowhatIusedtobe。OnegetsstupiderasonegrowsolderIthink。"Itisnotwonderfulthatheshouldsohavewritten,itisrathertobewonderedatthathisspiritwithstoodsogreatandconstantastrain。HewrotetoSirJ。D。Hookerin1845:"Youareverykindinyourenquiriesaboutmyhealth;Ihavenothingtosayaboutit,beingalwaysmuchthesame,somedaysbetterandsomeworse。IbelieveIhavenothadonewholeday,orrathernight,withoutmystomachhavingbeengreatlydisordered,duringthelastthreeyears,andmostdaysgreatprostrationofstrength:thankyouforyourkindness;manyofmyfriends,Ibelieve,thinkmeahypochondriac。"
Again,in1849,henotesinhisdiary:——"January1sttoMarch10th。——Healthverybad,withmuchsicknessandfailureofpower。Workedonallwelldays。"ThiswaswrittenjustbeforehisfirstvisittoDr。Gully’sWater—
CureEstablishmentatMalvern。InAprilofthesameyearhewrote:——"I
believeIamgoingonverywell,butIamratherwearyofmypresentinactivelife,andthewater—curehasthemostextraordinaryeffectinproducingindolenceandstagnationofmind:tillexperiencingit,Icouldnothavebelieveditpossible。Inowincreaseinweight,haveescapedsicknessforthirtydays。"HereturnedinJune,aftersixteenweeks’
absence,muchimprovedinhealth,and,asalreadydescribed,continuedthewater—cureathomeforsometime。]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[October,1846]。
MydearHooker,IhavenotheardfromSulivan(AdmiralSirB。J。Sulivan,formerlyanofficerofthe"Beagle"。)lately;whenhelastwrotehenamedfrom8thto10thasthemostlikelytime。ImmediatelythatIhear,Iwillflyyoualine,forthechanceofyourbeingabletocome。Iforgetwhetheryouknowhim,butIsupposeso;heisarealgoodfellow。Anyhow,ifyoudonotcomethen,Iamverygladthatyouproposecomingsoonafter……
Iamgoingtobeginsomepapersonthelowermarineanimals,whichwilllastmesomemonths,perhapsayear,andthenIshallbeginlookingovermyten—year—longaccumulationofnotesonspeciesandvarieties,which,withwriting,Idaresaywilltakemefiveyears,andthen,whenpublished,I
daresayIshallstandinfinitelylowintheopinionofallsoundNaturalists——sothisismyprospectforthefuture。
Areyouagoodhandatinventingnames。IhaveaquitenewandcuriousgenusofBarnacle,whichIwanttoname,andhowtoinventanamecompletelypuzzlesme。
Bytheway,IhavetoldyounothingaboutSouthampton。Weenjoyed(wifeandmyself)ourweekbeyondmeasure:thepaperswerealldull,butImetsomanyfriendsandmadesomanynewacquaintances(especiallysomeoftheIrishNaturalists),andtooksomanypleasantexcursions。Iwishyouhadbeenthere。OnSundaywehadsopleasantanexcursiontoWinchesterwithFalconer(HughFalconer,1809—1865。Chieflyknownasapalaeontologist,althoughemployedasabotanistduringhiswholecareerinIndia,wherehewasalsoamedicalofficerintheH。E。I。C。Service;hewassuperintendentoftheCompany’sgarden,firstatSaharunpore,andthenatCalcutta。HewasoneofthefirstbotanicalexplorersofKashmir。Falconer’sdiscoveriesofMiocenemammalianremainsintheSewalikHills,were,atthetime,perhapsthegreatest"finds"whichhadbeenmade。Hisbookonthesubject,’FaunaAntiquaSivalensis,’remainedunfinishedatthetimeofhisdeath。),ColonelSabine(ThelateSirEdwardSabine,formerlyPresidentoftheRoyalSociety,andauthorofalongseriesofmemoirsonTerrestrialMagnetism。),andDr。Robinson(ThelateDr。ThomasRomneyRobinson,oftheArmaghObservatory。),andothers。Ineverenjoyedadaymoreinmylife。
ImissedhavingalookatH。Watson。(ThelateHewettCottrellWatson,authorofthe’CybeleBritannica,’oneofamostvaluableseriesofworksonthetopographyandgeographicaldistributionoftheplantsoftheBritishIslands。)IsupposeyouheardthathemetForbesandtoldhimhehadaseverearticleinthePress。IunderstoodthatForbesexplainedtohimthathehadnocausetocomplain,butasthearticlewasprinted,hewouldnotwithdrawit,butofferedittoForbesforhimtoappendnotestoit,whichForbesnaturallydeclined……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,April7th[1847?}。
MydearHooker,Ishouldhavewrittenbeforenow,hadInotbeenalmostcontinuallyunwell,andatpresentIamsufferingfromfourboilsandswellings,oneofwhichhardlyallowsmetheuseofmyrightarm,andhasstoppedallmywork,anddampedallmyspirits。IwasmuchdisappointedatmissingmytriptoKew,andthemoreso,asIhadforgottenyouwouldbeawayallthismonth;butI
hadnochoice,andwasinbednearlyallFridayandSaturday。I
congratulateyouoveryourimprovedprospectsaboutIndia(SirJ。HookerleftEnglandonNovember11,1847,forhisHimalayanandTibetanjourney。
TheexpeditionwassupportedbyasmallgrantfromtheTreasury,andthusassumedthecharacterofaGovernmentmission。),butatthesametimemustsincerelygroanoverit。Ishallfeelquitelostwithoutyoutodiscussmanypointswith,andtopointout(ill—lucktoyou)difficultiesandobjectionstomyspecieshypotheses。Itwillbeahorridshameifmoneystopsyourexpedition;butGovernmentwillsurelyhelpyoutosomeextent……Yourpresenttrip,withyournewviews,amongstthecoal—plants,willbeveryinteresting。Ifyouhavesparetime,BUTNOTWITHOUT,I
shouldenjoyhavingsomenewsofyourprogress。Yourpresenttripwillworkwellin,ifyougotoanyofthecoaldistrictsinIndia。WouldthisnotbeagoodobjecttoparadebeforeGovernment;theutilitariansoulswouldcomprehendthis。Bytheway,Iwillgetsomeworkoutofyou,aboutthedomesticracesofanimalsinIndia……
CHARLESDARWINTOL。JENYNS(BLOMEFIELD)。
Down[1847]。
DearJenyns,("ThisletterrelatestoasmallAlmanackfirstpublishedin1843,underthenameof’TheNaturalists’PocketAlmanack,’byMr。VanVoorst,andwhichIeditedforhim。Itwasintendedespeciallyforthosewhointerestthemselvesintheperiodicphenomenaofanimalsandplants,ofwhichaselectlistwasgivenundereachmonthoftheyear。
"ThePocketAlmanackcontained,moreover,miscellaneousinformationrelatingtoZoologyandBotany;toNaturalHistoryandotherscientificsocieties;topublicMuseumsandGardens,inadditiontotheordinarycelestialphenomenafoundinmostotherAlmanacks。Itcontinuedtobeissuedtill1847,afterwhichyearthepublicationwasabandoned。"——FromaletterfromRev。L。BlomefieldtoF。Darwin。)
IamverymuchobligedforthecapitallittleAlmanack;itsohappenedthatIwaswishingforonetokeepinmyportfolio。Ihadneverseenthiskindbefore,andshallcertainlygetoneforthefuture。Ithinkitisveryamusingtohavealistbeforeone’seyesoftheorderofappearanceoftheplantsandanimalsaroundone;itgivesafreshinteresttoeachfineday。
ThereisonepointIshouldliketoseealittleimproved,viz。,thecorrectionfortheclockatshorterintervals。Mostpeople,Isuspect,wholikemyselfhavedials,willwishtobemoreprecisethanwithamarginofthreeminutes。IalwaysbuyashillingalmanackforthisSOLEend。Bytheway,YOURS,i。e。,VanVoorst’sAlmanack,isverydear;itought,atleast,tobeadvertisedpost—freefortheshilling。Doyounotthinkatable(notrules)ofconversionofFrenchintoEnglishmeasures,andperhapsweights,wouldbeexceedinglyuseful;alsocentigradeintoFahrenheit,——magnifyingpowersaccordingtofocaldistances?——infactyoumightmakeitthemoreusefulpublicationoftheage。IknowwhatIshouldlikebestofall,namely,currentmeteorologicalremarksforeachmonth,withstatementofaveragecourseofwindsandpredictionofweather,inaccordancewithmovementsofbarometer。People,Ithink,arealwaysamusedatknowingtheextremesandmeansoftemperatureforcorrespondingtimesinotheryears。
Ihopeyouwillgoonwithitanotheryear。Withmanythanks,mydearJenyns,Yoursverytruly,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,Sunday[April18th,1847]。
MydearHooker,IreturnwithmanythanksWatson’sletter,whichIhavehadcopied。Itisacapitalone,andIamextremelyobligedtoyouforobtainingmesuchvaluableinformation。Surelyheisratherinahurrywhenhesaysintermediatevarietiesmustalmostbenecessarilyrare,otherwisetheywouldbetakenasthetypesofthespecies;forheoverlooksnumericalfrequencyasanelement。SurelyifA,B,Cwerethreevarieties,andifA
wereagooddealthecommonest(therefore,also,firstknown),itwouldbetakenasthetype,withoutregardingwhetherBwasquiteintermediateornot,orwhetheritwasrareornot。WhatcapitalessaysWwouldwrite;butIsupposehehaswrittenagooddealinthe’Phytologist。’Yououghttoencouragehimtopublishonvariation;itisashamethatsuchfactsasthoseinhislettershouldremainunpublished。Imustgetyoutointroducemetohim;wouldhebeagoodandsociablemanforDropmore?(AmuchenjoyedexpeditionmadefromOxford——whentheBritishAssociationmettherein1847。)thoughifhecomes,Forbesmustnot(andIthinkyoutalkedofinvitingForbes),orweshallhaveagloriousbattle。Ishouldliketoseesometimethewarcorrespondence。Haveyouthe’Phytologist,’andcouldyousometimespareit?Iwouldgothroughitquickly……Ihavereadyourlastfivenumbers(OftheBotanyofHooker’s’AntarcticVoyage。’),andasusualhavebeenmuchinterestedinseveralpoints,especiallywithyourdiscussionsonthebeechandpotato。IseeyouhaveintroducedseveralsentencesagainstusTransmutationists。Ihavealsobeenlookingthroughthelattervolumesofthe’AnnalsofNaturalHistory,’andhavereadtwosuchsoulless,pompouspapersof——,quiteworthyoftheauthor……Thecontrastofthepapersinthe"Annals"withthoseinthe"Annales"isratherhumiliating;somanypapersintheformer,withshortdescriptionsofspecies,withoutonewordontheiraffinities,internalstructure,rangeorhabits。Iamnowreading——,andIhavepickedoutsomethingswhichhaveinterestedme;buthestrikesmeasratherdullish,andwithallhisMateriaMedicasmellsofthedoctor’sshop。IshalleverhatethenameoftheMateriaMedica,sincehearingDuncan’slecturesateighto’clockonawinter’smorning——awhole,coldbreakfastlesshouronthepropertiesofrhubarb!
Ihopeyourjourneywillbeveryprosperous。Believeme,mydearHooker,Everyours,C。DARWIN。
P。S。——IthinkIhaveonlymadeonenewacquaintanceoflate,thatisR。
Chambers;andIhavejustreceivedapresentationcopyofthesixtheditionofthe’Vestiges。’SomehowInowfeelperfectlyconvincedheistheauthor。HeisinFrance,andhaswrittentomethence。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[1847?]……IamdelightedtohearthatBrongniartthoughtSigillariaaquatic,andthatBinneyconsiderscoalasortofsubmarinepeat。Iwouldbet5to1
thatintwentyyearsthiswillbegenerallyadmitted(Anunfulfilledprophecy。);andIdonotcareforwhateverthebotanicaldifficultiesorimpossibilitiesmaybe。IfIcouldbutpersuademyselfthatSigillariaandCo。hadagoodrangeofdepth,i。e。,couldlivefrom5to100fathomsunderwater,alldifficultiesofnearlyallkindswouldberemoved(forthesimplefactofmuddyordinaryshallowseaimpliesproximityofland)。
[N。B。——Iamchucklingtothinkhowyouaresneeringallthistime。]Itisnotmuchofadifficulty,therenotbeingshellswiththecoal,consideringhowunfavourabledeepmudisformostMollusca,andthatshellswouldprobablydecayfromthehumicacid,asseemstotakeplaceinpeatandintheBLACKmoulds(asLyelltellsme)oftheMississippi。Socoalquestionsettled——Q。E。D。Sneeraway!
ManythanksforyourwelcomenotefromCambridge,andIamgladyoulikemyalmamater,whichIdespiseheartilyasaplaceofeducation,butlovefrommanymostpleasantrecollections……
Thanksforyourofferofthe’Phytologist;’Ishallbeverymuchobligedforit,forIdonotsupposeIshouldbeabletoborrowitfromanyotherquarter。Iwillnotbesetuptoomuchbyyourpraise,butIdonotbelieveIeverlostabookorforgottoreturnitduringalonglapseoftime。Your’Webb’iswellwrappedup,andwithyournameinlargelettersOUTSIDE。
Mynewmicroscopeiscomehome(a"splendidplaything,"asoldR。Browncalledit),andIamdelightedwithit;itreallyisasplendidplaything。
IhavebeeninLondonforthreedays,andsawmanyofourfriends。IwasextremelysorrytohearanotverygoodaccountofSirWilliam。Farewell,mydearHooker,andbeagoodboy,andmakeSigillariaasubmarinesea—
weed。
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[May6th,1847]。
MydearHooker,Youhavemadeasavageonslaught,andImusttrytodefendmyself。But,first,letmesaythatIneverwritetoyouexceptformyowngoodpleasure;nowIfearthatyouanswermewhenbusyandwithoutinclination(andIamsureIshouldhavenoneifIwasasbusyasyou)。Praydonotdoso,andifIthoughtmywritingentailedananswerfromyounolensvolens,itwoulddestroyallmypleasureinwriting。Firstly,IdidnotconsidermyletterasREASONING,orevenasSPECULATION,butsimplyasmentalrioting;andasIwassendingBinney’spaper,Ipouredouttoyoutheresultofreadingit。Secondly,youareright,indeed,inthinkingmemad,ifyousupposethatIwouldclassanyfernsasmarineplants;butsurelythereisawidedistinctionbetweentheplantsfounduprightinthecoal—
bedsandthosenotupright,andwhichmighthavebeendrifted。Isitnotpossiblethatthesamecircumstanceswhichhavepreservedthevegetationinsitu,shouldhavepreserveddriftedplants?IknowCalamitesisfoundupright;butIfancieditsaffinitieswereveryobscure,likeSigillaria。
AsforLepidodendron,Iforgotitsexistence,ashappenswhenonegoesriot,andnowknowneitherwhatitis,orwhetherupright。Iftheseplants,i。e。CalamitesandLepidodendron,haveVERYCLEARRELATIONStoterrestrialvegetables,likethefernshave,andarefounduprightinsitu,ofcourseImustgiveuptheghost。ButsurelySigillariaisthemainuprightplant,andonitsobscureaffinitiesIhaveheardyouenlarge。
Thirdly,itneverenteredmyheadtoundervaluebotanicalrelativelytozoologicalevidence;exceptinsofarasIthoughtitwasadmittedthatthevegetativestructureseldomyieldedanyevidenceofaffinitynearerthanthatoffamilies,andnotalwayssomuch。Andisitnotinplants,ascertainlyitisinanimals,dangeroustojudgeofhabitswithoutverynearaffinity。CouldaBotanisttellfromstructurealonethattheMangrovefamily,almostorquitealoneinDicotyledons,couldliveinthesea,andtheZosterafamilyalmostaloneamongtheMonocotyledons?Isitasafeargument,thatbecausealgaearealmosttheonly,ortheonlysubmergedsea—plants,thatformerlyothergroupshadnotmemberswithsuchhabits?
Withanimalssuchanargumentwouldnotbeconclusive,asIcouldillustratebymanyexamples;butIamforgettingmyself;Iwantonlytosomedegreetodefendmyself,andnotburnmyfingersbyattackingyou。
Thefoundationofmyletter,andwhatismydeliberateopinion,thoughI
daresayyouwillthinkitabsurd,isthatIwouldrathertrust,caeterisparibus,puregeologicalevidencethaneitherzoologicalorbotanicalevidence。IdonotsaythatIwouldsoonertrustPOORgeologicalevidencethanGOODorganic。Ithinkthebasisofpuregeologicalreasoningissimpler(consistingchieflyoftheactionofwateronthecrustoftheearth,anditsupanddownmovements)thanabasisdrawnfromthedifficultsubjectofaffinitiesandofstructureinrelationtohabits。IcanhardlyanalyzethefactsonwhichIhavecometothisconclusion;butIcanillustrateit。Pallas’saccountwouldleadanyonetosupposethattheSiberianstrata,withthefrozencarcasses,hadbeenquicklydeposited,andhencethattheembeddedanimalshadlivedintheneighbourhood;butourzoologicalknowledgeofthirtyyearsagoledeveryonefalselytorejectthisconclusion。
TellmethatanuprightferninsituoccurswithSigillariaandStigmaria,orthattheaffinitiesofCalamitesandLepidodendron(supposingthattheyarefoundinsituwithSigillaria)aresoCLEAR,thattheycouldnothavebeenmarine,like,butinagreaterdegree,thanthemangroveandsea—
wrack,andIwillhumblyapologisetoyouandallBotanistsforhavingletmymindrunriotonasubjectonwhichassuredlyIknownothing。ButtillIhearthis,Ishallkeepprivatelytomyownopinionwiththesamepertinacityand,asyouwillthink,withthesamephilosophicalspiritwithwhichKoenigmaintainsthatCheirotherium—footstepsarefuci。
Whetherthisletterwillsinkmelowerinyouropinion,orputmealittleright,Iknownot,buthopethelatter。Anyhow,Ihaverevengedmyselfwithboringyouwithaverylongepistle。Farewell,andbeforgiving。
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
P。S。——WhenwillyoureturntoKew?Ihaveforgottenonemainobjectofmyletter,tothankyouMUCHforyourofferofthe’Hort。Journal,’butIhaveorderedthetwonumbers。
[Thetwofollowingextracts[1847]givethecontinuationandconclusionofthecoalbattle。
"Bytheway,assubmarinecoalmadeyousowrath,IthoughtIwouldexperimentiseonFalconerandBunbury(ThelateSirC。Bunbury,well—knownasapalaeobotanist。)together,anditmade[them]evenmoresavage;’suchinfernalnonsenseoughttobethrashedoutofme。’Bunburywasmorepoliteandcontemptuous。SoInowknowhowtostirupandshowoffanyBotanist。
IwonderwhetherZoologistsandGeologistshavegottheirtenderpoints;I
wishIcouldfindout。"
"Icannotresistthankingyouforyourmostkindnote。PraydonotthinkthatIwasannoyedbyyourletter:Iperceivedthatyouhadbeenthinkingwithanimation,andaccordinglyexpressedyourselfstrongly,andsoI
understoodit。ForfendmefromamanwhoweighseveryexpressionwithScotchprudence。Iheartilywishyouallsuccessinyournobleproblem,andIshallbeverycurioustohavesometalkwithyouandhearyourultimatum。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。(Partsoftwoletters。)
Down[October,1847]。
Icongratulateyouheartilyonyourarrangementsbeingcompleted,withsomeprospectforthefuture。Itwillbeanoblevoyageandjourney,butIwishitwasover,Ishallmissyouselfishlyandallwaystoadreadfulextent……Iamingreatperplexityhowwearetomeet……Icanwellunderstandhowdreadfullybusyyoumustbe。IfyouCANNOTcomehere,youMUSTletmecometoyouforanight;forImusthaveonemorechatandonemorequarrelwithyouoverthecoal。
Bytheway,IendeavouredtostirupLyell(whohasbeenstayingheresomedayswithme)totheoriseonthecoal:hisooliticUPRIGHTEquisetumsaredreadfulformysubmarineflora。Ishoulddiemucheasierifsomeonewouldsolvemethecoalquestion。Isometimesthinkitcouldnothavebeenformedatall。OldSirAnthonyCarlisleoncesaidtomegravely,thathesupposedMegatheriumandsuchcattlewerejustsentdownfromheaventoseewhethertheearthwouldsupportthem;andIsupposethecoalwasraineddowntopuzzlemortals。YoumustworkthecoalwellinIndia。
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
[November6th,1847。]
MydearHooker,Ihavejustreceivedyournotewithsinceregrief:thereisnohelpforit。Ishallalwayslookatyourintentionofcominghere,undersuchcircumstances,asthegreatestproofoffriendshipIeverreceivedfrommortalman。MyconsciencewouldhaveupbraidedmeinnothavingcometoyouonThursday,but,asitturnedout,Icouldnot,forIwasquiteunabletoleaveShrewsburybeforethatday,andIreachedhomeonlylastnight,muchknockedup。WithoutIhearto—morrow(whichishardlypossible),andifIamfeelingprettywell,IwilldriveovertoKewonMondaymorning,justtosayfarewell。Iwillstayonlyanhour……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
[November,1847。]
MydearHooker,Iamveryunwell,andincapableofdoinganything。IdohopeIhavenotinconveniencedyou。Iwassounwellallyesterday,thatIwasrejoicingyouwerenothere;foritwouldhavebeenabittermortificationtometohavehadyouhereandnotenjoyedyourlastday。Ishallnotnowseeyou。
Farewell,andGodblessyou。
Youraffectionatefriend,C。DARWIN。
IwillwritetoyouinIndia。
[In1847appearedapaperbyMr。D。Milne(NowMr。MilneHome。TheessaywaspublishedinTransactionsoftheEdinburghRoyalSociety,vol。xvi。),inwhichmyfather’sGlenRoyworkiscriticised,andwhichisreferredtointhefollowingcharacteristicextractfromalettertoSirJ。Hooker:]
"Ihavebeenbadenoughforthesefewlastdays,havinghadtothinkandwritetoomuchaboutGlenRoy……Mr。Milnehavingattackedmytheory,whichmademehorriblysick。"IhavenotbeenabletofindanypublishedreplytoMr。Milne,sothatIimaginethe"writing"mentionedwasconfinedtoletters。Mr。Milne’spaperwasnotdestructivetotheGlenRoypaper,andthismyfatherrecognisesinthefollowingextractfromalettertoLyell(March,1847)。ThereferencetoChambersisexplainedbythefactthatheaccompaniedMr。MilneinhisvisittoGlenRoy。"IgotR。ChamberstogivemeasketchofMilne’sGlenRoyviews,andIhavere—readmypaper,andam,nowthatIhaveheardwhatistobesaid,notevenstaggered。ItisprovokingandhumiliatingtofindthatChambersnotonlyhadnotreadwithanycaremypaperonthissubject,orevenlookedatthecolouredmap,sothatthenewshelfdescribedbymehadnotbeensearchedfor,andmyargumentsandfactsofdetailnotintheleastattendedto。Ientirelygaveuptheghost,andwasquitechicken—heartedattheGeologicalSociety,tillyoureassuredandremindedmeofthemainfactsinthewholecase。"
ThetwofollowingletterstoLyell,thoughoflaterdate(June,1848),bearonthesamesubject:——
"Iwasattheeveningmeeting[oftheGeologicalSociety],butdidnotgetwithinhailofyou。Whatafool(thoughImustsayaveryamusingone)——
didmakeofhimself。Yourspeechwasrefreshingafterit,andwaswellcharacterizedbyFox(mycousin)inthreewords——’Whatacontrast!’ThatstruckmeasacapitalspeculationabouttheWealdenContinentgoingdown。
IdidnothearwhatyousettledattheCouncil;Iwasquiteweariedoutandbewildered。IfindSmith,ofJordanHill,hasamuchworseopinionofR。
Chambers’sbookthanevenIhave。Chambershaspiquedmealittle(’AncientSeaMargins,1848。’Thewordsquotedbymyfathershouldbe"themobilityofthelandwasanascendantidea。");hesaysI’propound’and’professmybelief’thatGlenRoyismarine,andthattheideawasacceptedbecausethe’mobilityofthelandwastheascendantideaoftheday。’HeaddssomeveryfaintUPPERlinesinGlenSpean(seen,bytheway,byAgassiz),andhasshownthatMilneandKemparerightintherebeinghorizontalaqueousmarkings(NOTatcoincidentlevelswiththoseofGlenRoy)inotherpartsofScotlandatgreatheights,andheaddsseveralothercases。Thisisthewholeofhisadditiontothedata。Henotonlytakesmylineofargumentfromthebuttressesandterracesbelowthelowershelfandsomeotherarguments(withoutacknowledgment),buthesneersatallhispredecessorsnothavingperceivedtheimportanceoftheshortportionsoflinesintermediatebetweenthechiefonesinGlenRoy;whereasIcommencethedescriptionofthemwithsaying,that’perceivingtheirimportance,I
examinedthemwithscrupulouscare,’andexpatiateatconsiderablelengthonthem。IhaveindirectlytoldhimIdonotthinkhehasquiteclaimstoconsiderthathealone(whichheprettydirectlyasserts)hassolvedtheproblemofGlenRoy。WithrespecttotheterracesatlowerlevelscoincidentinheightallroundScotlandandEngland,Iaminclinedtobelieveheshowssomelittleprobabilityoftherebeingsomeleadingonescoincident,butmuchmoreexactevidenceisrequired。Wouldyoubelieveitcredible?headvancesasaprobablesolutiontoaccountfortheriseofGreatBritainthatinsomegreatoceanone—twentiethofthebottomofthewholeaqueoussurfaceoftheglobehassunkin(hedoesnotsaywhereheputsit)forathicknessofhalfamile,andthishehascalculatedwouldmakeanapparentriseof130feet。"
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down[June,1848]。
MydearLyell,OutofjusticetoChambersImusttroubleyouwithonelinetosay,asfarasIampersonallyconcernedinGlenRoy,hehasmadetheamendehonorable,andpleadsguiltythroughinadvertencyoftakingmytwolinesofargumentsandfactswithoutacknowledgment。Heconcludedbysayinghe"cametothesamepointbyanindependentcourseofinquiry,whichinasmalldegreeexcusesthisinadvertency。"Hisletteraltogethershowsaverygooddisposition,andsaysheis"muchgratifiedwiththeMEASUREDapprobationwhichyoubestow,etc。"IamheartilygladIwasabletosayintruththatIthoughthehaddonegoodserviceincallingmoreattentiontothesubjectoftheterraces。Heprotestsitisunfairtocallthesinkingoftheseahistheory,forthathewithcarealwaysspeaksofmerechangeoflevel,andthisisquitetrue;buttheonesectioninwhichheshowshowheconceivestheseamightsinkissoastonishing,thatIbelieveitwillwithothers,aswithme,morethancounterbalancehispreviouscaution。IhopethatyoumaythinkbetterofthebookthanIdo。
Yoursmosttruly,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
October6th,1848……Ihavelatelybeentryingtogetupanagitation(butIshallnotsucceed,andindeeddoubtwhetherIhavetimeandstrengthtogoonwithit),againstthepracticeofNaturalistsappendingforperpetuitythenameoftheFIRSTdescribertospecies。Ilookatthisasadirectpremiumtohastywork,toNAMINGinsteadofDESCRIBING。Aspeciesoughttohaveanamesowellknownthattheadditionoftheauthor’snamewouldbesuperfluous,anda[piece]ofemptyvanity。(Hiscontemptfortheself—
regardingspiritinanaturalistisillustratedbyananecdote,forwhichI
amindebtedtoRev。L。Blomefield。Afterspeakingofmyfather’sloveofEntomologyatCambridge,Mr。Blomefieldcontinues:——"HeoccasionallycameoverfromCambridgetomyVicarageatSwaffhamBulbeck,andwewentouttogethertocollectinsectsinthewoodsatBottishamHall,closeathand,ormadelongerexcursionsintheFens。Ononeoccasionhecapturedinalargebagnet,withwhichheusedvigorouslytosweeptheweedsandlonggrass,ararecoleopterousinsect,oneoftheLepturidae,whichImyselfhadnevertakeninCambridgeshire。Hewaspleasedwithhiscapture,andofcoursecarriedithomeintriumph。Someyearsafterwards,thevoyageofthe’Beagle’havingbeenmadeintheinterim,talkingoveroldtimeswithhim,Irevertedtothiscircumstance,andaskedifherememberedit。’Oh,yes,’(hesaid,)’Irememberitwell;andIwasselfishenoughtokeepthespecimen,whenyouwerecollectingmaterialsforaFaunaofCambridgeshire,andforalocalmuseuminthePhilosophicalSociety。’Hefollowedthisupwithsomeremarksonthepettinessofcollectors,whoaimedatnothingbeyondfillingtheircabinetswithrarethings。")Atpresent,itwouldnotdotogivemerespecificnames;butIthinkZoologistsmightopentheroadtotheomission,byreferringtogoodsystematicwritersinsteadoftofirstdescribers。Botany,Ifancy,hasnotsufferedsomuchasZoologyfrommereNAMING;thecharacters,fortunately,aremoreobscure。Haveyoueverthoughtonthispoint?WhyshouldNaturalistsappendtheirownnamestonewspecies,whenMineralogistsandChemistsdonotdosotonewsubstances?WhenyouwritetoFalconerprayremembermeaffectionatelytohim。Igrievemostsincerelytohearthathehasbeenill,mydearHooker,Godblessyou,andfareyouwell。
Yoursincerefriend,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOHUGHSTRICKLAND。(HughEdwinStrickland,M。A。,F。R。S。,wasborn2ndofMarch,1811,andeducatedatRugby,underArnold,andatOrielCollege,Oxford。In1835and1836hetravelledthroughEuropetotheLevantwithW。J。Hamilton,thegeologist,winteringinAsiaMinor。In1841
hebroughtthesubjectofNaturalHistoryNomenclaturebeforetheBritishAssociation,andpreparedtheCodeofRulesforZoologicalNomenclature,nowknownbyhisname——theprinciplesofwhichareverygenerallyadopted。
In1843hewasoneofthefounders(ifnottheoriginalprojector)oftheRaySociety。In1845hemarriedtheseconddaughterofSirWilliamJardine,Bart。In1850hewasappointed,inconsequenceofBuckland’sillness,DeputyReaderinGeologyatOxford。HispromisingcareerwassuddenlycutshortonSeptember14,1853,when,whilegeologizinginarailwaycuttingbetweenRetfordandGainsborough,hewasrunoverbyatrainandinstantlykilled。AmemoirofhimandareprintofhisprincipalcontributionstojournalswaspublishedbySirWilliamJardinein1858;buthewasalsotheauthorof’TheDodoanditsKindred’(1848);’BibliographiaZoologiae’(thelatterinconjunctionwithLouisAgassiz,andissuedbytheRaySociety);’OrnithologicalSynonyms’(onevolumeonlypublished,andthatposthumously)。Acatalogueofhisornithologicalcollection,givenbyhiswidowtotheUniversityofCambridge,wascompiledbyMr。Salvin,andpublishedin1882。(IamindebtedtoProf。Newtonfortheabovenote。))
Down,January29th[1849]……Whatalabouryouhaveundertaken;IdoHONOURyourdevotedzealinthegoodcauseofNaturalScience。DoyouhappentohaveaSPAREcopyoftheNomenclaturerulespublishedinthe’BritishAssociationTransactions?’ifyouhave,andwouldgiveittome,Ishouldbetrulyobliged,forIgrudgebuyingthevolumeforit。Ihavefoundtherulesveryuseful,itisquiteacomforttohavesomethingtorestonintheturbulentoceanofnomenclature(andamaccordinglygratefultoyou),thoughIfinditverydifficulttoobeyalways。Hereisacase(andIthinkitshouldhavebeennoticedintherules),Coronula,CinerasandOtion,arenamesadoptedbyCuvier,Lamarck,Owen,andalmostEVERYwell—knownwriter,butIfindthatallthreenameswereanticipatedbyaGerman:nowIbelieveifIweretofollowthestrictruleofpriority,moreharmwouldbedonethangood,andmoreespeciallyasIfeelsurethatthenewlyfished—upnameswouldnotbeadopted。Ihavealmostmadeupmymindtorejecttheruleofpriorityinthiscase;wouldyougrudgethetroubletosendmeyouropinion?Ihavebeenledoflatetoreflectmuchonthesubjectofnaming,andIhavecometoafixedopinionthattheplanofthefirstdescriber’sname,beingappendedforperpetuitytoaspecies,hadbeenthegreatestcursetoNaturalHistory。Somemonthssince,Iwroteouttheenclosedbadlydrawn—