oh!thegold;andoh!theFrench——thesethreeoh’sallrankasdreadfulbugbears)andtwogirls……butanotherandtheworstofmybugbearsishereditaryweakness。AllmysistersarewellexceptMrs。Parker,whoismuchoutofhealth;andsoisErasmusathispooraverage:hehaslatelymovedintoQueenAnneStreet。Ihadheardoftheintendedmarriage(TotheRev。J。Hughes。)ofyoursisterFrances。IbelieveIhaveseenhersince,butmymemorytakesmebacksometwenty—fiveyears,whenshewaslyingdown。Irememberwellthedelightfulexpressionofhercountenance。I
mostsincerelywishherallhappiness。
IseeIhavenotansweredhalfyourqueries。WelikeverywellallthatwehaveseenandheardofRugby,andhaveneverrepentedofsending[W。]
there。Ifeelsureschoolshavegreatlyimprovedsinceourdays;butI
hateschoolsandthewholesystemofbreakingthroughtheaffectionsofthefamilybyseparatingtheboyssoearlyinlife;butIseenohelp,anddarenotruntheriskofayouthbeingexposedtothetemptationsoftheworldwithouthavingundergonethemilderordealofagreatschool。
Iseeyouevenaskafterourpears。WehavelotsofBeurreesd’Aremberg,WinterNelis,MarieLouise,and"NeplusUltra,"butalloffthewall;thestandarddwarfshaveborneafew,butIhavenoroomformoretrees,sotheirnameswouldbeuselesstome。Youreallymustmakeaholidayandpayusavisitsometime;nowherecouldyoubemoreheartilywelcome。IamatworkatthesecondvolumeoftheCirripedia,ofwhichcreaturesIamwonderfullytired。IhateaBarnacleasnomaneverdidbefore,notevenasailorinaslow—sailingship。Myfirstvolumeisout;theonlypartworthlookingatisonthesexesofIblaandScalpellum。Ihopebynextsummertohavedonewithmytediouswork。Farewell,——docomewheneveryoucanpossiblymanageit。
Icannotbuthopethatthecarbunclemaypossiblydoyougood:Ihaveheardofallsortsofweaknessesdisappearingafteracarbuncle。Isupposethepainisdreadful。Iagreemostentirely,whatablesseddiscoveryischloroform。Whenonethinksofone’schildren,itmakesquitealittledifferenceinone’shappiness。TheotherdayIhadfivegrinders(twobytheelevator)outatasittingunderthiswonderfulsubstance,andfelthardlyanything。
Mydearoldfriend,yoursveryaffectionately,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
Down,January29th[1853]。
MydearFox,YourlastaccountsomemonthsagowassolittlesatisfactorythatIhaveoftenbeenthinkingofyou,andshouldbereallyobligedifyouwouldgivemeafewlines,andtellmehowyourvoiceandchestare。Imostsincerelyhopethatyourreportwillbegood……Oursecondladhasastrongmechanicalturn,andwethinkofmakinghimanengineer。Ishalltryandfindoutforhimsomelessclassicalschool,perhapsBruceCastle。Icertainlyshouldliketoseemorediversityineducationthanthereisinanyordinaryschool——noexercisingoftheobservingorreasoningfaculties,nogeneralknowledgeacquired——Imustthinkitawretchedsystem。Ontheotherhand,aboywhohaslearnttostickatLatinandconqueritsdifficulties,oughttobeabletostickatanylabour。Ishouldalwaysbegladtohearanythingaboutschoolsoreducationfromyou。Iamatmyold,never—endingsubject,buttrustIshallreallygotopressinafewmonthswithmysecondvolumeonCirripedes。IhavebeenmuchpleasedbyfindingsomeoddfactsinmyfirstvolumebelievedbyOwenandafewothers,whosegoodopinionIregardasfinal……Dowriteprettysoon,andtellmeallyoucanaboutyourselfandfamily;andItrustyourreportofyourselfmaybemuchbetterthanyourlast……IhavebeenverylittleinLondonoflate,andhavenotseenLyellsincehisreturnfromAmerica;howluckyhewastoexhumewithhisownhandpartsofthreeskeletonsofreptilesoutoftheCARBONIFEROUSstrata,andoutoftheinsideofafossiltree,whichhadbeenhollowwithin。
Farewell,mydearFox,yoursaffectionately,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
13SeaHouses,Eastbourne,[July15th?1853]。
MydearFox,Hereweareinastateofprofoundidleness,whichtomeisaluxury;andweshouldall,Ibelieve,havebeeninastateofhighenjoyment,haditnotbeenforthedetestablecoldgalesandmuchrain,whichalwaysgivesmuchennuitochildrenawayfromtheirhomes。Ireceivedyourletterof13thJune,whenworkinglikeaslavewithMr。Sowerbyatdrawingformysecondvolume,andsoputoffansweringittillwhenIknewIshouldbeatleisure。Iwasextremelygladtogetyourletter。Ihadintendedacoupleofmonthsagosendingyouasavageorsupplicatingjobationtoknowhowyouwere,whenImetSirP。Egerton,whotoldmeyouwerewell,and,asusual,expressedhisadmirationofyourdoings,especiallyyourfarming,andthenumberofanimals,includingchildren,whichyoukeptonyourland。Elevenchildren,aveMaria!itisaseriouslook—outforyou。Indeed,Ilookatmyfiveboysassomethingawful,andhatetheverythoughtsofprofessions,etc。Ifonecouldinsuremoderatehealthforthemitwouldnotsignifysomuch,forIcannotbuthope,withtheenormousemigration,professionswillsomewhatimprove。Butmybugbearishereditaryweakness。Iparticularlyliketohearallthatyoucansayabouteducation,andyoudeservetobescoldedforsaying"youdidnotmeantoTORMENTmewithalongyarn。"YouaskaboutRugby。Ilikeitverywell,onthesameprincipleasmyneighbour,SirJ。Lubbock,likesEton,viz。,thatitisnotworsethananyotherschool;theexpense,WITHALLETC。,ETC。,includingsomeclothes,travellingexpenses,etc。,isfrom110poundsto120poundsperannum。I
donotthinkschoolsaresowickedastheywere,andfarmoreindustrious。
Theboys,Ithink,livetoosecludedintheirseparatestudies;andIdoubtwhethertheywillgetsomuchknowledgeofcharacterasboysusedtodo;
andthis,inmyopinion,istheONEgoodofpublicschoolsoversmallschools。Ishouldthinktheonlysuperiorityofasmallschooloverhomewasforcedregularityintheirwork,whichyourboysperhapsgetatyourhome,butwhichIdonotbelievemyboyswouldgetatmyhome。Otherwise,itisquitelamentablesendingboyssoearlyinlifefromtheirhome……Toreturntoschools。Mymainobjectiontothem,asplacesofeducation,istheenormousproportionoftimespentoverclassics。Ifancy(thoughperhapsitisonlyfancy)thatIcanperceivetheillandcontractingeffectonmyeldestboy’smind,incheckinginterestinanythinginwhichreasoningandobservationcomeintoplay。Merememoryseemstobeworked。Ishallcertainlylookoutforsomeschoolwithmorediversifiedstudiesformyyoungerboys。IwastalkinglatelytotheDeanofHereford,whotakesmoststronglythisview;andhetellsmethatthereisaschoolatHerefordcommencingonthisplan;andthatDr。KennedyatShrewsburyisgoingtobeginvigorouslytomodifythatschool……
IamEXTREMELYgladtohearthatyouapprovedofmycirripedialvolume。I
havespentanalmostridiculousamountoflabouronthesubject,andcertainlywouldneverhaveundertakenithadIforeseenwhatajobitwas。
Ihopetohavefinishedbytheendoftheyear。Dowriteagainbeforeaverylongtime;itisarealpleasuretometohearfromyou。Farewell,withmywife’skindestremembrancestoyourselfandMrs。Fox。
Mydearoldfriend,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
Down,August10th[1853]。
MydearFox,Ithankyousincerelyforwritingtomesosoonafteryourmostheavymisfortune。Yourletteraffectedmesomuch。WebothmosttrulysympathisewithyouandMrs。Fox。Wetoolost,asyoumayremember,notsoverylongago,amostdearchild,ofwhomIcanhardlyyetbeartothinktranquilly;yet,asyoumustknowfromyourownmostpainfulexperience,timesoftensanddeadens,inamannertrulywonderful,one’sfeelingsandregrets。Atfirstitisindeedbitter。IcanonlyhopethatyourhealthandthatofpoorMrs。Foxmaybepreserved,andthattimemaydoitsworksoftly,andbringyoualltogether,onceagain,asthehappyfamily,which,asIcanwellbelieve,yousolatelyformed。
MydearFox,youraffectionatefriend,CHARLESDARWIN。
[ThefollowingletterreferstotheRoyalSociety’sMedal,whichwasawardedtohiminNovember,1853:]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,November5th[1853]。
MydearHooker,Amongstmylettersreceivedthismorning,IopenedfirstonefromColonelSabine;thecontentscertainlysurprisedmeverymuch,but,thoughtheletterwasaVERYKINDONE,somehow,Icaredverylittleindeedfortheannouncementitcontained。Ithenopenedyours,andsuchistheeffectofwarmth,friendship,andkindnessfromonethatisloved,thattheverysamefact,toldasyoutoldit,mademeglowwithpleasuretillmyveryheartthrobbed。Believeme,Ishallnotsoonforgetthepleasureofyourletter。
Suchhearty,affectionatesympathyisworthmorethanallthemedalsthateverwereorwillbecoined。Again,mydearHooker,Ithankyou。IhopeLindley(JohnLindley,1799—1865,wasthesonofanurserymannearNorwich,throughwhosefailureinbusinesshewasthrownattheageoftwentyonhisownresources。HewasbefriendedbySirW。Hooker,andemployedasassistantlibrarianbySirJ。Banks。Heseemstohavehadenormouscapacityofwork,andissaidtohavetranslatedRichard’s’AnalyseduFruit’atonesittingoftwodaysandthreenights。HebecameAssistant—
SecretarytotheHorticulturalSociety,andin1829wasappointedProfessorofBotanyatUniversityCollege,apostwhichheheldforupwardsofthirtyyears。Hiswritingsarenumerous:thebestknownbeingperhapshis’VegetableKingdom,’publishedin1846。Hisinfluenceinhelpingtointroducethenaturalsystemofclassificationwasconsiderable,andhebrought"alltheweightofhisteachingandalltheforceofhiscontroversialpowerstosupportit,"asagainsttheLinneansystemuniversallytaughtintheearlierpartofhiscareer。Sachspointsout(GeschichtederBotanik,1875,page161),thatthoughLindleyadoptedinthemainasoundclassificationofplants,heonlydidsobyabandoninghisowntheoreticalprinciplethatthephysiologicalimportanceofanorganisameasureofitsclassificatoryvalue。)willneverhearthathewasacompetitoragainstme;forreallyitisalmostRIDICULOUS(ofcourseyouwouldneverrepeatthatIsaidthis,foritwouldbethoughtbyothers,thoughnot,Ibelieve,byyou,tobeaffectation)hisnothavingthemedallongbeforeme;ImustfeelSUREthatyoudidquiterighttoproposehim;
andwhatagood,dear,kindfellowyouare,nevertheless,torejoiceinthishonourbeingbestowedonme。
WhatPLEASUREIhavefeltontheoccasion,Iowealmostentirelytoyou。
Farewell,mydearHooker,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
P。S。——Youmaybelievewhatasurpriseitwas,forIhadneverheardthatthemedalscouldbegivenexceptforpapersinthe’Transactions。’Allthiswillmakemeworkwithbetterheartatfinishingthesecondvolume。
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down,February18th[1854]。
MydearLyell,Ishouldhavewrittenbefore,haditnotseemeddoubtfulwhetheryouwouldgoontoTeneriffe,butnowIamextremelygladtohearyourfurtherprogressiscertain;notthatIhavemuchofanysorttosay,asyoumaywellbelievewhenyouhearthatIhaveonlyoncebeeninLondonsinceyoustarted。Iwasparticularlygladtosee,twodayssince,yourlettertoMr。Horner,withitsgeologicalnews;howfortunateforyouthatyourkneesarerecovered。Iamastonishedatwhatyousayofthebeauty,thoughIhadfancieditgreat。Itreallymakesmequiteenvioustothinkofyourclamberingupanddownthosesteepvalleys。Andwhatapleasantpartyonyourreturnfromyourexpeditions。IoftenthinkofthedelightwhichI
feltwhenexaminingvolcanicislands,andIcanrememberevenparticularrockswhichIstruck,andthesmellofthehot,black,scoriaceouscliffs;
butofthoseHOTsmellsyoudonotseemtohavehadmuch。Idoquiteenvyyou。HowIshouldliketobewithyou,andspeculateonthedeepandnarrowvalleys。
Howverysingularthefactiswhichyoumentionabouttheinclinationofthestratabeinggreaterroundthecircumferencethaninthemiddleoftheisland;doyousupposetheelevationhashadtheformofaflatdome?I
rememberintheCordillerabeingOFTENstruckwiththegreaterabruptnessofthestrataintheLOWEXTREMEoutermostranges,comparedwiththegreatmassofinnermountains。Idaresayyouwillhavethoughtofmeasuringexactlythewidthofanydikesatthetopandbottomofanygreatcliff(whichwasdonebyMr。Searle[?]atSt。Helena),forithasoftenstruckmeasVERYODDthatthecracksdidnotdieoutOFTENERupwards。Icanthinkofhardlyanynewstotellyou,asIhaveseennoonesincebeinginLondon,whenIwasdelightedtoseeForbeslookingsowell,quitebigandburly。IsawattheMuseumsomeofthesurprisinglyrichgoldorefromNorthWales。RamsayalsotoldmethathehaslatelyturnedagooddealofNewRedSandstoneintoPermian,togetherwiththeLabyrinthodon。Nodoubtyouseenewspapers,andknowthatE。deBeaumontisperpetualSecretary,andwill,Isuppose,bemorepowerfulthanever;andLeVerrierhasArago’splaceintheObservatory。TherewasameetinglatelyattheGeologicalSociety,atwhichPrestwich(judgingfromwhatR。Jonestoldme)broughtforwardyourexacttheory,viz。thatthewholeredclayandflintsoverthechalkplateauhereaboutsistheresiduumfromtheslowdissolutionofthechalk!
Asregardsourselves,wehavenonews,andareallwell。TheHookers,sometimeago,stayedafortnightwithus,and,toourextremedelight,Henslowcamedown,andwasmostquietandcomfortablehere。Itdoesonegoodtoseesocomposed,benevolent,andintellectualacountenance。Therehavebeengreatfearsthathisheartisaffected;but,IhopetoGod,withoutfoundation。Hooker’sbook(SirJ。Hooker’s’HimalayanJournal。’)
isout,andMOSTBEAUTIFULLYgotup。Hehashonouredmebeyondmeasurebydedicatingittome!Asformyself,Iamgottothepage112oftheBarnacles,andthatisthesumtotalofmyhistory。By—the—way,asyoucaresomuchaboutNorthAmerica,ImaymentionthatIhadalongletterfromashipmateinAustralia,whosaystheColonyisgettingdecidedlyrepublicanfromtheinfluxofAmericans,andthatallthegreatandnovelschemesforworkingthegoldareplannedandexecutedbythesemen。Whatago—a—headnationitis!GivemykindestremembrancestoLadyLyell,andtoMrs。Bunbury,andtoBunbury。ImostheartilywishthattheCanariesmaybetentimesasinterestingasMadeira,andthateverythingmaygoonmostprosperouslywithyourwholeparty。
MydearLyell,Yoursmosttrulyandaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,March1st[1854]。
MydearHooker,Ifinishedyesterdayeveningthefirstvolume,andIverysincerelycongratulateyouonhavingproducedaFIRST—CLASSbook(’HimalayanJournal。’)——abookwhichcertainlywilllast。Icannotdoubtthatitwilltakeitsplaceasastandard,notsomuchbecauseitcontainsrealsolidmatter,butthatitgivesapictureofthewholecountry。Onecanfeelthatonehasseenit(anddesperatelyuncomfortableIfeltingoingoversomeofthebridgesandsteepslopes),andoneREALISESallthegreatPhysicalfeatures。Youhaveintruthreasontobeproud;considerhowfewtravellerstherehavebeenwithaprofoundknowledgeofonesubject,andwhocouldinadditionmakeamap(which,by—the—way,isoneofthemostdistinctonesIeverlookedat,whereforeblessingsalightonyourhead),andstudygeologyandmeteorology!IthoughtIknewyouverywell,butI
hadnottheleastideathatyourTravelswereyourhobby;butIamheartilygladofit,forIfeelsurethatthetimewillnevercomewhenyouandMrs。
Hookerwillnotbeproudtolookbackatthelabourbestowedonthesebeautifulvolumes。
Yourletter,receivedthismorning,hasinterestedmeEXTREMELY,andI
thankyousincerelyfortellingmeyouroldthoughtsandaspirations。AllthatyousaymakesmeevenmoredeeplygratifiedbytheDedication;butyou,badman,doyourememberaskingmehowIthoughtLyellwouldliketheworktobededicatedtohim?IrememberhowstronglyIanswered,andI
presumeyouwantedtoknowwhatIshouldfeel;whoeverwouldhavedreamedofyourbeingsocrafty?IamgladyouhaveshownalittlebitofambitionaboutyourJournal,foryoumustknowthatIhaveoftenabusedyoufornotcaringmoreaboutfame,though,atthesametime,Imustconfess,Ihaveenviedandhonouredyouforbeingsofree(toofree,asIhavealwaysthought)ofthis"lastinfirmityof,etc。"Donotsay,"thereneverwasapasthithertotome——thephantomwasalwaysinview,"foryouwillsoonfindotherphantomsinview。HowwellIknowthisfeeling,anddidformerlystillmorevividly;butIthinkmystomachhasmuchdeadenedmyformerpureenthusiasmforscienceandknowledge。
Iamwritinganunconscionablylongletter,butImustreturntotheJournals,aboutwhichIhavehardlysaidanythingindetail。Imprimis,theillustrationsandmapsappeartomethebestIhaveeverseen;thestyleseemstomeeverywhereperfectlyclear(howrareavirtue),andsomepassagesreallyeloquent。Howexcellentlyyouhavedescribedtheuppervalleys,andhowdetestabletheirclimate;IfeltquiteanxiousontheslopesofKinchinthatdreadfulsnowynight。Nothinghasastonishedmemorethanyourphysicalstrength;andallthosedevilishbridges!Well,thankgoodness!ItisnotVERYlikelythatIshallevergototheHimalaya。Muchinascientificpointofviewhasinterestedme,especiallyallaboutthosewonderfulmoraines。IcertainlythinkIquiterealisethevalleys,morevividlyperhapsfromhavingseenthevalleysofTahiti。I
cannotdoubtthattheHimalayaowealmostalltheircontourtorunningwater,andthattheyhavebeensubjectedtosuchactionlongerthananymountains(asyetdescribed)intheworld。WhatacontrastwiththeAndes!
PerhapsyouwouldliketoheartheverylittlethatIcansaypercontra,andthisonlyappliedtothebeginning,inwhich(asitstruckme)therewasnotFLOWenoughtillyougettoMirzaporeontheGanges(buttheThugswereMOSTinteresting),wherethestreamseemedtocarryyouonmoreequablywithlongersentencesandlongerfactsanddiscussions,etc。Inanotheredition(andIamdelightedtohearthatMurrayhassoldalloff),Iwouldconsiderwhetherthispartcouldnotbecondensed。Evenifthemeteorologywasputinfoot—notes,Ithinkitwouldbeanimprovement。Alltheworldisagainstme,butitmakesmeveryunhappytoseetheLatinnamesallinItalics,andallmingledwithEnglishnamesinRomantype;butImustbearthisburden,forallmenofScienceseemtothinkitwouldcorrupttheLatintodressitupinthesametypeaspooroldEnglish。
Well,IamveryproudofMYbook;butthereisonebore,thatIdonotmuchlikeaskingpeoplewhethertheyhaveseenit,andhowtheylikeit,forI
feelsomuchidentifiedwithit,thatsuchquestionsbecomeratherpersonal。Hence,Icannottellyoutheopinionofothers。Youwillhaveseenafairlygoodreviewinthe’Athenaeum。’
WhatcapitalnewsfromTasmania:itreallyisaveryremarkableandcreditablefacttotheColony。(ThisreferstoanunsolicitedgrantbytheColonialGovernmenttowardstheexpensesofSirJ。Hooker’s’FloraofTasmania。’)Iamalwaysbuildingveritablecastlesintheairaboutemigrating,andTasmaniahasbeenmyhead—quartersoflate;sothatIfeelveryproudofmyadoptedcountry:isreallyaverysingularanddelightfulfact,contrastedwiththeslightappreciationofscienceintheoldcountry。Ithankyouheartilyforyourletterthismorning,andforallthegratificationyourDedicationhasgivenme;Icouldnothelpthinkinghowmuch——woulddespiseyoufornothavingdedicatedittosomegreatman,whowouldhavedoneyouanditsomegoodintheeyesoftheworld。
Ah,mydearHooker,youwereverysoftonthishead,andjustifywhatIsayaboutnotcaringenoughforyourownfame。IwishIwasineverywaymoreworthyofyourgoodopinion。Farewell。HowpleasantlyMrs。Hookerandyoumustrestfromoneofyourmanylabours……
Againfarewell:Ihavewrittenawonderfullylongletter。Adios,andGodblessyou。
MydearHooker,everyours,C。DARWIN。
P。S。——Ihavejustlookedovermyramblingletter;IseethatIhavenotatallexpressedmystrongadmirationattheamountofscientificwork,insomanybranches,whichyouhaveeffected。Itisreallygrand。Youhavearighttorestonyouroars;oreventosay,ifitsopleasesyou,that"yourmeridianispast;"butwellassureddoIfeelthatthedayofyourreputationandgeneralrecognitionhasonlyjustbeguntodawn。
[InSeptember,1854,hisCirripedeworkwaspracticallyfinished,andhewrotetoDr。Hooker:
"Ihavebeenfritteringawaymytimeforthelastseveralweeksinawearisomemanner,partlyidleness,andoddsandends,andsendingtenthousandBarnaclesoutofthehouseallovertheworld。ButIshallnowinadayortwobegintolookovermyoldnotesonspecies。WhatadealI
shallhavetodiscusswithyou;IshallhavetolooksharpthatIdonot’progress’intooneofthegreatestboresinlife,tothefewlikeyouwithlotsofknowledge。"]
CHAPTER1。X。
THEGROWTHOFTHE’ORIGINOFSPECIES。’
[Thegrowthofthe’OriginofSpecies’hasbeenbrieflydescribedinmyfather’swords(above)。Thelettersgiveninthepresentandfollowingchapterswillillustrateandamplifythehistorythussketchedout。
Itisclearthatintheearlypartofthevoyageofthe"Beagle"hedidnotfeelitinconsistentwithhisviewstoexpresshimselfinthoroughlyorthodoxlanguageastothegenesisofnewspecies。Thusin1834hewrote(MS。Journals,page468。)atValparaiso:"Ihavealreadyfoundbedsofrecentshellsyetretainingtheircolouratanelevationof1300feet,andbeneath,thelevelcountryisstrewnwiththem。Itseemsnotaveryimprobableconjecturethatthewantofanimalsmaybeowingtononehavingbeencreatedsincethiscountrywasraisedfromthesea。"
Thispassagedoesnotoccurinthepublished’Journal,’thelastproofofwhichwasfinishedin1837;andthisfactharmonizeswiththechangeweknowtohavebeenproceedinginhisviews。Butinthepublished’Journal’
wefindpassageswhichshowapointofviewmoreinaccordancewithorthodoxtheologicalnaturalhistorythanwithhislaterviews。Thus,inspeakingofthebirdsSynallaxisandScytalopus(1steditionpage353;2ndeditionpage289),hesays:"Whenfinding,asinthiscase,anyanimalwhichseemstoplaysoinsignificantapartinthegreatschemeofnature,oneisapttowonderwhyadistinctspeciesshouldhavebeencreated。"
Acomparisonofthetwoeditionsofthe’Journal’isinstructive,asgivingsomeideaofthedevelopmentofhisviewsonevolution。Itdoesnotgiveusatrueindexofthemassofconjecturewhichwastakingshapeinhismind,butitshowsusthathefeltsureenoughofthetruthofhisbelieftoallowastrongertingeofevolutiontoappearinthesecondedition。HehasmentionedintheAutobiographythatitwasnotuntilhereadMalthusthathegotaclearviewofthepotencyofnaturalselection。Thiswasin1838——ayearafterhefinishedthefirstedition(itwasnotpublisheduntil1839),andfiveyearsbeforethesecondeditionwaswritten(1845)。
Thustheturning—pointintheformationofhistheorytookplacebetweenthewritingofthetwoeditions。
Iwillfirstgiveafewpassageswhicharepracticallythesameinthetwoeditions,andwhichare,therefore,chieflyofinterestasillustratinghisframeofmindin1837。
ThecaseofthetwospeciesofMolothrus(1steditionpage61;2ndeditionpage53)musthavebeenoneoftheearliestinstancesnoticedbyhimoftheexistenceofrepresentativespecies——aphenomenonwhichweknow(’Autobiography,’)struckhimdeeply。Thediscussiononintroducedanimals(1steditionpage139;2ndeditionpage120)showshowmuchhewasimpressedbythecomplicatedinterdependenceoftheinhabitantsofagivenarea。
Ananalogouspointofviewisgiveninthediscussion(1steditionpage98;
2ndeditionpage85)ofthemistakenbeliefthatlargeanimalsrequire,fortheirsupport,aluxuriantvegetation;theincorrectnessofthisviewisillustratedbythecomparisonofthefaunaofSouthAfricaandSouthAmerica,andthevegetationofthetwocontinents。Theinterestofthediscussionisthatitshowsclearlyouraprioriignoranceoftheconditionsoflifesuitabletoanyorganism。
Thereisapassagewhichhasbeenmorethanoncequotedasbearingontheoriginofhisviews。ItiswherehediscussesthestrikingdifferencebetweenthespeciesofmiceontheeastandwestoftheAndes(1steditionpage399):"Unlesswesupposethesamespeciestohavebeencreatedintwodifferentcountries,weoughtnottoexpectanyclosersimilaritybetweentheorganicbeingsontheoppositesidesoftheAndesthanonshoresseparatedbyabroadstraitofthesea。"Inthe2ndeditionpage327,thepassageisalmostverballyidentical,andispracticallythesame。
Thereareotherpassagesagainwhicharemorestronglyevolutionaryinthe2ndedition,butotherwisearesimilartothecorrespondingpassagesinthe1stedition。Thus,indescribingtheblindTuco—tuco(1steditionpage60;
2ndeditionpage52),inthefirsteditionhemakesnoallusiontowhatLamarckmighthavethought,noristheinstanceusedasanexampleofmodification,asintheeditionof1845。
Astrikingpassageoccursinthe2ndedition(page173)ontherelationshipbetweenthe"extinctedentataandthelivingsloths,ant—eaters,andarmadillos。"
"Thiswonderfulrelationshipinthesamecontinentbetweenthedeadandtheliving,will,Idonotdoubt,hereafterthrowmorelightontheappearanceoforganicbeingsonourearth,andtheirdisappearancefromit,thananyotherclassoffacts。"
Thissentencedoesnotoccurinthe1stedition,buthewasevidentlyprofoundlystruckbythedisappearanceofthegiganticforerunnersofthepresentanimals。Thedifferencebetweenthediscussionsinthetwoeditionsismostinstructive。Inboth,ourignoranceoftheconditionsoflifeisinsistedon,butinthesecondedition,thediscussionismadetoleduptoastrongstatementoftheintensityofthestruggleforlife。
Thenfollowsacomparisonbetweenrarity(Inthesecondedition,page146,thedestructionofNiatacattlebydroughtsisgivenasagoodexampleofourignoranceofthecausesofrarityorextinction。Thepassagedoesnotoccurinthefirstedition。)andextinction,whichintroducestheideathatthepreservationanddominanceofexistingspeciesdependonthedegreeinwhichtheyareadaptedtosurroundingconditions。Inthefirstedition,heismerely"temptedtobelieveinsuchsimplerelationsasvariationofclimateandfood,orintroductionofenemies,ortheincreasednumberofotherspecies,asthecauseofthesuccessionofraces。"Butfinally(1stedition)heendsthechapterbycomparingtheextinctionofaspeciestotheexhaustionanddisappearanceofvarietiesoffruit—trees:asifhethoughtthatamysterioustermoflifewasimpressedoneachspeciesatitscreation。
ThedifferenceoftreatmentoftheGalapagosproblemisofsomeinterest。
Intheearlierbook,theAmericantypeoftheproductionsoftheislandsisnoticed,asisthefactthatthedifferentislandspossessformsspeciallytheirown,buttheimportanceofthewholeproblemisnotsostronglyputforward。Thus,inthefirstedition,hemerelysays:——
"Thissimilarityoftypebetweendistantislandsandcontinents,whilethespeciesaredistinct,hasscarcelybeensufficientlynoticed。Thecircumstancewouldbeexplained,accordingtotheviewsofsomeauthors,bysayingthatthecreativepowerhadactedaccordingtothesamelawoverawidearea。"——(1steditionpage474。)
Thispassageisnotgiveninthesecondedition,andthegeneralisationsongeographicaldistributionaremuchwiderandfuller。Thusheasks:——
"Whyweretheiraboriginalinhabitants,associated……indifferentproportionsbothinkindandnumberfromthoseontheContinent,andthereforeactingoneachotherinadifferentmanner——whyweretheycreatedonAmericantypesoforganisation?"——(2ndeditionpage393。)
Thesamedifferenceoftreatmentisshownelsewhereinthischapter。Thusthegradationintheformofbeakpresentedbythethirteenalliedspeciesoffinchisdescribedinthefirstedition(page461)withoutcomment。
Whereasinthesecondedition(page380)heconcludes:——
"OnemightreallyfancythatfromanoriginalpaucityofbirdsinthisArchipelago,onespecieshasbeentakenandmodifiedfordifferentends。"
Onthewholeitseemstomeremarkablethatthedifferencebetweenthetwoeditionsisnotgreater;itisanotherproofoftheauthor’scautionandself—restraintinthetreatmentofhistheory。Afterreadingthesecondeditionofthe’Journal,’wefindwithastrongsenseofsurprisehowfardevelopedwerehisviewsin1837。Weareenabledtoformanopiniononthispointfromthenote—booksinwhichhewrotedowndetachedthoughtsandqueries。Ishallquotefromthefirstnote—book,completedbetweenJuly1837andFebruary1838:andthisisthemoreworthdoing,asitgivesusaninsightintotheconditionofhisthoughtsbeforethereadingofMalthus。Thenotesarewritteninhismosthurriedstyle,somanywordsbeingomitted,thatitisoftendifficulttoarriveatthemeaning。Withafewexceptions(indicatedbysquarebrackets)(Intheextractsfromthenote—bookordinarybracketsrepresentmyfather’sparentheses。)Ihaveprintedtheextractsaswritten;thepunctuation,however,hasbeenaltered,andafewobviousslipscorrectedwhereitseemednecessary。Theextractsarenotprintedinorder,butareroughlyclassified。(Onthefirstpageofthenote—book,iswritten"Zoonomia";thisseemstorefertothefirstfewpagesinwhichreproductionbygemmationisdiscussed,andwherethe"Zoonomia"ismentioned。Manypageshavebeencutoutofthenote—book,probablyforuseinwritingtheSketchof1844,andthesewouldhavenodoubtcontainedthemostinterestingextracts。)
"Propagationexplainswhymodernanimalssametypeasextinct,whichislaw,almostproved。"
"Wecanseewhystructureiscommonincertaincountrieswhenwecanhardlybelievenecessary,butifitwasnecessarytooneforefather,theresultwouldbeasitis。HenceantelopesatCapeofGoodHope;marsupialsatAustralia。"
"Countrieslongestseparatedgreatestdifferences——ifseparatedfromimmersage,possiblytwodistincttypes,buteachhavingitsrepresentatives——asinAustralia。"
"Willthisapplytowholeorganickingdomwhenourplanetfirstcooled?"
Thetwofollowingextractsshowthatheappliedthetheoryofevolutiontothe"wholeorganickingdom"fromplantstoman。
"Ifwechoosetoletconjecturerunwild,thenanimals,ourfellowbrethreninpain,disease,death,sufferingandfamine——ourslavesinthemostlaboriousworks,ourcompanionsinouramusements——theymaypartake[of?]
ourorigininonecommonancestor——wemaybeallmeltedtogether。"
"Thedifferentintellectsofmanandanimalsnotsogreatasbetweenlivingthingswithoutthought(plants),andlivingthingswiththought(animals)。"
Thefollowingextractsareagainconcernedwithanaprioriviewoftheprobabilityoftheoriginofspeciesbydescent["propagation,"hecalledit。]。
"Thetreeoflifeshouldperhapsbecalledthecoraloflife,baseofbranchesdead;sothatpassagescannotbeseen。"
"Therenevermayhavebeengradebetweenpigandtapir,yetfromsomecommonprogenitor。Nowiftheintermediaterankshadproducedinfinitespecies,probablytheserieswouldhavebeenmoreperfect。"
Atanotherplace,speakingofintermediateformshesays:——
"Cuvierobjectstopropagationofspeciesbysaying,whyhavenotsomeintermediateformsbeendiscoveredbetweenPalaeotherium,Megalonyx,Mastodon,andthespeciesnowliving?Nowaccordingtomyview(inS。
America)parentofallArmadilloesmightbebrothertoMegatherium——unclenowdead。"
Speakingelsewhereofintermediateforms,heremarks:——
"Opponentswillsay——’showthemme。’Iwillansweryes,ifyouwillshowmeeverystepbetweenbulldogandgreyhound。"
Hereweseethatthecaseofdomesticanimalswasalreadypresentinhismindasbearingontheproductionofnaturalspecies。Thedisappearanceofintermediateformsnaturallyleadsuptothesubjectofextinction,withwhichthenextextractbegins。
"Itisawonderfulfact,horse,elephant,andmastodon,dyingoutaboutsametimeinsuchdifferentquarters。
"WillMr。Lyellsaythatsome[same?]circumstancekilleditoveratractfromSpaintoSouthAmerica?——(Never)。
"Theydie,withouttheychange,likegoldenpippins;itisaGENERATIONOF
SPECIESlikegenerationOFINDIVIDUALS。
"Whydoesindividualdie?Toperpetuatecertainpeculiarities(thereforeadaptation),andobliterateaccidentalvarieties,andtoaccommodateitselftochange(for,ofcourse,change,eveninvarieties,isaccommodation)。
Nowthisargumentappliestospecies。
"Ifindividualcannotpropagatehehasnoissue——sowithspecies。
"IfSPECIESgenerateotherSPECIES,theirraceisnotutterlycutoff:——
likegoldenpippins,ifproducedbyseed,goon——otherwisealldie。
"Thefossilhorsegenerated,inSouthAfrica,zebra——andcontinued——
perishedinAmerica。