首页 >出版文学> The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin>第21章
  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。