首页 >出版文学> The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin>第38章
  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
  Down[February15th,1860]……Iamperfectlyconvinced(havingreadthismorning)thatthereviewinthe’Annals’(AnnalsandMag。ofNat。Hist。thirdseries,vol。5,page132。
  Myfatherhasobviouslytakentheexpression"pestilent"fromthefollowingpassage(page138):"ButwhoisthisNature,wehavearighttoask,whohassuchtremendouspower,andtowhoseefficiencysuchmarvellousperformancesareascribed?Whatareherimageandattributes,whendraggedfromherwordylurking—place?Issheaughtbutapestilentabstraction,likedustcastinoureyestoobscuretheworkingsofanIntelligentFirstCauseofall?"Thereviewerpaysatributetomyfather’scandour,"somanlyandoutspokenasalmostto’coveramultitudeofsins。’"Theparentheses(towhichallusionismadeabove)aresofrequentastogiveacharacteristicappearancetoMr。Wollaston’spages。)isbyWollaston;nooneelseintheworldwouldhaveusedsomanyparentheses。Ihavewrittentohim,andtoldhimthatthe"pestilent"fellowthankshimforhiskindmannerofspeakingabouthim。IhavealsotoldhimthathewouldbepleasedtohearthattheBishopofOxfordsaysitisthemostunphilosophical(AnotherversionofthewordsisgivenbyLyell,towhomtheywerespoken,viz。"themostillogicalbookeverwritten。"——’Life,’
  volumeii。page358。)workheeverread。Thereviewseemstomeclever,andonlymisinterpretsmeinafewplaces。Likeallhostilemen,hepassesovertheexplanationgivenofClassification,Morphology,Embryology,andRudimentaryOrgans,etc。IreadWallace’spaperinMS。("OntheZoologicalGeographyoftheMalayArchipelago。"——Linn。Soc。Journ。1860。),andthoughtitadmirablygood;hedoesnotknowthathehasbeenanticipatedaboutthedepthofinterveningseadeterminingdistribution……ThemostcuriouspointinthepaperseemstomethatabouttheAfricancharacteroftheCelebesproductions,butIshouldrequirefurtherconfirmation……
  Henslowisstayinghere;Ihavehadsometalkwithhim;heisinmuchthesamestateasBunbury(ThelateSirCharlesBunbury,well—knownasaPalaeo—botanist。),andwillgoaverylittlewaywithus,butbringsupnorealargumentagainstgoingfurther。Healsoshuddersattheeye!Itisreallycurious(andperhapsisanargumentinourfavour)howdifferentlydifferentopposersviewthesubject。HenslowusedtoresthisoppositionontheimperfectionoftheGeologicalRecord,buthenowthinksnothingofthis,andsaysIhavegotwelloutofit;IwishIcouldquiteagreewithhim。BadenPowellsaysheneverreadanythingsoconclusiveasmystatementabouttheeye!!Astrangerwritestomeaboutsexualselection,andregretsthatIboggleaboutsuchatrifleasthebrushofhaironthemaleturkey,andsoon。AsL。Jenynshasareallyphilosophicalmind,andasyousayyouliketoseeeverything,Isendanoldletterofhis。InalaterlettertoHenslow,whichIhaveseen,heismorecandidthananyopposerIhaveheardof,forhesays,thoughheCANNOTgosofarasIdo,yethecangivenogoodreasonwhyheshouldnot。Itisfunnyhoweachmandrawshisownimaginarylineatwhichtohalt。ItremindsmesovividlywhatIwastold(ByProfessorHenslow。)aboutyouwhenIfirstcommencedgeology——tobelieveaLITTLE,butonnoaccounttobelieveall。
  Everyoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
  Down,February18th[1860]。
  MydearGray,IreceivedaboutaweekagotwosheetsofyourReview(The’AmericanJournalofScienceandArts,’March,1860。Reprintedin’Darwiniana,’
  1876。);readthem,andsentthemtoHooker;theyarenowreturnedandre—
  readwithcare,andto—morrowIsendthemtoLyell。YourReviewseemstomeADMIRABLE;byfarthebestwhichIhaveread。Ithankyoufrommyheartbothformyself,butfarmoreforthesubject’ssake。YourcontrastbetweentheviewsofAgassizandsuchasmineisverycuriousandinstructive。(Thecontrastisbrieflysummedupthus:"ThetheoryofAgassizregardstheoriginofspeciesandtheirpresentgeneraldistributionovertheworldasequallyprimordial,equallysupernatural;
  thatofDarwinasequallyderivative,equallynatural。"——’Darwiniana,’page14。)Bytheway,ifAgassizwritesanythingonthesubject,Ihopeyouwilltellme。Iamcharmedwithyourmetaphorofthestreamletneverrunningagainsttheforceofgravitation。Yourdistinctionbetweenanhypothesisandtheoryseemstomeveryingenious;butIdonotthinkitiseverfollowed。EveryonenowspeaksoftheundulatoryTHEORYoflight;yettheetherisitselfhypothetical,andtheundulationsareinferredonlyfromexplainingthephenomenaoflight。EvenintheTHEORYofgravitationistheattractivepowerinanywayknown,exceptbyexplainingthefalloftheapple,andthemovementsofthePlanets?ItseemstomethatanhypothesisisDEVELOPEDintoatheorysolelybyexplaininganamplelotoffacts。AgainandagainIthankyouforyourgenerousaidindiscussingaview,aboutwhichyouveryproperlyholdyourselfunbiassed。
  MydearGray,yoursmostsincerely,C。DARWIN。
  P。S。——Severalclergymengofarwithme。Rev。L。Jenyns,averygoodnaturalist。Henslowwillgoaverylittlewaywithme,andisnotshockedwithme。Hehasjustbeenvisitingme。
  [WithregardtotheattitudeofthemoreliberalrepresentativesoftheChurch,thefollowingletter(alreadyreferredto)fromCharlesKingsleyisofinterest:]
  C。KINGSLEYTOCHARLESDARWIN。
  EversleyRectory,Winchfield,November18th,1859。
  DearSir,Ihavetothankyoufortheunexpectedhonourofyourbook。ThattheNaturalistwhom,ofallnaturalistsliving,Imostwishtoknowandtolearnfrom,shouldhavesentascientistlikemehisbook,encouragesmeatleasttoobservemorecarefully,andperhapsmoreslowly。
  Iamsopoorly(inbrain),thatIfearIcannotreadyourbookjustnowasIought。AllIhaveseenofitAWESme;bothwiththeheapoffactsandtheprestigeofyourname,andalsowiththeclearintuition,thatifyouberight,ImustgiveupmuchthatIhavebelievedandwritten。
  InthatIcarelittle。LetGodbetrue,andeverymanaliar!LetusknowwhatIS,and,asoldSocrateshasit,epesthaitologo——followupthevillainousshiftyfoxofanargument,intowhatsoeverunexpectedbogsandbrakeshemayleadus,ifwedobutrunintohimatlast。
  Fromtwocommonsuperstitions,atleast,Ishallbefreewhilejudgingofyourbooks:——
  1。Ihavelongsince,fromwatchingthecrossingofdomesticatedanimalsandplants,learnttodisbelievethedogmaofthepermanenceofspecies。
  2。IhavegraduallylearnttoseethatitisjustasnobleaconceptionofDeity,tobelievethathecreatedprimalformscapableofselfdevelopmentintoallformsneedfulprotemporeandproloco,astobelievethatHerequiredafreshactofinterventiontosupplythelacunaswhichHeHimselfhadmade。Iquestionwhethertheformerbenottheloftierthought。
  Beitasitmay,Ishallprizeyourbook,bothforitself,andasaproofthatyouareawareoftheexistenceofsuchapersonasYourfaithfulservant,C。KINGSLEY。
  [Myfather’soldfriend,theRev。J。BrodieInnes,ofMiltonBrodie,whowasformanyyearsVicarofDown,writesinthesamespirit:
  "Weneverattackedeachother。BeforeIknewMr。DarwinIhadadopted,andpubliclyexpressed,theprinciplethatthestudyofnaturalhistory,geology,andscienceingeneral,shouldbepursuedwithoutreferencetotheBible。ThattheBookofNatureandScripturecamefromthesameDivinesource,raninparallellines,andwhenproperlyunderstoodwouldnevercross……
  "Hisviewsonthissubjectwereverymuchtothesameeffectfromhisside。
  Ofcourseanyconversationswemayhavehadonpurelyreligioussubjectsareassacredlyprivatenowasinhislife;butthequaintconclusionofonemaybegiven。WehadbeenspeakingoftheapparentcontradictionofsomesupposeddiscoverieswiththeBookofGenesis;hesaid,’youare(itwouldhavebeenmorecorrecttosayyououghttobe)atheologian,Iamanaturalist,thelinesareseparate。IendeavourtodiscoverfactswithoutconsideringwhatissaidintheBookofGenesis。IdonotattackMoses,andIthinkMosescantakecareofhimself。’Tothesameeffecthewrotemorerecently,’IcannotrememberthatIeverpublishedaworddirectlyagainstreligionortheclergy;butifyouweretoreadalittlepamphletwhichIreceivedacoupleofdaysagobyaclergyman,youwouldlaugh,andadmitthatIhadsomeexcuseforbitterness。Afterabusingmefortwoorthreepages,inlanguagesufficientlyplainandemphatictohavesatisfiedanyreasonableman,hesumsupbysayingthathehasvainlysearchedtheEnglishlanguagetofindtermstoexpresshiscontemptformeandallDarwinians。’Inanotherletter,afterIhadleftDown,hewrites,’Weoftendiffered,butyouareoneofthoseraremortalsfromwhomonecandifferandyetfeelnoshadeofanimosity,andthatisathing[of]whichI
  shouldfeelveryproud,ifanyonecouldsay[it]ofme。’
  "OnmylastvisittoDown,Mr。Darwinsaid,athisdinner—table,’BrodieInnesandIhavebeenfastfriendsforthirtyyears,andweneverthoroughlyagreedonanysubjectbutonce,andthenwestaredhardateachother,andthoughtoneofusmustbeveryill。’"]
  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
  Down,February23rd[1860]。
  MydearLyell,ThatisasplendidanswerofthefatherofJudgeCrompton。HowcuriousthattheJudgeshouldhavehitonexactlythesamepointsasyourself。Itshowsmewhatacapitallawyeryouwouldhavemade,howmanyunjustactsyouwouldhavemadeappearjust!Buthowmuchgranderafieldhassciencebeenthanthelaw,thoughthelattermighthavemadeyouLordKinnordy。I
  will,iftherebeanotheredition,enlargeongradationintheeye,andonallformscomingfromoneprototype,soastotryandmakebothlessglaringlyimprobable……
  WithrespecttoBronn’sobjectionthatitcannotbeshownhowlifearises,andlikewisetoacertainextentAsaGray’sremarkthatnaturalselectionisnotaveracausa,IwasmuchinterestedbyfindingaccidentallyinBrewster’s’LifeofNewton,’thatLeibnitzobjectedtothelawofgravitybecauseNewtoncouldnotshowwhatgravityitselfis。Asithaschanced,I
  haveusedinlettersthisverysameargument,littleknowingthatanyonehadreallythusobjectedtothelawofgravity。Newtonanswersbysayingthatitisphilosophytomakeoutthemovementsofaclock,thoughyoudonotknowwhytheweightdescendstotheground。LeibnitzfurtherobjectedthatthelawofgravitywasopposedtoNaturalReligion!Isthisnotcurious?IreallythinkIshallusethefactsforsomeintroductoryremarksformybiggerbook……Youask(Isee)whywedonothavemonstrositiesinhigheranimals;butwhentheylivetheyarealmostalwayssterile(evengiantsanddwarfsareGENERALLYsterile),andwedonotknowthatHarvey’smonsterwouldhavebred。ThereisIbelieveonlyonecaseonrecordofapeloricflowerbeingfertile,andIcannotrememberwhetherthisreproduceditself。
  Torecurtotheeye。Ireallythinkitwouldhavebeendishonest,nottohavefacedthedifficulty;andworse(asTalleyrandwouldhavesaid),itwouldhavebeenimpoliticIthink,foritwouldhavebeenthrowninmyteeth,asH。Hollandthrewthebonesoftheear,tillHuxleyshuthimupbyshowingwhatafinegradationoccurredamongstlivingcreatures。
  Ithankyoumuchforyourmostpleasantletter。
  Yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
  P。S。——IsendaletterbyHerbertSpencer,whichyoucanreadornotasyouthinkfit。Heputs,tomymind,thephilosophyoftheargumentbetterthanalmostanyone,atthecloseoftheletter。IcouldmakenothingofDana’sidealisticnotionsaboutspecies;butthen,asWollastonsays,Ihavenotametaphysicalhead。
  Bytheway,IhavethrownatWollaston’shead,apaperbyAlexanderJordan,whodemonstratesmetaphysicallythatallourcultivatedracesareGod—
  createdspecies。
  Wollastonmisrepresentsaccidentally,toawonderfulextent,somepassagesinmybook。Hereviewed,withoutrelookingatcertainpassages。
  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
  Down,February25th[1860]……Icannothelpwonderingatyourzealaboutmybook。IdeclaretoheavenyouseemtocareasmuchaboutmybookasIdomyself。Youhavenorighttobesoeminentlyunselfish!Ihavetakenoffmyspit[i。e。file]aletterofRamsay’s,aseverygeologistconvertIthinkveryimportant。Bytheway,IsawsometimeagoaletterfromH。D。Rogers(ProfessorofGeologyintheUniversityofGlasgow。BornintheUnitedStates1809,died1866。)toHuxley,inwhichhegoesveryfarwithus……
  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
  Down,Saturday,March3rd,[1860]。
  MydearHooker,Whataday’sworkyouhadonthatThursday!IwasnotabletogotoLondontillMonday,andthenIwasafoolforgoing,for,onTuesdaynight,Ihadanattackoffever(withatouchofpleurisy),whichcameonlikealion,butwentoffasalamb,buthasshatteredmeagoodbit。
  Iwasmuchinterestedbyyourlastnote……IthinkyouexpecttoomuchinregardtochangeofopiniononthesubjectofSpecies。Onelargeclassofmen,moreespeciallyIsuspectofnaturalists,neverwillcareaboutANY
  generalquestion,ofwhicholdGray,oftheBritishMuseum,maybetakenasatype;andsecondly,nearlyallmenpastamoderateage,eitherinactualyearsorinmind,are,Iamfullyconvinced,incapableoflookingatfactsunderanewpointofview。Seriously,Iamastonishedandrejoicedattheprogresswhichthesubjecthasmade;lookattheenclosedmemorandum。(Seetableofnamesbelow。)——saysmybookwillbeforgottenintenyears,perhapsso;but,withsuchalist,Ifeelconvincedthesubjectwillnot。
  Theoutsiders,asyousay,arestrong。
  YousaythatyouthinkthatBenthamistouched,"but,likeawiseman,holdshistongue。"Perhapsyouonlymeanthathecannotdecide,otherwiseIshouldthinksuchsilencethereverseofmagnanimity;forifothersbehavedthesameway,howwouldopinioneverprogress?Itisaderelictionofactualduty。(InasubsequentlettertoSirJ。D。Hooker(March12th,1860),myfatherwrote,"InowquiteunderstandBentham’ssilence。")
  IamsogladtohearaboutThwaites。(Dr。G。J。K。Thwaites,whowasbornin1811,establishedareputationinthiscountryasanexpertmicroscopist,andanacuteobserver,workingespeciallyatcryptogamicbotany。OnhisappointmentasDirectoroftheBotanicGardensatPeradenyia,Ceylon,Dr。
  ThwaitesdevotedhimselftothefloraofCeylon。Asaresultofthishehasleftnumerousandvaluablecollections,adescriptionofwhichheembodiedinhis’EnumeratioPlantarumZeylaniae’(1864)。Dr。ThwaiteswasafellowoftheLinneanSociety,butbeyondtheabovefactslittleseemstohavebeenrecordedofhislife。HisdeathoccurredinCeylononSeptember11th,1882,inhisseventy—secondyear。"Athenaeum",October14th,1882,page500。)……IhavehadanastoundingletterfromDr。Boott(Theletterisenthusiasticallylaudatory,andobviouslyfullofgenuinefeeling。);itmightbeturnedintoridiculeagainsthimandme,soIwillnotsendittoanyone。Hewritesinanoblespiritofloveoftruth。
  IwonderwhatLindleythinks;probablytoobusytoreadorthinkonthequestion。
  IamvexedaboutBentham’sreticence,foritwouldhavebeenofrealvaluetoknowwhatpartsappearedweakesttoamanofhispowersofobservation。
  Farewell,mydearHooker,yoursaffectionately,C。DARWIN。
  P。S。——IsnotHarveyintheclassofmenwhodonotatallcareforgeneralities?IrememberyoursayingyoucouldnotgethimtowriteonDistribution。Ihavefoundhisworksveryunfruitfulineveryrespect。
  [Herefollowsthememorandumreferredto:]
  Geologists。ZoologistsandPhysiologists。Botanists。
  Palaeontologists。
  Lyell。Huxley。Carpenter。Hooker。
  Ramsay。*J。Lubbock。SirH。HollandH。C。Watson。
  (tolargeextent)。
  Jukes。*L。JenynsAsaGray(tolargeextent)。(tosomeextent)。
  H。D。Rogers。SearlesWood。*Dr。Boott(tolargeextent)。
  Thwaites。
  (*AndrewRamsay,lateDirector—GeneraloftheGeologicalSurvey。
  JosephBeeteJukes,M。A。,F。R。S。,1811—1869。HewaseducatedatCambridge,andfrom1842to1846heactedasnaturalisttoH。M。S。"Fly",onanexploringexpeditioninAustraliaandNewGuinea。HewasafterwardsappointedDirectoroftheGeologicalSurveyofIreland。Hewastheauthorofmanypapers,andofmorethanonegoodhand—bookofgeology。
  SearlesValentineWood,February14,1798—1880。ChieflyknownforhisworkontheMolluscaofthe’Crag。’)
  [ThefollowingletterisofinterestinconnectionwiththementionofMr。
  Benthaminthelastletter:]
  G。BENTHAMTOFRANCISDARWIN。
  25WiltonPlace,S。W。,May30th,1882。
  MydearSir,IncompliancewithyournotewhichIreceivedlastnight,IsendherewiththelettersIhavefromyourfather。Ishouldhavedonesoonseeingthegeneralrequestpublishedinthepapers,butthatIdidnotthinktherewereanyamongthemwhichcouldbeofanyusetoyou。HighlyflatteredasIwasbythekindandfriendlynoticewithwhichMr。Darwinoccasionallyhonouredme,Iwasneveradmittedintohisintimacy,andhethereforenevermadeanycommunicationstomeinrelationtohisviewsandlabours。Ihavebeenthroughoutoneofhismostsincereadmirers,andfullyadoptedhistheoriesandconclusions,notwithstandingtheseverepainanddisappointmenttheyatfirstoccasionedme。OnthedaythathiscelebratedpaperwasreadattheLinneanSociety,July1st,1858,alongpaperofminehadbeensetdownforreading,inwhich,incommentingontheBritishFlora,IhadcollectedanumberofobservationsandfactsillustratingwhatIthenbelievedtobeafixityinspecies,howeverdifficultitmightbetoassigntheirlimits,andshowingatendencyofabnormalformsproducedbycultivationorotherwise,towithdrawwithinthoseoriginallimitswhenlefttothemselves。MostfortunatelymypaperhadtogivewaytoMr。
  Darwin’sandwhenoncethatwasread,Ifeltboundtodefermineforreconsideration;Ibegantoentertaindoubtsonthesubject,andontheappearanceofthe’OriginofSpecies,’Iwasforced,howeverreluctantly,togiveupmylong—cherishedconvictions,theresultsofmuchlabourandstudy,andIcancelledallthatpartofmypaperwhichurgedoriginalfixity,andpublishedonlyportionsoftheremainderinanotherform,chieflyinthe’NaturalHistoryReview。’IhavesinceacknowledgedonvariousoccasionsmyfulladoptionofMr。Darwin’sviews,andchieflyinmyPresidentialAddressof1863,andinmythirteenthandlastaddress,issuedintheformofareporttotheBritishAssociationatitsmeetingatBelfastin1874。
  IprizesohighlythelettersthatIhaveofMr。Darwin’s,thatIshouldfeelobligedbyyourreturningthemtomewhenyouhavedonewiththem。
  UnfortunatelyIhavenotkepttheenvelopes,andMr。Darwinusuallyonlydatedthembythemonthnotbytheyear,sothattheyarenotinanychronologicalorder。
  Yoursverysincerely,GEORGEBENTHAM。
  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
  Down[March]12th[1860]。
  MydearLyell,Thinkingoverwhatwetalkedabout,thehighstateofintellectualdevelopmentoftheoldGrecianswiththelittleornosubsequentimprovement,beinganapparentdifficulty,ithasjustoccurredtomethatinfactthecaseharmonisesperfectlywithourviews。ThecasewouldbeadecideddifficultyontheLamarckianorVestigiandoctrineofnecessaryprogression,butontheviewwhichIholdofprogressiondependingontheconditions,itisnoobjectionatall,andharmoniseswiththeotherfactsofprogressioninthecorporealstructureofotheranimals。Forinastateofanarchy,ordespotism,orbadgovernment,orafterirruptionofbarbarians,force,strength,orferocity,andnotintellect,wouldbeapttogaintheday。
  WehavesoenjoyedyourandLadyLyell’svisit。
  Good—night。
  C。DARWIN。
  P。S。——Byanoddchance(forIhadnotalludedeventothesubject)theladiesattackedmethisevening,andthrewthehighstateofoldGreciansintomyteeth,asanunanswerabledifficulty,butbygoodchanceIhadmyanswerallpat,andsilencedthem。HenceIhavethoughtitworthscribblingtoyou……
  CHARLESDARWINTOJ。PRESTWICH。(NowProfessorofGeologyintheUniversityofOxford。)
  Down,March12th[1860]……Atsomefuturetime,whenyouhavealittleleisure,andwhenyouhavereadmy’OriginofSpecies,’IshouldesteemitaSINGULARfavourifyouwouldsendmeanygeneralcriticisms。Idonotmeanofunreasonablelength,butsuchasyoucouldincludeinaletter。IhavealwaysadmiredyourvariousmemoirssomuchthatIshouldbeeminentlygladtoreceiveyouropinion,whichmightbeofrealservicetome。
  PraydonotsupposethatIexpecttoCONVERTorPERVERTyou;ifIcouldstaggeryouineversoslightadegreeIshouldbesatisfied;norfeartoannoymebyseverecriticisms,forIhavehadsomeheartykicksfromsomeofmybestfriends。Ifitwouldnotbedisagreeabletoyoutosendmeyouropinion,Icertainlyshouldbetrulyobliged……
  CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
  Down,April3rd[1860]……Irememberwellthetimewhenthethoughtoftheeyemademecoldallover,butIhavegotoverthisstageofthecomplaint,andnowsmalltriflingparticularsofstructureoftenmakemeveryuncomfortable。Thesightofafeatherinapeacock’stail,wheneverIgazeatit,makesmesick!……
  Youmayliketohearaboutreviewsonmybook。Sedgwick(asIandLyellfeelCERTAINfrominternalevidence)hasreviewedmesavagelyandunfairlyinthe"Spectator"。(Seethequotationswhichfollowthepresentletter。)
  Thenoticeincludesmuchabuse,andishardlyfairinseveralrespects。Hewouldactuallyleadanyone,whowasignorantofgeology,tosupposethatI
  hadinventedthegreatgapsbetweensuccessivegeologicalformations,insteadofitsbeinganalmostuniversallyadmitteddogma。ButmydearoldfriendSedgwick,withhisnobleheart,isold,andisrabidwithindignation。Itishardtopleaseeveryone;youmayrememberthatinmylastletterIaskedyoutoleaveoutabouttheWealddenudation:ItoldJukesthis(whoisheadmanoftheIrishgeologicalsurvey),andheblamedmemuch,forhebelievedeverywordofit,andthoughtitnotatallexaggerated!Infact,geologistshavenomeansofgaugingtheinfinitudeofpasttime。Therehasbeenoneprodigyofareview,namely,anOPPOSED
  one(byPictet(FrancoisJulesPictet,inthe’ArchivesdesSciencesdelaBibliothequeUniverselle,’Mars1860。Thearticleiswritteninacourteousandconsideratetone,andconcludesbysayingthatthe’Origin’
  willbeofrealvaluetonaturalists,especiallyiftheyarenotledawaybyitsseductiveargumentstobelieveinthedangerousdoctrineofmodification。Apassagewhichseemstohavestruckmyfatherasbeingvaluable,andoppositewhichhehasmadedoublepencilmarksandwrittentheword"good,"isworthquoting:"LatheoriedeM。Darwins’accordemalavecl’histoiredestypesaformesbientrancheesetdefiniesquiparaissentn’avoirvecuquependantuntempslimite。Onenpourraitciterdescentainesd’exemples,telquelesreptilesvolants,lesichthyosaures,lesbelemnites,lesammonites,etc。"Pictetwasbornin1809,died1872;
  hewasProfessorofAnatomyandZoologyatGeneva。),thepalaeontologist,intheBib。UniverselleofGeneva)whichisPERFECTLYfairandjust,andI
  agreetoeverywordhesays;ouronlydifferencebeingthatheattacheslessweighttoargumentsinfavour,andmoretoargumentsopposed,thanI
  do。Ofalltheopposedreviews,Ithinkthistheonlyquitefairone,andIneverexpectedtoseeone。PleaseobservethatIdonotclassyourreviewbyanymeansasopposed,thoughyouthinksoyourself!IthasdonemeMUCHtoogoodserviceevertoappearinthatrankinmyeyes。ButI
  fearIshallwearyyouwithsomuchaboutmybook。IshouldratherthinktherewasagoodchanceofmybecomingthemostegotisticalmaninallEurope!Whataproudpre—eminence!Well,youhavehelpedtomakemesoandthereforeyoumustforgivemeifyoucan。
  MydearGray,everyoursmostgratefully,C。DARWIN。
  [InalettertoSirCharlesLyellreferenceismadetoSedgwick’sreviewinthe"Spectator",March24:
  "InowfeelcertainthatSedgwickistheauthorofthearticleinthe"Spectator"。Nooneelsecouldusesuchabusiveterms。Andwhatamisrepresentationofmynotions!AnyignoramuswouldsupposethatIhadFIRSTbroachedthedoctrine,thatthebreaksbetweensuccessiveformationsmarkedlongintervalsoftime。Itisveryunfair。ButpoordearoldSedgwickseemsrabidonthequestion。"Demoralisedunderstanding!"IfeverItalkwithhimIwilltellhimthatInevercouldbelievethataninquisitorcouldbeagoodman:butnowIknowthatamanmayroastanother,andyethaveaskindandnobleaheartasSedgwick’s。"
  Thefollowingpassagesaretakenfromthereview:
  "Ineedhardlygoonanyfurtherwiththeseobjections。ButIcannotconcludewithoutexpressingmydetestationofthetheory,becauseofitsunflinchingmaterialism;——becauseithasdesertedtheinductivetrack,theonlytrackthatleadstophysicaltruth;——becauseitutterlyrepudiatesfinalcauses,andtherebyindicatesademoralisedunderstandingonthepartofitsadvocates。"
  "NotthatIbelievethatDarwinisanatheist;thoughIcannotbutregardhismaterialismasatheistical。Ithinkituntrue,becauseopposedtotheobviouscourseofnature,andtheveryoppositeofinductivetruth。AndI
  thinkitintenselymischievous。"
  "Eachseriesoffactsislacedtogetherbyaseriesofassumptions,andrepetitionsoftheonefalseprinciple。Youcannotmakeagoodropeoutofastringofairbubbles。"
  "Butanystartlingand(supposed)novelparadox,maintainedveryboldlyandwithsomethingofimposingplausibility,producesinsomemindsakindofpleasingexcitementwhichpredisposestheminitsfavour;andiftheyareunusedtocarefulreflection,andaversetothelabourofaccurateinvestigation,theywillbelikelytoconcludethatwhatis(apparently)
  ORIGINAL,mustbeaproductionoforiginalGENIUS,andthatanythingverymuchopposedtoprevailingnotionsmustbeagrandDISCOVERY,——inshort,thatwhatevercomesfromthe’bottomofawell’mustbethe’truth’
  supposedtobehiddenthere。"
  InareviewintheDecembernumberof’Macmillan’sMagazine,’1860,Fawcettvigorouslydefendedmyfatherfromthechargeofemployingafalsemethodofreasoning;achargewhichoccursinSedgwick’sreview,andwasmadeatthetimeadnauseam,insuchphrasesas:"ThisisnotthetrueBaconianmethod。"FawcettrepeatedhisdefenceatthemeetingoftheBritishAssociationin1861。(SeeaninterestingletterfrommyfatherinMr。
  Stephen’s’LifeofHenryFawcett,’1886,page101。)]
  CHARLESDARWINTOW。BCARPENTER。
  Down,April6th[1860]。
  MydearCarpenter,Ihavethisminutefinishedyourreviewinthe’Med。Chirurg。Review。’
  (April1860。)Youmustletmeexpressmyadmirationatthismostableessay,andIhopetoGoditwillbelargelyread,foritmustproduceagreateffect。Ioughtnot,however,toexpresssuchwarmadmiration,foryougivemybook,Ifear,fartoomuchpraise。Butyouhavegratifiedmeextremely;andthoughIhopeIdonotcareverymuchfortheapprobationofthenon—scientificreaders,Icannotsaythatthisisatallsowithrespecttosuchfewmenasyourself。Ihavenotacriticismtomake,forI
  objecttonotaword;andIadmireall,sothatIcannotpickoutonepartasbetterthantherest。Itisallsowellbalanced。Butitisimpossiblenottobestruckwithyourextentofknowledgeingeology,botany,andzoology。TheextractswhichyougivefromHookerseemtomeEXCELLENTLY
  chosen,andmostforcible。IamsomuchpleasedinwhatyousayalsoaboutLyell。InfactIaminafitofenthusiasm,andhadbetterwritenomore。
  Withcordialthanks,Yoursverysincerely,C。DARWIN。
  CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
  Down,April10th[1860]。
  MydearLyell,Thankyoumuchforyournoteofthe4th;IamverygladtohearthatyouareatTorquay。Ishouldhaveamusedmyselfearlierbywritingtoyou,butIhavehadHookerandHuxleystayinghere,andtheyhavefullyoccupiedmytime,asalittleofanythingisafulldoseforme……Therehasbeenaplethoraofreviews,andIamreallyquitesickofmyself。ThereisaverylongreviewbyCarpenterinthe’MedicalandChirurg。Review,’verygoodandwellbalanced,butnotbrilliant。HediscussesHooker’sbooksatasgreatlengthasmine,andmakesexcellentextracts;butIcouldnotgetHookertofeeltheleastinterestinbeingpraised。
  Carpenterspeaksofyouinthoroughlyproperterms。ThereisaBRILLIANT
  reviewbyHuxley(’WestminsterReview,’April1860。),withcapitalhits,butIdonotknowthathemuchadvancesthesubject。ITHINKIhaveconvincedhimthathehashardlyallowedweightenoughtothecaseofvarietiesofplantsbeinginsomedegreessterile。
  Todivergefromreviews:AsaGraysendsmefromWyman(whowillwrite),agoodcaseofallthepigsbeingblackintheEvergladesofVirginia。Onaskingaboutthecause,itseems(Ihavegotcapitalanalogouscases)thatwhentheBLACKpigseatacertainnuttheirbonesbecomered,andtheysuffertoacertainextent,butthattheWHITEpigslosetheirhoofsandperish,"andweaidbySELECTION,forwekillmostoftheyoungwhitepigs。"Thiswassaidbymenwhocouldhardlyread。Bytheway,itisagreatblowtomethatyoucannotadmitthepotencyofnaturalselection。
  ThemoreIthinkofit,thelessIdoubtitspowerforgreatandsmallchanges。Ihavejustreadthe’Edinburgh’(’EdinburghReview,’April1860。),whichwithoutdoubtisby——。Itisextremelymalignant,clever,andIfearwillbeverydamaging。HeisatrociouslysevereonHuxley’slecture,andverybitteragainstHooker。SowethreeENJOYEDittogether。
  NotthatIreallyenjoyedit,foritmademeuncomfortableforonenight;
  butIhavegotquiteoveritto—day。Itrequiresmuchstudytoappreciateallthebitterspiteofmanyoftheremarksagainstme;indeedIdidnotdiscoverallmyself。Itscandalouslymisrepresentsmanyparts。Hemisquotessomepassages,alteringwordswithininvertedcommas……
  Itispainfultobehatedintheintensedegreewithwhich——hatesme。
  Nowforacuriousthingaboutmybook,andthenIhavedone。InlastSaturday’s"Gardeners’Chronicle"(April7th,1860。),aMr。PatrickMatthewpublishesalongextractfromhisworkon’NavalTimberandArboriculture,’
  publishedin1831,inwhichhebrieflybutcompletelyanticipatesthetheoryofNaturalSelection。Ihaveorderedthebook,assomefewpassagesareratherobscure,butitiscertainly,Ithink,acompletebutnotdevelopedanticipation!Erasmusalwayssaidthatsurelythiswouldbeshowntobethecasesomeday。Anyhow,onemaybeexcusedinnothavingdiscoveredthefactinaworkonNavalTimber。