Intheautumnof1860,andtheearlypartof1861,myfatherhadagooddealofcorrespondencewithProfessorAsaGrayonasubjecttowhichreferencehasalreadybeenmade——thepublicationintheformofapamphlet,ofProfessorGray’sthreearticlesintheJuly,August,andOctobernumbersofthe’AtlanticMonthly,’1860。ThepamphletwaspublishedbyMessrs。
Trubner,withreferencetowhommyfatherwrote,"Messrs。Trubnerhavebeenmostliberalandkind,andsaytheyshallmakenochargeforalltheirtrouble。Ihavesettledaboutafewadvertisements,andtheywillgratuitouslyinsertoneintheirownperiodicals。"
ThereaderwillfindthesearticlesrepublishedinDr。Gray’s’Darwiniana,’
page87,underthetitle"NaturalSelectionnotinconsistentwithNaturalTheology。"Thepamphletfoundmanyadmirersamongthosemostcapableofjudgingofitsmerits,andmyfatherbelievedthatitwasofmuchvalueinlesseningopposition,andmakingconvertstoEvolution。Hishighopinionofitisshownnotonlyinhisletters,butbythefactthatheinsertedaspecialnoticeofitinamostprominentplaceinthethirdeditionofthe’Origin。’Lyell,amongothers,recogniseditsvalueasanantidotetothekindofcriticismfromwhichthecauseofEvolutionsuffered。ThusmyfatherwrotetoDr。Gray:——"Justtoexemplifytheuseofyourpamphlet,theBishopofLondonwasaskingLyellwhathethoughtofthereviewinthe’Quarterly,’andLyellanswered,’ReadAsaGrayinthe’Atlantic。’"。ItcomesoutveryclearlythatinthecaseofsuchpublicationsasDr。Gray’s,myfatherdidnotrejoiceoverthesuccessofhisspecialviewofEvolution,viz。thatmodificationismainlyduetoNaturalSelection;onthecontrary,hefeltstronglythatthereallyimportantpointwasthatthedoctrineofDescentshouldbeaccepted。ThushewrotetoProfessorGray(May11,1863),withreferencetoLyell’s’AntiquityofMan’:——
"YouspeakofLyellasajudge;nowwhatIcomplainofisthathedeclinestobeajudge……IhavesometimesalmostwishedthatLyellhadpronouncedagainstme。WhenIsay’me,’IonlymeanCHANGEOFSPECIESBYDESCENT。
Thatseemstometheturning—point。Personally,ofcourse,IcaremuchaboutNaturalSelection;butthatseemstomeutterlyunimportant,comparedtothequestionofCreationORModification。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down,April11[1861]。
MydearGray,Iwasverygladtogetyourphotograph:Iamexpectingmine,whichIwillsendoffassoonasitcomes。Itisanuglyaffair,andIfearthefaultdoesnotliewiththephotographer……Sincewritinglast,IhavehadseverallettersfullofthehighestcommendationofyourEssay;allagreethatitisbyfarthebestthingwritten,andIdonotdoubtithasdonethe’Origin’muchgood。Ihavenotyetheardhowithassold。Youwillhaveseenareviewinthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"。PoordearHenslow,towhomI
owemuch,isdying,andHookeriswithhim。ManythanksfortwosetsofsheetsofyourProceedings。IcannotunderstandwhatAgassizisdrivingat。Youoncespoke,Ithink,ofProfessorBowenasaverycleverman。I
shouldhavethoughthimasingularlyunobservantmanfromhiswritings。Henevercanhaveseenmuchofanimals,orhewouldhaveseenthedifferenceofoldandwisedogsandyoungones。Hispaperabouthereditarinessbeatseverything。TellabreederthathemightpickouthisworstINDIVIDUAL
animalsandbreedfromthem,andhopetowinaprize,andhewouldthinkyou……insane。
[ProfessorHenslowdiedonMay16,1861,fromacomplicationofbronchitis,congestionofthelungs,andenlargementoftheheart。Hisstrongconstitutionwasslowingivingway,andhelingeredforweeksinapainfulconditionofweakness,knowingthathisendwasnear,andlookingatdeathwithfearlesseyes。InMr。Blomefield’s(Jenyns)’MemoirofHenslow’
(1862)isadignifiedandtouchingdescriptionofProf。Sedgwick’sfarewellvisittohisoldfriend。Sedgwicksaidafterwardsthathehadneverseen"ahumanbeingwhosesoulwasnearerheaven。"
MyfatherwrotetoSirJ。D。HookeronhearingofHenslow’sdeath,"Ifullybelieveabettermanneverwalkedthisearth。"
HegavehisimpressionsofHenslow’scharacterinMr。Blomefield’s’Memoir。’InreferencetotheserecollectionshewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker(May30,1861):——
"ThismorningIwrotemyrecollectionsandimpressionsofcharacterofpoordearHenslowabouttheyear1830。Ilikedthejob,andsohavewrittenfourorfivepages,nowbeingcopied。Idonotsupposeyouwilluseall,ofcourseyoucanchopandchangeasmuchasyoulike。Ifmorethanasentenceisused,Ishouldliketoseeaproof—page,asInevercanwritedecentlytillIseeitinprint。Verylikelysomeofmyremarksmayappeartootrifling,butIthoughtitbesttogivemythoughtsastheyarose,foryouorJenynstouseasyouthinkfit。
"YouwillseethatIhaveexceededyourrequest,but,asIsaidwhenI
began,Itookpleasureinwritingmyimpressionofhisadmirablecharacter。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down,June5[1861]。
MydearGray,Ihavebeenratherextrabusy,sohavebeenslackinansweringyournoteofMay6th。Ihopeyouhavereceivedlongagothethirdeditionofthe’Origin。’……IhaveheardnothingfromTrubnerofthesaleofyourEssay,hencefearithasnotbeengreat;Iwrotetosayyoucouldsupplymore。I
sendacopytoSirJ。Herschel,andinhisneweditionofhis’PhysicalGeography’hehasanoteonthe’OriginofSpecies,’andagrees,toacertainlimitedextent,butputsinacautionondesign——muchlikeyours……Ihavebeenledtothinkmoreonthissubjectoflate,andgrievetosaythatIcometodiffermorefromyou。Itisnotthatdesignedvariationmakes,asitseemstome,mydeity"NaturalSelection"
superfluous,butratherfromstudying,lately,domesticvariation,andseeingwhatanenormousfieldofundesignedvariabilitythereisreadyfornaturalselectiontoappropriateforanypurposeusefultoeachcreature。
IthankyoumuchforsendingmeyourreviewofPhillips。(’LifeontheEarth,’1860。)Irememberoncetellingyoualotoftradeswhichyououghttohavefollowed,butnowIamconvincedthatyouareabornreviewer。ByJove,howwellandoftenyouhitthenailonthehead!YourankPhillips’sbookhigherthanIdo,orthanLyelldoes,whothinksitfearfullyretrograde。IamusedmyselfbyparodyingPhillips’sargumentasappliedtodomesticvariation;andyoumightthusprovethattheduckorpigeonhasnotvariedbecausethegoosehasnot,thoughmoreancientlydomesticated,andnogoodreasoncanbeassignedwhyithasnotproducedmanyvarieties……
Ineverknewthenewspaperssoprofoundlyinteresting。NorthAmericadoesnotdoEnglandjustice;IhavenotseenorheardofasoulwhoisnotwiththeNorth。Somefew,andIamoneofthem,evenwishtoGod,thoughatthelossofmillionsoflives,thattheNorthwouldproclaimacrusadeagainstslavery。Inthelong—run,amillionhorriddeathswouldbeamplyrepaidinthecauseofhumanity。Whatwonderfultimeswelivein!Massachusettsseemstoshownobleenthusiasm。GreatGod!HowIshouldliketoseethegreatestcurseonearth——slavery——abolished!
Farewell。HookerhasbeenabsorbedwithpoordearreveredHenslow’saffairs。Farewell。
Everyours,C。DARWIN。
HUGHFALCONERTOCHARLESDARWIN。
31SackvilleSt。,W。,June23,1861。
MydearDarwin,IhavebeentoAdelsbergcaveandbroughtbackwithmealiveProteusanguinus,designedforyoufromthemomentIgotit;i。e。ifyouhavegotanaquariumandwouldcaretohaveit。Ionlyreturnedlastnightfromthecontinent,andhearingfromyourbrotherthatyouareabouttogotoTorquay,Ilosenotimeinmakingyoutheoffer。Thepoordearanimalisstillalive——althoughithashadnoappreciablemeansofsustenanceforamonth——andIammostanxioustogetridoftheresponsibilityofstarvingitlonger。InyourhandsitwillthriveandhaveafairchanceofbeingdevelopedwithoutdelayintosometypeoftheColumbidae——sayaPouteroraTumbler。
MydearDarwin,IhavebeenramblingthroughthenorthofItaly,andGermanylately。EverywherehaveIheardyourviewsandyouradmirableessaycanvassed——theviewsofcourseoftendissentedfrom,accordingtothespecialbiasofthespeaker——butthework,itshonestyofpurpose,grandeurofconception,felicityofillustration,andcourageousexposition,alwaysreferredtointermsofthehighestadmiration。AndamongyourwarmestfriendsnoonerejoicedmoreheartilyinthejustappreciationofCharlesDarwinthandidYoursverytruly,H。FALCONER。
CHARLESDARWINTOHUGHFALCONER。
Down[June24,1861]。
MydearFalconer,Ihavejustreceivedyournote,andbygoodluckadayearlierthanproperly,andIlosenotamomentinansweringyou,andthankingyouheartilyforyourofferofthevaluablespecimen;butIhavenoaquariumandshallsoonstartforTorquay,sothatitwouldbeathousandpitiesthatIshouldhaveit。YetIshouldcertainlymuchliketoseeit,butI
fearitisimpossible。WouldnottheZoologicalSocietybethebestplace?
andthentheinterestwhichmanywouldtakeinthisextraordinaryanimalwouldrepayyouforyourtrouble。
Kindasyouhavebeenintakingthistroubleandofferingmethisspecimen,totellthetruthIvalueyournotemorethanthespecimen。Ishallkeepyournoteamongstaveryfewpreciousletters。Yourkindnesshasquitetouchedme。
Yoursaffectionatelyandgratefully,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
2HeskethCrescent,Torquay,July13[1861]……IhopeHarveyisbetter;Igothisreview(The’DublinHospitalGazette,’May15,1861。Thepassagereferredtoisatpage150。)ofmeadayortwoago,fromwhichIinferhemustbeconvalescent;it’sverygoodandfair;butitisfunnytoseeamanargueonthesuccessionofanimalsfromNoah’sDeluge;asGoddidnotthenwhollydestroyman,probablyhedidnotwhollydestroytheracesofotheranimalsateachgeologicalperiod!I
neverexpectedtohaveahelpinghandfromtheOldTestament……
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
2,HeskethCrescent,Torquay,July20[1861]。
MydearLyell,Isentyoutwoorthreedaysagoaduplicateofagoodreviewofthe’Origin’byaMr。Maw(Mr。GeorgeMaw,ofBenthallHall。Thereviewwaspublishedinthe’Zoologist,’July,1861。Onthebackofmyfather’scopyiswritten,"Mustbeconsultedbeforenewedit。of’Origin’"——wordswhicharewantingonmanymorepretentiousnotices,onwhichfrequentlyoccurmyfather’sbriefo/—,or"nothingnew。"),evidentlyathoughtfulman,asI
thoughtyoumightliketohaveit,asyouhavesomany……
Thisisquiteacharmingplace,andIhaveactuallywalked,Ibelieve,goodtwomilesoutandback,whichisagrandfeat。
IsawMr。Pengelly(WilliamPengelly,thegeologist,andwell—knownexploreroftheDevonshirecaves。)theotherday,andwaspleasedathisenthusiasm。IdonotintheleastknowwhetheryouareinLondon。Yourillnessmusthavelostyoumuchtime,butIhopeyouhavenearlygotyourgreatjoboftheneweditionfinished。Youmustbeverybusy,ifinLondon,soIwillbegenerous,andonhonourbrightdonotexpectanyanswertothisdulllittlenote……
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down,September17[1861?]。
MydearGray,Ithankyousincerelyforyourverylongandinterestingletter,politicalandscientific,ofAugust27thand29th,andSeptember2ndreceivedthismorning。Iagreewithmuchofwhatyousay,andIhopetoGodweEnglishareutterlywrongindoubting(1)whethertheN。canconquertheS。;(2)
whethertheN。hasmanyfriendsintheSouth,and(3)whetheryounoblemenofMassachusettsarerightintransferringyourowngoodfeelingstothemenofWashington。AgainIsayIhopetoGodwearewrongindoubtingonthesepoints。Itisnumber(3)whichalonecausesEnglandnottobeenthusiasticwithyou。WhatitmaybeinLancashireIknownot,butinS。
Englandcottonhasnothingwhatevertodowithourdoubts。Ifabolitiondoesfollowwithyourvictory,thewholeworldwilllookbrighterinmyeyes,andinmanyeyes。ItwouldbeagreatgaineventostopthespreadofslaveryintotheTerritories;ifthatbepossiblewithoutabolition,whichIshouldhavedoubted。YououghtnottowondersomuchatEngland’scoldness,whenyourecollectatthecommencementofthewarhowmanypropositionsweremadetogetthingsbacktotheoldstatewiththeoldlineoflatitude,butenoughofthis,allIcansayisthatMassachusettsandtheadjoiningStateshavethefullsympathyofeverygoodmanwhomI
see;andthissympathywouldbeextendedtothewholeFederalStates,ifwecouldbepersuadedthatyourfeelingswereatallcommontothem。Butenoughofthis。Itisoutofmyline,thoughIreadeverywordofnews,andformerlywellstudiedOlmsted……
YourquestionwhatwouldconvincemeofDesignisaposer。IfIsawanangelcomedowntoteachusgood,andIwasconvincedfromothersseeinghimthatIwasnotmad,Ishouldbelieveindesign。IfIcouldbeconvincedthoroughlythatlifeandmindwasinanunknownwayafunctionofotherimponderableforce,Ishouldbeconvinced。Ifmanwasmadeofbrassorironandnowayconnectedwithanyotherorganismwhichhadeverlived,Ishouldperhapsbeconvinced。Butthisischildishwriting。
IhavelatelybeencorrespondingwithLyell,who,Ithink,adoptsyourideaofthestreamofvariationhavingbeenledordesigned。Ihaveaskedhim(andhesayshewillhereafterreflectandanswerme)whetherhebelievesthattheshapeofmynosewasdesigned。IfhedoesIhavenothingmoretosay。Ifnot,seeingwhatFanciershavedonebyselectingindividualdifferencesinthenasalbonesofpigeons,Imustthinkthatitisillogicaltosupposethatthevariations,whichnaturalselectionpreservesforthegoodofanybeinghavebeendesigned。ButIknowthatIaminthesamesortofmuddle(asIhavesaidbefore)asalltheworldseemstobeinwithrespecttofreewill,yetwitheverythingsupposedtohavebeenforeseenorpre—ordained。
Farewell,mydearGray,withmanythanksforyourinterestingletter。
Yourunmercifulcorrespondent。
C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOH。W。BATES。
Down,December3[1861]。
MydearSir,Ithankyouforyourextremelyinterestingletter,andvaluablereferences,thoughGodknowswhenIshallcomeagaintothispartofmysubject。Onecannotofcoursejudgeofstylewhenonemerelyhearsapaper(OnMimeticButterflies,readbeforetheLinneanSoc。,November21,1861。Formyfather’sopinionofitwhenpublished,seebelow。),butyoursseemedtomeveryclearandgood。BelievemethatIestimateitsvaluemosthighly。
Underageneralpointofview,Iamquiteconvinced(HookerandHuxleytookthesameviewsomemonthsago)thataphilosophicviewofnaturecansolelybedrivenintonaturalistsbytreatingspecialsubjectsasyouhavedone。
Underaspecialpointofview,Ithinkyouhavesolvedoneofthemostperplexingproblemswhichcouldbegiventosolve。IamgladtohearfromHookerthattheLinneanSocietywillgiveplatesifyoucangetdrawings……
Donotcomplainofwantofadviceduringyourtravels;Idaresaypartofyourgreatoriginalityofviewsmaybeduetothenecessityofself—
exertionofthought。IcanunderstandthatyourreceptionattheBritishMuseumwoulddampyou;theyareaverygoodsetofmen,butnotthesorttoappreciateyourwork。InfactIhavelongthoughtthatTOOMUCHsystematicwork[and]descriptionsomehowbluntsthefaculties。Thegeneralpublicappreciatesagooddoseofreasoning,orgeneralisation,withnewandcuriousremarksonhabits,finalcauses,etc。etc。,farmorethandotheregularnaturalists。
Iamextremelygladtohearthatyouhavebegunyourtravels……Iamverybusy,butIshallbeTRULYgladtorenderanyaidwhichIcanbyreadingyourfirstchapterortwo。IdonotthinkIshallbeabletocorrectstyle,forthisreason,thatafterrepeatedtrialsIfindIcannotcorrectmyownstyletillIseetheMS。intype。Somearebornwithapowerofgoodwriting,likeWallace;otherslikemyselfandLyellhavetolabourveryhardandslowlyateverysentence。Ifinditaverygoodplan,whenI
cannotgetadifficultdiscussiontopleaseme,tofancythatsomeonecomesintotheroomandasksmewhatIamdoing;andthentryatonceandexplaintotheimaginarypersonwhatitisallabout。Ihavedonethisforoneparagraphtomyselfseveraltimes,andsometimestoMrs。Darwin,tillI
seehowthesubjectoughttogo。Itis,Ithink,goodtoreadone’sMS。
aloud。Butstyletomeisagreatdifficulty;yetsomegoodjudgesthinkI
havesucceeded,andIsaythistoencourageyou。
WhatITHINKIcandowillbetotellyouwhetherpartshadbetterbeshortened。Itisgood,Ithink,todash"inmediares,"andworkinlateranydescriptionsofcountryoranyhistoricaldetailswhichmaybenecessary。Murraylikeslotsofwood—cuts——givesomebyallmeansofants。
Thepublicappreciatemonkeys——ourpoorcousins。Whatsexualdifferencesarethereinmonkeys?Haveyoukeptthemtame?ifso,abouttheirexpression。Ifearthatyouwillhardlyreadmyvilehand—writing,butI
cannotwithoutkillingtroublewritebetter。
YoushallhavemycandidopiniononyourMS。,butrememberitishardtojudgefromMS。,onereadsslowly,andheavypartsseemmuchheavier。A
first—ratejudgethoughtmyJournalverypoor;nowthatitisinprint,I
happentoknow,helikesit。IamsureyouwillunderstandwhyIamsoegotistical。
IwasaLITTLEdisappointedinWallace’sbook(’TravelsontheAmazonandRioNegro,’1853。)ontheAmazon;hardlyfactsenough。Ontheotherhand,inGosse’sbook(Probablythe’Naturalist’sSojourninJamaica,’1851。)
thereisnotreasoningenoughtomytaste。Heavenknowswhetheryouwillcaretoreadallthisscribbling……
IamgladyouhadapleasantdaywithHooker(InalettertoSirJ。D。
Hooker(December1861),myfatherwrote:"IamverygladtohearthatyoulikeBates。Ihaveseldominmylifebeenmorestruckwithaman’spowerofmind。"),heisanadmirablygoodmanineverysense。
[ThefollowingextractfromalettertoMr。Batesonthesamesubjectisinterestingasgivinganideaoftheplanfollowedbymyfatherinwritinghis’Naturalist’sVoyage:’
"Asanoldhackneyedauthor,letmegiveyouabitofadvice,viz。tostrikeouteverywordwhichisnotquitenecessarytothecurrentsubject,andwhichcouldnotinterestastranger。Iconstantlyaskedmyself,wouldastrangercareforthis?andstruckoutorleftinaccordingly。Ithinktoomuchpainscannotbetakeninmakingthestyletransparentlyclearandthrowingeloquencetothedogs。"
Mr。Bates’sbook,’TheNaturalistontheAmazons,’waspublishedin1865,butthefollowinglettermaybegivenhereratherthaninitsduechronologicalposition:]
CHARLESDARWINTOH。W。BATES。
Down,April18,1863。
DearBates,Ihavefinishedvolumei。Mycriticismsmaybecondensedintoasinglesentence,namely,thatitisthebestworkofNaturalHistoryTravelseverpublishedinEngland。Yourstyleseemstomeadmirable。Nothingcanbebetterthanthediscussiononthestruggleforexistence,andnothingbetterthanthedescriptionoftheForestscenery。(InalettertoLyellmyfatherwrote:"He[i。e。Mr。Bates]issecondonlytoHumboldtindescribingatropicalforest。")Itisagrandbook,andwhetherornotitsellsquickly,itwilllast。YouhavespokenoutboldlyonSpecies;andboldnessonthesubjectseemstogetrarerandrarer。Howbeautifullyillustrateditis。Thecutonthebackismosttasteful。Iheartilycongratulateyouonitspublication。
The"Athenaeum"("IhavereadthefirstvolumeofBates’sBook;itiscapital,andIthinkthebestNaturalHistoryTravelseverpublishedinEngland。HeisboldaboutSpecies,etc。,andthe"Athenaeum"coollysays’hebendshisfacts’forthispurpose。"——(FromalettertoSirJ。D。
Hooker。))wasrathercold,asitalwaysis,andinsolentinthehighestdegreeaboutyourleadingfacts。Haveyouseenthe"Reader"?Icansendittoyouifyouhavenotseenit……
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down,December11[1861]。
MydearGray,Manyandcordialthanksforyourtwolastmostvaluablenotes。Whatathingitisthatwhenyoureceivethiswemaybeatwar,andwetwobebound,asgoodpatriots,tohateeachother,thoughIshallfindthishatingyouveryhardwork。Howcuriousitistoseetwocountries,justliketwoangryandsillymen,takingsooppositeaviewofthesametransaction!IfearthereisnoshadowofdoubtweshallfightifthetwoSouthernroguesarenotgivenup。(TheConfederateCommissionersSlidellandMasonwereforciblyremovedfromthe"Trent",aWestIndiamailsteameronNovember8,1861。ThenewsthattheU。S。agreedtoreleasethemreachedEnglandonJanuary8,1862。)Andwhatawretchedthingitwillbeifwefightonthesideofslavery。Nodoubtitwillbesaidthatwefighttogetcotton;butIfullybelievethatthishasnotenteredintothemotiveintheleast。Well,thankHeaven,weprivateindividualshavenothingtodowithsoawfularesponsibility。Again,howcuriousitisthatyouseemtothinkthatyoucanconquertheSouth;andInevermeetasoul,eventhosewhowouldmostwishit,whothinksitpossible——thatis,toconquerandretainit。Idonotsupposethemassofpeopleinyourcountrywillbelieveit,butIfeelsureifwedogotowaritwillbewiththeutmostreluctancebyallclasses,MinistersofGovernmentandall。Timewillshow,anditisnousewritingorthinkingaboutit。IcalledtheotherdayonDr。Boott,andwaspleasedtofindhimprettywellandcheerful。I
see,bytheway,hetakesquiteanEnglishopinionofAmericanaffairs,thoughanAmericaninheart。(Dr。BoottwasbornintheU。S。)Bucklemightwriteachapteronopinionbeingentirelydependentonlongitude!……WithrespecttoDesign,Ifeelmoreinclinedtoshowawhiteflagthantofiremyusuallong—rangeshot。Iliketotryandaskyouapuzzlingquestion,butwhenyoureturnthecomplimentIhavegreatdoubtswhetheritisafairwayofarguing。Ifanythingisdesigned,certainlymanmustbe:
one’s"innerconsciousness"(thoughafalseguide)tellsoneso;yetI
cannotadmitthatman’srudimentarymammae……weredesigned。IfIwastosayIbelievedthis,IshouldbelieveitinthesameincrediblemannerastheorthodoxbelievetheTrinityinUnity。Yousaythatyouareinahaze;
Iaminthickmud;theorthodoxwouldsayinfetid,abominablemud;yetI
cannotkeepoutofthequestion。MydearGray,Ihavewrittenadealofnonsense。
Yoursmostcordially,C。DARWIN。
1862。
[Owingtotheillnessfromscarletfeverofoneofhisboys,hetookahouseatBournemouthintheautumn。HewrotetoDr。GrayfromSouthampton(August21,1862):——
"Weareawretchedfamily,andoughttobeexterminated。WesleptheretorestourpoorboyonhisjourneytoBournemouth,andmypoordearwifesickenedwithscarletfever,andhashaditprettysharply,butisrecoveringwell。Thereisnoendoftroubleinthiswearyworld。Ishallnotfeelsafetillweareallathometogether,andwhenthatwillbeI
knownot。Butitisfoolishcomplaining。"
Dr。Grayusedtosendpostagestampstothescarletfeverpatient;withregardtothisgood—natureddeedmyfatherwrote——
"Imustjustrecurtostamps;mylittlemanhascalculatedthathewillnowhave6stampswhichnootherboyintheschoolhas。Hereisatriumph。
Yourlastletterwasplaisteredwithmanycolouredstamps,andhelongsurveyedtheenvelopeinbedwithmuchquietsatisfaction。"
Thegreaternumberofthelettersof1862dealwiththeOrchidwork,butthewaveofconversiontoEvolutionwasstillspreading,andreviewsandlettersbearingonthesubjectstillcameinnumbers。AsanexampleoftheoddlettershereceivedmaybementionedonewhicharrivedinJanuaryofthisyear"fromaGermanhomoeopathicdoctor,anardentadmirerofthe’Origin。’Hadhimselfpublishednearlythesamesortofbook,butgoesmuchdeeper。Explainstheoriginofplantsandanimalsontheprinciplesofhomoeopathyorbythelawofspirality。BookfelldeadinGermany。
ThereforewouldItranslateitandpublishitinEngland。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。
Down,[January?]14[1862]。
MydearHuxley,IamheartilygladofyoursuccessintheNorth(ThisreferstotwoofMr。
Huxley’slectures,givenbeforethePhilosophicalInstitutionofEdinburghin1862。Thesubstanceofthemisgivenin’Man’sPlaceinNature。’),andthankyouforyournoteandslip。ByJoveyouhaveattackedBigotryinitsstronghold。Ithoughtyouwouldhavebeenmobbed。IamsogladthatyouwillpublishyourLectures。Youseemtohavekeptaduemediumbetweenextremeboldnessandcaution。Iamheartilygladthatallwentoffsowell。IhopeMrs。Huxleyisprettywell……ImustsayonewordontheHybridquestion。Nodoubtyouarerightthathereisagreathiatusintheargument;yetIthinkyouoverrateit——youneveralludetotheexcellentevidenceofVARIETIESofVerbascumandNicotianabeingpartiallysteriletogether。Itiscurioustometoread(asIhaveto—day)thegreatestcrossingGARDENERutterlypooh—poohingthedistinctionwhichBOTANISTSmakeonthishead,andinsistinghowfrequentlycrossedVARIETIESproducesterileoffspring。DoobligemebyreadingthelatterhalfofmyPrimulapaperinthe’Linn。Journal,’foritleadsmetosuspectthatsterilitywillhereafterhavetobelargelyviewedasanacquiredorSELECTED
character——aviewwhichIwishIhadhadfactstomaintaininthe’Origin。’
(Theviewheregivenwillbediscussedinthechapteronhetero—styledplants。)
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down,January25[1862]。
MydearHooker,ManythanksforyourlastSunday’sletter,whichwasoneofthepleasantestIeverreceivedinmylife。Weareallprettywellredivivus,andIamatworkagain。IthoughtitbesttomakeacleanbreasttoAsaGray;andtoldhimthattheBostondinner,etc。etc。,hadquiteturnedmystomach,andthatIalmostthoughtitwouldbegoodforthepeaceoftheworldiftheUnitedStatesweresplitup;ontheotherhand,IsaidthatIgroanedtothinkoftheslave—holdersbeingtriumphant,andthatthedifficultiesofmakingalineofseparationwerefearful。Iwonderwhathewillsay……YournotionoftheAristocratbeingkenspeckle,andthebestmenofagoodlotbeingthuseasilyselectedisnewtome,andstriking。The’Origin’havingmadeyouinfactajollyoldTory,madeusalllaughheartily。Ihavesometimesspeculatedonthissubject;primogeniture(Myfatherhadastrongfeelingastotheinjusticeofprimogeniture,andinasimilarspiritwasoftenindignantovertheunfairwillsthatappearfromtimetotime。Hewoulddeclareenergeticallythatifhewerelaw—givernowillshouldbevalidthatwasnotpublishedinthetestator’slifetime;andthishemaintainedwouldpreventmuchofthemonstrousinjusticeandmeannessapparentinsomanywills。)isdreadfullyopposedtoselection;supposethefirst—bornbullwasnecessarilymadebyeachfarmerthebegetterofhisstock!Ontheotherhand,asyousay,ablestmenarecontinuallyraisedtothepeerage,andgetcrossedwiththeolderLord—breeds,andtheLordscontinuallyselectthemostbeautifulandcharmingwomenoutofthelowerranks;sothatagooddealofindirectselectionimprovestheLords。
CertainlyIagreewithyouthepresentAmericanrowhasaveryTorifyinginfluenceonusall。Iamverygladtohearyouarebeginningtoprintthe’Genera;’itisawonderfulsatisfactiontobethusbroughttobed,indeeditisone’schiefsatisfaction,Ithink,thoughoneknowsthatanotherbantlingwillsoonbedeveloping……
CHARLESDARWINTOMAXWELLMASTERS。(Dr。Mastersisawell—knownvegetableteratologist,andhasbeenformanyyearstheeditorofthe"Gardeners’
Chronicle"。)
Down,February26[1862]。
MydearSir,Iammuchobligedtoyouforsendingmeyourarticle(Referstoapaperon"VegetableMorphology,"byDr。Masters,inthe’BritishandForeignMedico—
ChirurgicalReview’for1862),whichIhavejustreadwithmuchinterest。
Thehistory,andagooddealbesides,wasquitenewtome。Itseemstomecapitallydone,andsoclearlywritten。Youreallyoughttowriteyourlargerwork。Youspeaktoogenerouslyofmybook;butImustconfessthatyouhavepleasedmenotalittle;fornoone,asfarasIknow,haseverremarkedonwhatIsayonclassification——apart,whichwhenIwroteit,pleasedme。Withmanythankstoyouforsendingmeyourarticle,praybelieveme,MydearSir,yourssincerely,C。DARWIN。
[Inthespringofthisyear(1862)myfatherreadthesecondvolumeofBuckle’s’HistoryofCivilisation。"Thefollowingstronglyexpressedopinionaboutitmaybeworthquoting:——
"HaveyoureadBuckle’ssecondvolume?Ithasinterestedmegreatly;Idonotcarewhetherhisviewsarerightorwrong,butIshouldthinktheycontainedmuchtruth。Thereisanobleloveofadvancementandtruththroughout;andtomytasteheistheverybestwriteroftheEnglishlanguagethateverlived,lettheotherbewhohemay。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down,March15[1862]。
MydearGray,Thanksforthenewspapers(thoughtheydidcontaindigsatEngland),andforyournoteofFebruary18th。Itisreallyalmostapleasuretoreceivestabsfromsosmooth,polished,andsharpadaggerasyourpen。IheartilywishIcouldsympathisemorefullywithyou,insteadofmerelyhatingtheSouth。Wecannotenterintoyourfeelings;ifScotlandweretorebel,I
presumeweshouldbeverywrath,butIdonotthinkweshouldcareapennywhatothernationsthought。Themillenniummustcomebeforenationsloveeachother;buttryanddonothateme。Thinkofme,ifyouwillasapoorblindedfool。IfearthedreadfulstateofaffairsmustdullyourinterestinScience……
IbelievethatyourpamphlethasdonemybookGREATgood;andIthankyoufrommyheartformyself;andbelievingthattheviewsareinlargeparttrue,Imustthinkthatyouhavedonenaturalscienceagoodturn。NaturalSelectionseemstobemakingalittleprogressinEnglandandontheContinent;anewGermaneditioniscalledfor,andaFrench(InJune,1862,myfatherwrotetoDr。Gray:"Ireceived,2or3daysago,aFrenchtranslationofthe’Origin,’byaMadlle。Royer,whomustbeoneofthecleverestandoddestwomeninEurope:isanardentDeist,andhatesChristianity,anddeclaresthatnaturalselectionandthestruggleforlifewillexplainallmorality,natureofman,politics,etc。etc。!Shemakessomeverycuriousandgoodhits,andsayssheshallpublishabookonthesesubjects。"Madlle。Royeraddedfoot—notestohertranslation,andinmanyplaceswheretheauthorexpressesgreatdoubt,sheexplainsthedifficulty,orpointsoutthatnorealdifficultyexists。)onehasjustappeared。Oneofthebestmen,thoughatpresentunknown,whohastakenuptheseviews,isMr。Bates;prayreadhis’TravelsinAmazonia,’whentheyappear;theywillbeverygood,judgingfromMS。ofthefirsttwochapters。