Nodoubttheymayinferthatasyougivemorespacetomyself，Wallace，andHooker，thantoLamarck，youthinkmoreofus。ButIhadalwaysthoughtthatyourjudgmentwouldhavebeenanepochinthesubject。Allthatisoverwithme，andIwillonlythinkontheadmirableskillwithwhichyouhaveselectedthestrikingpoints，andexplainedthem。Nopraisecanbetoostrong，inmyopinion，fortheinimitablechapteronlanguageincomparisonwithspecies。
（Afterspeculatingonthesuddenappearanceofindividualsfarabovetheaverageofthehumanrace，Lyellasksifsuchleapsupwardsinthescaleofintellectmaynot"haveclearedatoneboundthespacewhichseparatedthehigherstageoftheunprogressiveintelligenceoftheinferioranimalsfromthefirstandlowestformofimprovablereasonmanifestedbyman。"）page505——Asentenceatthetopofthepagemakesmegroan……
Iknowyouwillforgivemeforwritingwithperfectfreedom，foryoumustknowhowdeeplyIrespectyouasmyoldhonouredguideandmaster。I
heartilyhopeandexpectthatyourbookwillhavegiganticcirculationandmaydoinmanywaysasmuchgoodasitoughttodo。Iamtired，sonomore。Ihavewrittensobrieflythatyouwillhavetoguessmymeaning。I
fearmyremarksarehardlyworthsending。Farewell，withkindestremembrancetoLadyLyell。
Everyours，C。DARWIN。
[Mr。Huxleyhasquoted（vol。i。page546）somepassagesfromLyell’sletterswhichshowhisstateofmindatthistime。Thefollowingpassage，fromaletterofMarch11thtomyfather，isalsoofmuchinterest:——
"Myfeelings，however，morethananythoughtaboutpolicyorexpediency，preventmefromdogmatisingastothedescentofmanfromthebrutes，which，thoughIampreparedtoacceptit，takesawaymuchofthecharmfrommyspeculationsonthepastrelatingtosuchmatters……Butyououghttobesatisfied，asIshallbringhundredstowardsyouwho，ifItreatedthemattermoredogmatically，wouldhaverebelled。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down，12[March，1863]。
MydearLyell，Ithankyouforyourveryinterestingandkind，Imaysay，charmingletter。
Ifearedyoumightbehuffedforalittletimewithme。Iknowsomemenwouldhavebeenso。Ihavehardlyanymorecriticisms，anyhow，worthwriting。ButImaymentionthatIfeltalittlesurprisethatoldB。dePerthes（1788—1868。Seefootnotebelow。）wasnotrathermorehonourablymentioned。Iwouldsuggestwhetheryoucouldnotleaveoutsomereferencestothe’Principles;’onefortherealstudentisasgoodasahundred，anditisratherirritating，andgivesafeelingofincompletenesstothegeneralreadertobeoftenreferredtootherbooks。Asyousaythatyouhavegoneasfarasyoubelieveonthespeciesquestion，Ihavenotawordtosay;butImustfeelconvincedthatattimes，judgingfromconversation，expressions，letters，etc。，youhaveascompletelygivenupbeliefinimmutabilityofspecificformsasIhavedone。Imuststillthinkaclearexpressionfromyou，IFYOUCOULDHAVEGIVENIT，wouldhavebeenpotentwiththepublic，andallthemoreso，asyouformerlyheldoppositeopinions。ThemoreIworkthemoresatisfiedIbecomewithvariationandnaturalselection，butthatpartofthecaseIlookataslessimportant，thoughmoreinterestingtomepersonally。Asyouaskforcriticismsonthishead（andbelievemethatIshouldnothavemadethemunasked），Imayspecify（pages412，413）thatsuchwordsas"Mr。D。labourstoshow，""isbelievedbytheauthortothrowlight，"wouldleadacommonreadertothinkthatyouyourselfdoNOTatallagree，butmerelythinkitfairtogivemyopinion。Lastly，youreferrepeatedlytomyviewasamodificationofLamarck’sdoctrineofdevelopmentandprogression。Ifthisisyourdeliberateopinionthereisnothingtobesaid，butitdoesnotseemsotome。Plato，Buffon，mygrandfatherbeforeLamarck，andothers，propoundedtheOBVIOUSviewsthatifspecieswerenotcreatedseparatelytheymusthavedescendedfromotherspecies，andIcanseenothingelseincommonbetweenthe’Origin’andLamarck。Ibelievethiswayofputtingthecaseisveryinjurioustoitsacceptance，asitimpliesnecessaryprogression，andcloselyconnectsWallace’sandmyviewswithwhatIconsider，aftertwodeliberatereadings，asawretchedbook，andonefromwhich（Iwellremembermysurprise）Igainednothing。ButIknowyourankithigher，whichiscurious，asitdidnotintheleastshakeyourbelief。Butenough，andmorethanenough。Pleaserememberyouhavebroughtitalldownonyourself！！！
IamverysorrytohearaboutFalconer’s"reclamation。"（"Falconer，whomI
referredtooftenerthantoanyotherauthor，saysIhavenotdonejusticetotheparthetookinresuscitatingthecavequestion，andsaysheshallcomeoutwithaseparatepapertoproveit。Iofferedtoalteranythinginthenewedition，butthishedeclined。——C。LyelltoC。Darwin，March11，1863;Lyell’s’Life，’vol。ii。page364。）Ihatetheveryword，andhaveasincereaffectionforhim。
Didyoueverreadanythingsowretchedasthe"Athenaeum"reviewsofyou，andofHuxley（’Man’sPlaceinNature，’1863。）especially。YourOBJECTtomakemanold，andHuxley’sOBJECTtodegradehim。Thewretchedwriterhasnotaglimpsewhatthediscoveryofscientifictruthmeans。HowsplendidsomepagesareinHuxley，butIfearthebookwillnotbepopular……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[March13，1863]。
Ishouldhavethankedyousoonerforthe"Athenaeum"andverypleasantpreviousnote，butIhavebeenbusy，andnotalittleuncomfortablefromfrequentuneasyfeelingoffullness，slightpainandticklingabouttheheart。ButasIhavenoothersymptomsofheartcomplaintIdonotsupposeitisaffected……IhavehadamostkindanddelightfullycandidletterfromLyell，whosayshespokeoutasfarashebelieves。Ihavenodoubthisbelieffailedhimashewrote，forIfeelsurethatattimeshenomorebelievedinCreationthanyouorI。IhavegrumbledabitinmyanswertohimathisALWAYSclassingmyworkasamodificationofLamarck’s，whichitisnomorethananyauthorwhodidnotbelieveinimmutabilityofspecies，anddidbelieveindescent。IamverysorrytohearfromLyellthatFalconerisgoingtopublishaformalreclamationofhisownclaims……
Itiscrueltothinkofit，butwemustgotoMalverninthemiddleofApril;itisruintome。（HewenttoHartfieldinSussex，onApril27，andtoMalvernintheautumn。）……
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down，March17[1863]。
MydearLyell，Ihavebeenmuchinterestedbyyourlettersandenclosure，andthankyousincerelyforgivingmesomuchtimewhenyoumustbesobusy。WhatacuriousletterfromB。deP。[BoucherdePerthes]。Heseemsperfectlysatisfied，andmustbeaveryamiableman。Iknowsomethingabouthiserrors，andlookedathisbookmanyyearsago，andamashamedtothinkthatIconcludedthewholewasrubbish！YethehasdoneformansomethinglikewhatAgassizdidforglaciers。（Inhis’AntiquitesCeltiques’（1847），BoucherdePerthesdescribedtheflinttoolsfoundatAbbevillewithbonesofrhinoceros，hyaena，etc。"Butthescientificworldhadnofaithinthestatementthatworksofart，howeverrude，hadbeenmetwithinundisturbedbedsofsuchantiquity。"（’AntiquityofMan，’firstedition，page95）。）
IcannotsaythatIagreewithHookeraboutthepublicnotlikingtobetoldwhattoconclude，IFCOMINGFROMONEINYOURPOSITION。ButIamheartilysorrythatIwasledtomakecomplaints，orsomethingverylikecomplaints，onthemannerinwhichyouhavetreatedthesubject，andstillmoresoanythingaboutmyself。IsteadilyENDEAVOURnevertoforgetmyfirmbeliefthatnoonecanatalljudgeabouthisownwork。AsforLamarck，asyouhavesuchamanasGrovewithyou，youaretriumphant;notthatIcanaltermyopinionthattomeitwasanabsolutelyuselessbook。
Perhapsthiswasowingtomyalwayssearchingbooksforfacts，perhapsfromknowingmygrandfather’searlierandidenticallythesamespeculation。I
willonlyfurthersaythatifIcananalysemyownfeelings（averydoubtfulprocess），itisnearlyasmuchforyoursakeasformyown，thatI
somuchwishthatyourstateofbeliefcouldhavepermittedyoutosayboldlyanddistinctlyoutthatspecieswerenotseparatelycreated。Ihavegenerallytoldyoutheprogressofopinion，asIhaveheardit，onthespeciesquestion。Afirst—rateGermannaturalist（NodoubtHaeckel，whosemonographontheRadiolariawaspublishedin1862。InthesameyearProfessorW。PreyerofJenapublishedadissertationonAlcaimpennis，whichwasoneoftheearliestpiecesofspecialworkonthebasisofthe’OriginofSpecies。’）（Inowforgetthename！），whohaslatelypublishedagrandfolio，hasspokenouttotheutmostextentonthe’Origin。’DeCandolle，inaverygoodpaperon"Oaks，"goes，inAsaGray’sopinion，asfarashehimselfdoes;butDeCandolle，inwritingtome，saysWE，"wethinkthisandthat;"sothatIinferhereallygoestothefullextentwithme，andtellsmeofaFrenchgoodbotanicalpalaeontologist（nameforgotten）（TheMarquisdeSaporta。），whowritestoDeCandollethatheissurethatmyviewswillultimatelyprevail。ButIdidnotintendtohavewrittenallthis。Itsatisfiesmewiththefinalresults，butthisresult，Ibegintosee，willtaketwoorthreelifetimes。Theentomologistsareenoughtokeepthesubjectbackforhalfacentury。Ireallypityyourhavingtobalancetheclaimsofsomanyeageraspirantsfornotice;itisclearlyimpossibletosatisfyall……CertainlyIwasstruckwiththefullandduehonouryouconferredonFalconer。IhavejusthadanotefromHooker……Iamheartilygladthatyouhavemadehimsoconspicuous;heissohonest，socandid，andsomodest……
Ihaveread——。Icouldfindnothingtolayholdof，whichinonesenseI
amverygladof，asIshouldhateacontroversy;butinanothersenseIamverysorryfor，asIlongtobeinthesameboatwithallmyfriends……Iamheartilygladthebookisgoingoffsowell。
Everyours，C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[March29，1863]……Manythanksfor"Athenaeum"，receivedthismorning，andtobereturnedto—morrowmorning。Whowouldhaveeverthoughtoftheoldstupid"Athenaeum"takingtoOken—liketranscendentalphilosophywritteninOwenianstyle！（ThisreferstoareviewofDr。Carpenter’s’IntroductiontothestudyofForaminifera，’thatappearedinthe"Athenaeum"ofMarch28，1863（page417）。ThereviewerattacksDr。Carpenter’sviewsinasmuchastheysupportthedoctrineofDescent;andheupholdsspontaneousgeneration（Heterogeny）inplaceofwhatDr。Carpenter，naturallyenough，believedin，viz。thegeneticconnectionoflivingandextinctForaminifera。InthenextnumberisaletterbyDr。Carpenter，whichchieflyconsistsofaprotestagainstthereviewer’ssomewhatcontemptuousclassificationofDr。Carpenterandmyfatherasdiscipleandmaster。InthecourseoftheletterDr。Carpentersays——page461:——
"UndertheinfluenceofhisforegoneconclusionthatIhaveacceptedMr。
Darwinasmymaster，andhishypothesisasmyguide，yourreviewerrepresentsmeasblindtothesignificanceofthegeneralfactstatedbyme，that’therehasbeennoadvanceintheforaminiferoustypefromthepalaeozoicperiodtothepresenttime。’Butforsuchaforegoneconclusionhewouldhaverecognisedinthisstatementtheexpressionofmyconvictionthatthepresentstateofscientificevidence，insteadofsanctioningtheideathatthedescendantsoftheprimitivetypeortypesofForaminiferacaneverrisetoanyhighergrade，justifiestheANTI—DARWINIANinfluence，thathoweverwidelytheydivergefromeachotherandfromtheiroriginals，THEYSTILLREMAINFORAMINIFERA。"）……Itwillbesometimebeforewesee"slime，protoplasm，etc。，"generatinganewanimal。（Onthesamesubjectmyfatherwrotein1871:"Itisoftensaidthatalltheconditionsforthefirstproductionofalivingorganismarenowpresent，whichcouldeverhavebeenpresent。Butif（andoh！whatabigif！）wecouldconceiveinsomewarmlittlepond，withallsortsofammoniaandphosphoricsalts，light，heat，electricity，etc。，present，thataproteinecompoundwaschemicallyformedreadytoundergostillmorecomplexchanges，atthepresentdaysuchmatterwouldbeinstantlydevouredorabsorbed，whichwouldnothavebeenthecasebeforelivingcreatureswereformed。"）ButI
havelongregrettedthatItruckledtopublicopinion，andusedthePentateuchaltermofcreation（ThisreferstoapassageinwhichthereviewerofDr。Carpenter’sbooksspeaksof"anoperationofforce，"or"aconcurrenceofforceswhichhavenownoplaceinnature，"asbeing，"acreativeforce，infact，whichDarwincouldonlyexpressinPentateuchaltermsastheprimordialform’intowhichlifewasfirstbreathed。’"TheconceptionofexpressingacreativeforceasaprimordialformistheReviewer’s。），bywhichIreallymeant"appeared"bysomewhollyunknownprocess。Itismererubbish，thinkingatpresentoftheoriginoflife;
onemightaswellthinkoftheoriginofmatter。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down，Fridaynight[April17，1863]。
MydearHooker，IhaveheardfromOliverthatyouwillbenowatKew，andsoIamgoingtoamusemyselfbyscribblingabit。Ihopeyouhavethoroughlyenjoyedyourtour。Ineverinmylifesawanythinglikethespringflowersthisyear。
Whatalotofinterestingthingshavebeenlatelypublished。IlikedextremelyyourreviewofDeCandolle。WhatanawfullyseverearticlethatbyFalconeronLyell（"Athenaeum"，April4，1863，page459。ThewriterassertsthatjusticehasnotbeendoneeithertohimselforMr。Prestwich——
thatLyellhasnotmadeitclearthatitwastheiroriginalworkwhichsuppliedcertainmaterialforthe’AntiquityofMan。’Falconerattemptstodrawanunjustdistinctionbetweena"philosopher"（hereusedasapolitewordforcompiler）likeSirCharlesLyell，andoriginalobservers，presumablysuchashimself，andMr。Prestwich。Lyell’sreplywaspublishedinthe"Athenaeum"，April18，1863。ItoughttobementionedthataletterfromMr。Prestwich（"Athenaeum"，page555），whichformedpartofthecontroversy，thoughofthenatureofareclamation，waswritteninaverydifferentspiritandtonefromDr。Falconer’s。）;Iamverysorryforit;I
thinkFalconeronhissidedoesnotdojusticetooldPerthesandSchmerling……Ishallbeverycurioustoseehowhe[Lyell]answersitto—
morrow。（Ihavebeencompelledtotakeinthe"Athenaeum"forawhile。）I
amverysorrythatFalconershouldhavewrittensospitefully，evenifthereissometruthinhisaccusations;IwasratherdisappointedinCarpenter’sletter，noonecouldhavegivenabetteranswer，butthechiefobjectofhisletterseemstometobetoshowthatthoughhehastouchedpitchheisnotdefiled。Noonewouldsupposehewentsofarastobelieveallbirdscamefromoneprogenitor。Ihavewrittenalettertothe"Athenaeum"（"Athenaeum"，1863，page554:"Theviewgivenbymeontheoriginorderivationofspecies，whateveritsweaknessesmaybe，connects（ashasbeencandidlyadmittedbysomeofitsopponents，suchasPictet，Bronn，etc。），byanintelligiblethreadofreasoning，amultitudeoffacts:
suchastheformationofdomesticracesbyman’sselection，——theclassificationandaffinitiesofallorganicbeings，——theinnumerablegradationsinstructureandinstincts，——thesimilarityofpatterninthehand，wing，orpaddleofanimalsofthesamegreatclass，——theexistenceoforgansbecomerudimentarybydisuse，——thesimilarityofanembryonicreptile，bird，andmammal，withtheretentionoftracesofanapparatusfittedforaquaticrespiration;theretentionintheyoungcalfofincisorteethintheupperjaw，etc。——thedistributionofanimalsandplants，andtheirmutualaffinitieswithinthesameregion，——theirgeneralgeologicalsuccession，andthecloserelationshipofthefossilsincloselyconsecutiveformationsandwithinthesamecountry;extinctmarsupialshavingprecededlivingmarsupialsinAustralia，andarmadillo—likeanimalshavingprecededandgeneratedarmadilloesinSouthAmerica，——andmanyotherphenomena，suchasthegradualextinctionofoldformsandtheirgradualreplacementbynewformsbetterfittedfortheirnewconditionsinthestruggleforlife。WhentheadvocateofHeterogenycanthusconnectlargeclassesoffacts，andnotuntilthen，hewillhaverespectfulandpatientlisteners。"）（thefirstandlasttimeIshalltakesuchastep）tosay，underthecloakofattackingHeterogeny，awordinmyowndefence。Myletteristoappearnextweek，sotheEditorsays;andImeantoquoteLyell’ssentence（Seethenextletter。）inhissecondedition，ontheprincipleifonepuffsoneself，onehadbetterpuffhandsomely……
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
Down，April18[1863]。
MydearLyell，Iwasreallyquitesorrythatyouhadsentmeasecondcopy（Thesecondeditionofthe’AntiquityofMan’waspublishedafewmonthsafterthefirsthadappeared。）ofyourvaluablebook。Butafterafewhoursmysorrowvanishedforthisreason:Ihavewrittenalettertothe"Athenaeum"，inorder，underthecloakofattackingthemonstrousarticleonHeterogeny，tosayawordformyselfinanswertoCarpenter，andnowI
haveinsertedafewsentencesinallusiontoyouranalogousobjection（Lyellobjectedthatthemammalia（e。g。batsandseals）whichalonehavebeenabletoreachoceanicislandsoughttohavebecomemodifiedintovariousterrestrialformsfittedtofillvariousplacesintheirnewhome。
Myfatherpointedoutinthe"Athenaeum"thatSirCharleshasinsomemeasureansweredhisownobjection，andwentontoquotethe"amendedsentence"（’AntiquityofMan，’2ndEditionpage469）asshowinghowfarLyellagreedwiththegeneraldoctrinesofthe"OriginofSpecies’:"Yetweoughtbynomeanstoundervaluetheimportanceofthestepwhichwillhavebeenmade，shouldithereafterbecomethegenerallyreceivedopinionofmenofscience（asIfullyexpectitwill）thatthepastchangesoftheorganicworldhavebeenbroughtaboutbythesubordinateagencyofsuchcausesasVariationandNaturalSelection。"Inthefirsteditionthewords（asIfullyexpectitwill，"donotoccur。）aboutbatsonislands，andthenwithinfiniteslynesshavequotedyouramendedsentence，withyourparenthesis（"asIfullybelieve"）（MyfatherherequotesLyellincorrectly;seethepreviousfoot—note。）;Idonotthinkyoucanbeannoyedatmydoingthis，andyousee，thatIamdeterminedasfarasI
can，thatthepublicshallseehowfaryougo。ThisisthefirsttimeI
haveeversaidawordformyselfinanyjournal，anditshall，Ithink，bethelast。Myletterisshort，andnogreatthings。IwasextremelyconcernedtoseeFalconer’sdisrespectfulandvirulentletter。Ilikeextremelyyouranswerjustread;youtakealoftyanddignifiedposition，towhichyouaresowellentitled。（InalettertoSirJ。D。Hookerhewrote:"ImuchlikeLyell’sletter。Butallthissquabblingwillgreatlysinkscientificmen。Ihaveseensneersalreadyinthe’Times’。"）
Isuspectthatifyouhadinsertedafewmoresuperlativesinspeakingoftheseveralauthorstherewouldhavebeennoneofthishorridnoise。Noone，Iamsure，whoknowsyoucoulddoubtaboutyourheartysympathywitheveryonewhomakesanylittleadvanceinscience。IstillwellremembermysurpriseatthemannerinwhichyoulistenedtomeinHartStreetonmyreturnfromthe"Beagle’s"voyage。Youdidmeaworldofgood。ItishorridlyvexatiousthatsofrankandapparentlyamiableamanasFalconershouldhavebehavedso。（ItistothisaffairthattheextractfromalettertoFalconer，giveninvolumei。，refers。）Wellitwillallsoonbeforgotten……
[Inreplytotheabove—mentionedletterofmyfather’stothe"Athenaeum"，anarticleappearedinthatJournal（May2nd，1863，page586），accusingmyfatherofclaimingforhisviewstheexclusivemeritof"connectingbyanintelligiblethreadofreasoning"anumberoffactsinmorphology，etc。
Thewriterremarksthat，"ThedifferentgeneralizationscitedbyMr。Darwinasbeingconnectedbyanintelligiblethreadofreasoningexclusivelythroughhisattempttoexplainspecifictransmutationareinfactrelatedtoitinthiswise，thattheyhavepreparedthemindsofnaturalistsforabetterreceptionofsuchattemptstoexplainthewayoftheoriginofspeciesfromspecies。"
Tothismyfatherrepliedinthe"Athenaeum"ofMay9th，1863:]
Down，May5[1863]。
Ihopethatyouwillgrantmespacetoownthatyourreviewerisquitecorrectwhenhestatesthatanytheoryofdescentwillconnect，"byanintelligiblethreadofreasoning，"theseveralgeneralizationsbeforespecified。Ioughttohavemadethisadmissionexpressly;withthereservation，however，that，asfarasIcanjudge，notheorysowellexplainsorconnectstheseseveralgeneralizations（moreespeciallytheformationofdomesticracesincomparisonwithnaturalspecies，theprinciplesofclassification，embryonicresemblance，etc。）asthetheory，orhypothesis，orguess，ifthereviewersolikestocallit，ofNaturalSelection。Norhasanyothersatisfactoryexplanationbeeneverofferedofthealmostperfectadaptationofallorganicbeingstoeachother，andtotheirphysicalconditionsoflife。WhetherthenaturalistbelievesintheviewsgivenbyLamarck，byGeoffreySt。Hilaire，bytheauthorofthe’Vestiges，’byMr。Wallaceandmyself，orinanyothersuchview，signifiesextremelylittleincomparisonwiththeadmissionthatspecieshavedescendedfromotherspecies，andhavenotbeencreatedimmutable;forhewhoadmitsthisasagreattruthhasawidefieldopenedtohimforfurtherinquiry。Ibelieve，however，fromwhatIseeoftheprogressofopinionontheContinent，andinthiscountry，thatthetheoryofNaturalSelectionwillultimatelybeadopted，with，nodoubt，manysubordinatemodificationsandimprovements。
CHARLESDARWIN。
[Inthefollowing，hereferstotheabovelettertothe"Athenaeum:]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
LeithHillPlace，Saturday[May11，1863]。
MydearHooker，Yougivegoodadviceaboutnotwritinginnewspapers;Ihavebeengnashingmyteethatmyownfolly;andthisnotcausedby——’ssneers，whichweresogoodthatIalmostenjoyedthem。Ihavewrittenonceagaintoowntoacertainextentoftruthinwhathesays，andthenifIameversuchafoolagain，havenomercyonme。Ihavereadthesquibin"PublicOpinion"
（"PublicOpinion"，April23，1863。Alivelyaccountofapolicecase，inwhichthequarrelsofscientificmenaresatirised。Mr。JohnBullgivesevidencethat——
"Thewholeneighbourhoodwasunsettledbytheirdisputes;HuxleyquarrelledwithOwen，OwenwithDarwin，LyellwithOwen，FalconerandPrestwichwithLyell，andGraythemenageriemanwitheverybody。Hehadpleasure，however，instatingthatDarwinwasthequietestoftheset。Theywerealwayspickingboneswitheachotherandfightingovertheirgains。Ifeitherofthegravelsiftersorstonebreakersfoundanything，hewasobligedtoconcealitimmediately，oroneoftheoldbonecollectorswouldbesuretoappropriateitfirstanddenythetheftafterwards，andtheconsequentwranglinganddisputeswereasendlessastheywerewearisome。
"LordMayor。——Probablytheclergymanoftheparishmightexertsomeinfluenceoverthem？
"Thegentlemansmiled，shookhishead，andstatedthatheregrettedtosaythatnoclassofmenpaidsolittleattentiontotheopinionsoftheclergyasthattowhichtheseunhappymenbelonged。"）;itiscapital;ifthereismore，andyouhaveacopy，dolendit。Itshowswellthatascientificmanhadbetterbetrampledindirtthansquabble。Ihavebeendrawingdiagrams，dissectingshoots，andmuddlingmybrainstoahopelessdegreeaboutthedivergenceofleaves，andhaveofcourseutterlyfailed。ButI
canseethatthesubjectismostcurious，andindeedastonishing……
[ThenextletterreferstoMr。Bentham’spresidentialaddresstotheLinneanSociety（May25，1863）。Mr。BenthamdoesnotyieldtothenewtheoryofEvolution，"cannotsurrenderatdiscretionaslongasmanyimportantoutworksremaincontestable。"Butheshowsthatthegreatbodyofscientificopinionisflowinginthedirectionofbelief。
ThementionofPasteurbyMr。Benthamisinreferencetothepromulgation"asitwereexcathedra，"ofatheoryofspontaneousgenerationbythereviewerofDr。Carpenterinthe"Athenaeum"（March28，1863）。Mr。BenthampointsoutthatinignoringPasteur’srefutationofthesupposedfactsofspontaneousgeneration，thewriterfailstoactwith"thatimpartialitywhicheveryreviewerissupposedtopossess。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOG。BENTHAM。
Down，May22[1863]。
MydearBentham，Iammuchobligedforyourkindandinterestingletter。Ihavenofearofanythingthatamanlikeyouwillsayannoyingmeintheveryleastdegree。
Ontheotherhand，anyapprovalfromonewhosejudgmentandknowledgeI
haveformanyyearssosincerelyrespected，willgratifymemuch。Theobjectionwhichyouwellput，ofcertainformsremainingunalteredthroughlongtimeandspace，isnodoubtformidableinappearance，andtoacertainextentinrealityaccordingtomyjudgment。Butdoesnotthedifficultyrestmuchonoursilentlyassumingthatweknowmorethanwedo？Ihaveliterallyfoundnothingsodifficultastotryandalwaysrememberourignorance。Iamneverweary，whenwalkinginanynewadjoiningdistrictorcountry，ofreflectinghowabsolutelyignorantwearewhycertainoldplantsarenottherepresent，andothernewonesare，andothersindifferentproportions。Ifweoncefullyfeelthis，theninjudgingthetheoryofNaturalSelection，whichimpliesthataformwillremainunalteredunlesssomealterationbetoitsbenefit，isitsoverywonderfulthatsomeformsshouldchangemuchslowerandmuchless，andsomefewshouldhavechangednotatallunderconditionswhichtous（whoreallyknownothingwhataretheimportantconditions）seemverydifferent。
CertainlyaprioriwemighthaveanticipatedthatalltheplantsancientlyintroducedintoAustraliawouldhaveundergonesomemodification;butthefactthattheyhavenotbeenmodifieddoesnotseemtomeadifficultyofweightenoughtoshakeabeliefgroundedonotherarguments。Ihaveexpressedmyselfmiserably，butIamfarfromwellto—day。
IamverygladthatyouaregoingtoalludetoPasteur;Iwasstruckwithinfiniteadmirationathiswork。Withcordialthanks，believeme，dearBentham，Yoursverysincerely，CH。DARWIN。
P。S。——Infact，thebeliefinNaturalSelectionmustatpresentbegroundedentirelyongeneralconsiderations。（1）Onitsbeingaveracausa，fromthestruggleforexistence;andthecertaingeologicalfactthatspeciesdosomehowchange。（2）Fromtheanalogyofchangeunderdomesticationbyman’sselection。（3）Andchieflyfromthisviewconnectingunderanintelligiblepointofviewahostoffacts。Whenwedescendtodetails，wecanprovethatnoonespecieshaschanged[i。e。wecannotprovethatasinglespecieshaschanged];norcanweprovethatthesupposedchangesarebeneficial，whichisthegroundworkofthetheory。Norcanweexplainwhysomespecieshavechangedandothershavenot。Thelattercaseseemstomehardlymoredifficulttounderstandpreciselyandindetailthantheformercaseofsupposedchange。Bronnmayaskinvain，theoldcreationistschoolandthenewschool，whyonemousehaslongerearsthananothermouse，andoneplantmorepointedleavesthananotherplant。
CHARLESDARWINTOG。BENTHAM。
Down，June19[1863]。
MydearBentham，Ihavebeenextremelymuchpleasedandinterestedbyyouraddress，whichyoukindlysentme。Itseemstobeexcellentlydone，withasmuchjudicialcalmnessandimpartialityastheLordChancellorcouldhaveshown。Butwhetherthe"immutable"gentlemenwouldagreewiththeimpartialitymaybedoubted，thereistoomuchkindnessshowntowardsme，Hooker，andothers，theymightsay。MoreoverIverilybelievethatyouraddress，writtenasitis，willdomoretoshaketheunshakenandbringonthoseleaningtoourside，thananythingwrittendirectlyinfavouroftransmutation。Icanhardlytellwhyitis，butyouraddresshaspleasedmeasmuchasLyell’sbookdisappointedme，thatis，thepartonspecies，thoughsocleverlywritten。Iagreewithallyourremarksonthereviewers。Bytheway，Lecoq（Authorof’GeographieBotanique。’9vols。1854—58。）isabelieverinthechangeofspecies。I，forone，canconscientiouslydeclarethatI
neverfeelsurprisedatanyonestickingtothebeliefofimmutability;
thoughIamoftennotalittlesurprisedattheargumentsadvancedonthisside。Iremembertoowellmyendlessoscillationsofdoubtanddifficulty。
ItistomereallylaughablewhenIthinkoftheyearswhichelapsedbeforeIsawwhatIbelievetobetheexplanationofsomepartsofthecase;I
believeitwasfifteenyearsafterIbeganbeforeIsawthemeaningandcauseofthedivergenceofthedescendantsofanyonepair。Youpaymesomemostelegantandpleasingcompliments。Thereismuchinyouraddresswhichhaspleasedmemuch，especiallyyourremarksonvariousnaturalists。
IamsogladthatyouhavealludedsohonourablytoPasteur。Ihavejustreadoverthisnote;itdoesnotexpressstronglyenoughtheinterestwhichIhavefeltinreadingyouraddress。Youhavedone，Ibelieve，arealgoodturntotheRIGHTSIDE。Believeme，dearBentham，Yoursverysincerely，CH。DARWIN。
1864。
[Inmyfather’sdiaryfor1864istheentry，"IllallJanuary，February，March。"AboutthemiddleofApril（sevenmonthsafterthebeginningoftheillnessinthepreviousautumn）hishealthtookaturnforthebetter。Assoonashewasabletodoanywork，hebegantowritehispapersonLythrum，andonClimbingPlants，sothattheworkwhichnowconcernsusdidnotbeginuntilSeptember，whenheagainsettoworkon’AnimalsandPlants。’AlettertoSirJ。D。Hookergivessomeaccountofthere—
commencementofthework:"IhavebegunlookingovermyoldMS。，anditisasfreshasifIhadneverwrittenit;partsareastonishinglydull，butyetworthprinting，Ithink;andotherpartsstrikemeasverygood。Iamacompletemillionaireinoddandcuriouslittlefacts，andIhavebeenreallyastoundedatmyownindustrywhilstreadingmychaptersonInheritanceandSelection。Godknowswhenthebookwilleverbecompleted，forIfindthatIamveryweakandonmybestdayscannotdomorethanoneoroneandahalfhours’work。Itisagooddealharderthanwritingaboutmydearclimbingplants。"
Inthisyearhereceivedthegreatesthonourwhichascientificmancanreceiveinthiscountry——theCopleyMedaloftheRoyalSociety。ItispresentedattheAnniversaryMeetingonSt。Andrew’sDay（November30），themedalistbeingusuallypresenttoreceiveit，butthisthestateofmyfather’shealthprevented。HewrotetoMr。Foxonthissubject:——
"Iwasgladtoseeyourhand—writing。TheCopley，beingopentoallsciencesandalltheworld，isreckonedagreathonour;butexceptingfromseveralkindletters，suchthingsmakelittledifferencetome。Itshows，however，thatNaturalSelectionismakingsomeprogressinthiscountry，andthatpleasesme。Thesubject，however，issafeinforeignlands。"
ToSirJ。D。Hooker，also，hewrote:——
"Howkindyouhavebeenaboutthismedal;indeed，Iamblessedwithmanygoodfriends，andIhavereceivedfourorfivenoteswhichhavewarmedmyheart。Ioftenwonderthatsooldaworn—outdogasIamisnotquiteforgotten。Talkingofmedals，hasFalconerhadtheRoyal？hesurelyoughttohaveit，asoughtJohnLubbock。Bytheway，thelattertellsmethatsomeoldmembersoftheRoyalarequiteshockedatmyhavingtheCopley。
Doyouknowwho？"
HewrotetoMr。Huxley:——
"Imustandwillansweryou，foritisarealpleasureformetothankyoucordiallyforyournote。Suchnotesasthisofyours，andafewothers，aretherealmedaltome，andnottheroundbitofgold。Thesehavegivenmeapleasurewhichwilllongendure;sobelieveinmycordialthanksforyournote。"
SirCharlesLyell，writingtomyfatherinNovember1864（’Life，’vol。ii。
page384），speaksofthesupposedmalcontentsasbeingafraidtocrownanythingsounorthodoxasthe’Origin。’Butheaddsthatifsuchweretheirfeelings"theyhadthegoodsensetodrawintheirhorns。"Itappears，however，fromthesameletter，thattheproposaltogivetheCopleyMedaltomyfatherinthepreviousyearfailedowingtoasimilarwantofcourage——toLyell’sgreatindignation。
Inthe"Reader"，December3，1864，GeneralSabine’spresidentialaddressattheAnniversaryMeetingisreportedatsomelength。Specialweightwaslaidonmyfather’sworkinGeology，Zoology，andBotany，butthe’OriginofSpecies’ispraisedchieflyascontaining"amassofobservations，"etc。
ItiscuriousthatasinthecaseofhiselectiontotheFrenchInstitution，sointhiscase，hewashonourednotforthegreatworkofhislife，butforhislessimportantworkinspeciallines。TheparagraphinGeneralSabine’saddresswhichreferstothe’OriginofSpecies，’isasfollows:——