BesidestheCambridgedegree,hereceivedaboutthesametimehonoursofanacademickindfromsomeforeignsocieties。
OnAugust5,1878,hewaselectedaCorrespondingMemberoftheFrenchInstitute("LyellalwaysspokeofitasagreatscandalthatDarwinwassolongkeptoutoftheFrenchInstitute。Ashesaid,evenifthedevelopmenthypothesiswereobjectedto,Darwin’soriginalworksonCoralReefs,theCirripedia,andothersubjects,constitutedamorethansufficientclaim"——
FromProfessorJudd’snotes。),intheBotanicalSection,andwrotetoDr。
AsaGray:——
"IseethatwearebothelectedCorrespondingMembersoftheInstitute。ItisratheragoodjokethatIshouldbeelectedintheBotanicalSection,astheextentofmyknowledgeislittlemorethanthatadaisyisaCompositousplantandapeaaLeguminousone。"
(ThestatementhasbeenmorethanoncepublishedthathewaselectedtotheZoologicalSection,butthiswasnotthecase。
Hereceivedtwenty—sixvotesoutofapossible39,fiveblankpapersweresentin,andeightvoteswererecordedfortheothercandidates。
In1872anattempthadbeenmadetoelecthimtotheSectionofZoology,when,however,heonlyreceived15outof48votes,andLovenwaschosenforthevacantplace。Itappears(’Nature,’August1,1872)thataneminentmemberoftheAcademywroteto"LesMondes"tothefollowingeffect:——
"WhathasclosedthedoorsoftheAcademytoMr。Darwinisthatthescienceofthoseofhisbookswhichhavemadehischieftitletofame—the’OriginofSpecies,’andstillmorethe’DescentofMan,’isnotscience,butamassofassertionsandabsolutelygratuitoushypotheses,oftenevidentlyfallacious。Thiskindofpublicationandthesetheoriesareabadexample,whichabodythatrespectsitselfcannotencourage。")
IntheearlypartofthesameyearhewaselectedaCorrespondingMemberoftheBerlinAcademyofSciences,andhewrote(March12)toProfessorDuBoisReymond,whohadproposedhimforelection:——
"Ithankyousincerelyforyourmostkindletter,inwhichyouannouncethegreathonourconferredonme。Theknowledgeofthenamesoftheillustriousmen,whosecondedtheproposalisevenagreaterpleasuretomethanthehonouritself。"
TheseconderswereHelmholtz,Peters,Ewald,PringsheimandVirchow。
In1879hereceivedtheBalyMedaloftheRoyalCollegeofPhysicians。
(ThevisittoLondon,necessitatedbythepresentationoftheBalyMedal,wascombinedwithavisittoMissForster’shouseatAbinger,inSurrey,andthiswastheoccasionofthefollowingcharacteristicletter:——"Imustwriteafewwordstothankyoucordiallyforlendingusyourhouse。Itwasamostkindthought,andhaspleasedmegreatly;butIknowwellthatIdonotdeservesuchkindnessfromanyone。Ontheotherhand,noonecanbetookindtomydearwife,whoisworthherweightingoldmanytimesover,andshewasanxiousthatIshouldgetsomecompleterest,andhereIcannotrest。YourhousewillbeadelightfulhavenandagainIthankyoutruly。")
Againin1879hereceivedfromtheRoyalAcademyofTurinthe"Bressa"
prizefortheyears1875—78,amountingtothesumof12,000francs。Inthefollowingyearhereceivedonhisbirthday,asonpreviousoccasions,akindletterofcongratulationfromDr。DohrnofNaples。Inwriting(February15th)tothankhimandtheothernaturalistsattheZoologicalStation,myfatheradded:——
"PerhapsyousawinthepapersthattheTurinSocietyhonouredmetoanextraordinarydegreebyawardingmethe"Bressa"Prize。Nowitoccurredtomethatifyourstationwantedsomepiecesofapparatus,ofaboutthevalueof100pounds,Ishouldverymuchliketobeallowedtopayforit。Willyoubesokindastokeepthisinmind,andifanywantshouldoccurtoyou,Iwouldsendyouachequeatanytime。"
Ifindfrommyfather’saccountsthat100poundswaspresentedtotheNaplesStation。
Hereceivedalsoseveraltokensofrespectandsympathyofamoreprivatecharacterfromvarioussources。Withregardtosuchincidentsandtotheestimationofthepublicgenerally,hisattitudemaybeillustratedbyapassagefromalettertoMr。Romanes:——(ThelecturereferredtowasgivenattheDublinmeetingoftheBritishassociation。)
"Youhaveindeedpassedamostmagnificenteulogiumuponme,andIwonderthatyouwerenotafraidofhearing’oh!oh!’orsomeothersignofdisapprobation。ManypersonsthinkthatwhatIhavedoneinsciencehasbeenmuchoverrated,andIveryoftenthinksomyself;butmycomfortisthatIhaveneverconsciouslydoneanythingtogainapplause。Enoughandtoomuchaboutmydearself。"
AmongsuchexpressionsofregardhevaluedveryhighlythetwophotographicalbumsreceivedfromGermanyandHollandonhisbirthday,1877。HerrEmilRadeofMunster,originatedtheideaoftheGermanbirthdaygift,andundertookthenecessaryarrangements。Tohimmyfatherwrote(February16,1877):——
"Ihopethatyouwillinformtheonehundredandfifty—fourmenofscience,includingsomeofthemosthighlyhonourednamesintheworld,howgratefulIamfortheirkindnessandgeneroussympathyinhavingsentmetheirphotographsonmybirthday。"
ToProfessorHaeckelhewrote(February16,1877):——
Thealbumhasjustarrivedquitesafe。Itismostsuperb。(Thealbumismagnificentlyboundanddecoratedwithabeautifullyilluminatedtitlepage,theworkofanartist,HerrA。FitgerofBremen,whoalsocontributedthededicatorypoem。)ItisbyfarthegreatesthonourwhichIhaveeverreceived,andmysatisfactionhasbeengreatlyenhancedbyyourmostkindletterofFebruary9……Ithankyouallfrommyheart。IhavewrittenbythisposttoHerrRade,andIhopehewillsomehowmanagetothankallmygenerousfriends。"
ToProfessorA。vanBemmelenhewrote,onreceivingasimilarpresentfromanumberofdistinguishedmenandloversofNaturalHistoryintheNetherlands:——
"Sir,Ireceivedyesterdaythemagnificentpresentofthealbum,togetherwithyourletter。Ihopethatyouwillendeavourtofindsomemeanstoexpresstothetwohundredandseventeendistinguishedobserversandloversofnaturalscience,whohavesentmetheirphotographs,mygratitudefortheirextremekindness。Ifeeldeeplygratifiedbythisgift,andIdonotthinkthatanytestimonialmorehonourabletomecouldhavebeenimagined。Iamwellawarethatmybookscouldneverhavebeenwritten,andwouldnothavemadeanyimpressiononthepublicmind,hadnotanimmenseamountofmaterialbeencollectedbyalongseriesofadmirableobservers;anditistothemthathonourischieflydue。Isupposethateveryworkeratscienceoccasionallyfeelsdepressed,anddoubtswhetherwhathehaspublishedhasbeenworththelabourwhichithascosthim,butforthefewremainingyearsofmylife,wheneverIwantcheering,Iwilllookattheportraitsofmydistinguishedco—workersinthefieldofscience,andremembertheirgeneroussympathy。WhenIdie,thealbumwillbeamostpreciousbequesttomychildren。ImustfurtherexpressmyobligationfortheveryinterestinghistorycontainedinyourletteroftheprogressofopinionintheNetherlands,withrespecttoEvolution,thewholeofwhichisquitenewtome。Imustagainthankallmykindfriends,frommyheart,fortheirever—memorabletestimonial,andIremain,Sir,Yourobligedandgratefulservant,CHARLESR。DARWIN。"
[IntheJuneofthefollowingyear(1878)hewasgratifiedbylearningthattheEmperorofBrazilhadexpressedawishtomeethim。Owingtoabsencefromhomemyfatherwasunabletocomplywiththiswish;hewrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker:——
"TheEmperorhasdonesomuchforscience,thateveryscientificmanisboundtoshowhimtheutmostrespect,andIhopethatyouwillexpressinthestrongestlanguage,andwhichyoucandowithentiretruth,howgreatlyIfeelhonouredbyhiswishtoseeme;andhowmuchIregretmyabsencefromhome。"
Finallyitshouldbementionedthatin1880hereceivedanaddresspersonallypresentedbymembersoftheCounciloftheBirminghamPhilosophicalSociety,aswellasamemorialfromtheYorkshireNaturalistUnionpresentedbysomeofthemembers,headedbyDr。Sorby。HealsoreceivedinthesameyearavisitfromsomeofthemembersoftheLewishamandBlackheathScientificAssociation,——avisitwhichwas,Ithink,enjoyedbybothguestsandhost。]
MISCELLANEOUSLETTERS——1876—1882。
[Thechiefincidentofapersonalkind(notalreadydealtwith)intheyearswhichwearenowconsideringwasthedeathofhisbrotherErasmus,whodiedathishouseinQueenAnneStreet,onAugust26th,1881。MyfatherwrotetoSirJ。D。Hooker(August30):——
"ThedeathofErasmusisaveryheavylosstoallofus,forhehadamostaffectionatedisposition。Healwaysappearedtomethemostpleasantandclearestheadedman,whomIhaveeverknown。Londonwillseemastrangeplacetomewithouthispresence;Iamdeeplygladthathediedwithoutanygreatsuffering,afteraveryshortillnessfrommereweaknessandnotfromanydefinitedisease。("Hewasnot,Ithink,ahappyman,andformanyyearsdidnotvaluelife,thoughnevercomplaining。"——FromalettertoSirThomasFarrer。)
"Icannotquiteagreewithyouaboutthedeathoftheoldandyoung。Deathinthelattercase,whenthereisabrightfutureahead,causesgriefnevertobewhollyobliterated。"
Anincidentofahappycharactermayalsobeselectedforespecialnotice,sinceitwasonewhichstronglymovedmyfather’ssympathy。Aletter(December17,1879)toSirJosephHookershowsthatthepossibilityofaGovernmentPensionbeingconferredonMr。Wallacefirstoccurredtomyfatheratthistime。Theideawastakenupbyothers,andmyfather’slettersshowthathefeltthemostlivelyinterestinthesuccessoftheplan。Hewrote,forinstance,toMrs。Fisher,"IhardlyeverwishedforanythingmorethanIdoforthesuccessofourplan。"Hewasdeeplypleasedwhenthisthoroughlydeservedhonourwasbestowedonhisfriend,andwrotetothesamecorrespondent(January7,1881),onreceivingaletterfromMr。Gladstoneannouncingthefact:"HowextraordinarilykindofMr。Gladstonetofindtimetowriteunderthepresentcircumstances。
(Mr。Gladstonewastheninoffice,andthelettermusthavebeenwrittenwhenhewasoverwhelmedwithbusinessconnectedwiththeopeningofParliament(January6)。Goodheavens!howpleasedIam!"
Theletterswhichfollowareofamiscellaneouscharacterandreferprincipallytothebooksheread,andtohisminorwritings。]
CHARLESDARWINTOMISSBUCKLEY(MRS。FISHER)。
Down,February11[1876]。
MydearMissBuckley,YoumustletmehavethepleasureofsayingthatIhavejustfinishedreadingwithverygreatinterestyournewbook。(’AShortHistoryofNaturalScience。’)Theideaseemstomeacapitalone,andasfarasIcanjudgeverywellcarriedout。Thereismuchfascinationintakingabird’seyeviewofallthegrandleadingstepsintheprogressofscience。AtfirstIregrettedthatyouhadnotkepteachsciencemoreseparate;butI
daresayyoufounditimpossible。Ihavehardlyanycriticisms,exceptthatIthinkyououghttohaveintroducedMurchisonasagreatclassifierofformations,secondonlytoW。Smith。Youhavedonefulljustice,andnotmorethanjustice,toourdearoldmaster,Lyell。Perhapsalittlemoreoughttohavebeensaidaboutbotany,andifyoushouldeveraddthis,youwouldfindSachs’’History,’latelypublished,verygoodforyourpurpose。
YouhavecrownedWallaceandmyselfwithmuchhonourandglory。Iheartilycongratulateyouonhavingproducedsonovelandinterestingawork,andremain,MydearMissBuckley,yoursveryfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOA。R。WALLACE。
[Hopedene](Mr。HensleighWedgwood’shouseinSurrey。),June5,1876。
MydearWallace,Imusthavethepleasureofexpressingtoyoumyunboundedadmirationofyourbook(’GeographicalDistribution,’1876。),thoughIhavereadonlytopage184——myobjecthavingbeentodoaslittleaspossiblewhileresting。
IfeelsurethatyouhavelaidabroadandsafefoundationforallfutureworkonDistribution。Howinterestingitwillbetoseehereafterplantstreatedinstrictrelationtoyourviews;andthenallinsects,pulmonatemolluscsandfresh—waterfishes,ingreaterdetailthanIsupposeyouhavegiventotheseloweranimals。Thepointwhichhasinterestedmemost,butIdonotsaythemostvaluablepoint,isyourprotestagainstsinkingimaginarycontinentsinaquiterecklessmanner,aswasstatedbyForbes,followed,alas,byHooker,andcaricaturedbyWollastonand[Andrew]
Murray!Bytheway,themainimpressionthatthelatterauthorhasleftonmymindishisutterwantofallscientificjudgment。Ihaveliftedupmyvoiceagainsttheaboveviewwithnoavail,butIhavenodoubtthatyouwillsucceed,owingtoyournewargumentsandthecolouredchart。Ofaspecialvalue,asitseemstome,istheconclusionthatwemustdeterminetheareas,chieflybythenatureofthemammals。WhenIworkedmanyyearsagoonthissubject,IdoubtedmuchwhetherthenowcalledPalaearcticandNearcticregionsoughttobeseparated;andIdeterminedifImadeanotherregionthatitshouldbeMadagascar。Ihave,therefore,beenabletoappreciateyourevidenceonthesepoints。WhatprogressPalaeontologyhasmadeduringthelast20years;butifitadvancesatthesamerateinthefuture,ourviewsonthemigrationandbirth—placeofthevariousgroupswill,Ifear,begreatlyaltered。IcannotfeelquiteeasyabouttheGlacialperiod,andtheextinctionoflargemammals,butImusthopethatyouareright。Ithinkyouwillhavetomodifyyourbeliefaboutthedifficultyofdispersaloflandmolluscs;Iwasinterruptedwhenbeginningtoexperimentizeonthejusthatchedyoungadheringtothefeetofground—
roostingbirds。Idifferononeotherpoint,viz。inthebeliefthattheremusthaveexistedaTertiaryAntarcticcontinent,fromwhichvariousformsradiatedtothesouthernextremitiesofourpresentcontinents。ButI
couldgoonscribblingforever。Youhavewritten,asIbelieve,agrandandmemorableworkwhichwilllastforyearsasthefoundationforallfuturetreatisesonGeographicalDistribution。
MydearWallace,yoursverysincerely,CHARLESDARWIN。
P。S。——Youhavepaidmethehighestconceivablecompliment,bywhatyousayofyourworkinrelationtomychaptersondistributioninthe’Origin,’
andIheartilythankyouforit。
[Thefollowinglettersillustratemyfather’spoweroftakingavividinterestinworkbearingonEvolution,butunconnectedwithhisownspecialresearchesatthetime。ThebooksreferredtointhefirstletterareProfessorWeismann’s’StudienzurDescendenzlehre’(MyfathercontributedaprefatorynotetoMr。Meldola’stranslationofProf。Weismann’s’Studien,’
1880—81。),beingpartoftheseriesofessaysbywhichtheauthorhasdonesuchadmirableservicetothecauseofevolution:]
CHARLESDARWINTOAUGUSTWEISMANN。
January12,1877……IreadGermansoslowly,andhavehadlatelytoreadseveralotherpapers,sothatIhaveasyetfinishedonlyhalfofyourfirstessayandtwo—thirdsofyoursecond。Theyhaveexcitedmyinterestandadmirationinthehighestdegree,andwhicheverIthinkoflast,seemstomethemostvaluable。Ineverexpectedtoseethecolouredmarksoncaterpillarssowellexplained;andthecaseoftheocellidelightsmeespecially……Thereisoneothersubjectwhichhasalwaysseemedtomemoredifficulttoexplainthaneventhecoloursofcaterpillars,andthatisthecolourofbirds’eggs,andIwishyouwouldtakethisup。
CHARLESDARWINTOMELCHIORNEUMAYR(ProfessorofPalaeontologyatVienna。),VIENNA。
Down,Beckenham,Kent,March9,1877。
DearSir,Fromhavingbeenobligedtoreadotherbooks,Ifinishedonlyyesterdayyouressayon’DieCongerien,’etc。(’DieCongerienundPaludinenschichtenSlavoneins。’4to,1875。)
IhopethatyouwillallowmetoexpressmygratitudeforthepleasureandinstructionwhichIhavederivedfromreadingit。Itseemstometobeanadmirablework;andisbyfarthebestcasewhichIhaveevermetwith,showingthedirectinfluenceoftheconditionsoflifeontheorganization。
Mr。Hyatt,whohasbeenstudyingtheHilgendorfcase,writestomewithrespecttotheconclusionsatwhichhehasarrived,andthesearenearlythesameasyours。Heinsiststhatcloselysimilarformsmaybederivedfromdistinctlinesofdescent;andthisiswhatIformerlycalledanalogicalvariation。Therecannowbenodoubtthatspeciesmaybecomegreatlymodifiedthroughthedirectactionoftheenvironment。Ihavesomeexcusefornothavingformerlyinsistedmorestronglyonthisheadinmy’OriginofSpecies,’asmostofthebestfactshavebeenobservedsinceitspublication。
Withmyrenewedthanksforyourmostinterestingessay,andwiththehighestrespect,Iremain,dearSir,Yoursveryfaithfully,CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOE。S。MORSE。
Down,April23,1877。
MydearSir,YoumustallowmejusttotellyouhowverymuchIhavebeeninterestedwiththeexcellentAddress("WhatAmericanZoologistshavedoneforEvolution,"anAddresstotheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience,August,1876。Volumexxv。oftheProceedingsoftheAssociation。)
whichyouhavebeensokindastosendme,andwhichIhadmuchwishedtoread。IbelievethatIhadreadall,orverynearlyall,thepapersbyyourcountrymentowhichyourefer,butIhavebeenfairlyastonishedattheirnumberandimportancewhenseeingthemthusputtogether。IquiteagreeaboutthehighvalueofMr。Allen’sworks(Mr。J。A。Allenshowstheexistenceofgeographicalracesofbirdsandmammals。Proc。BostonSoc。
Nat。Hist。volumexv。),asshowinghowmuchchangemaybeexpectedapparentlythroughthedirectactionoftheconditionsoflife。AsforthefossilremainsintheWest,nowordswillexpresshowwonderfultheyare。
ThereisonepointwhichIregretthatyoudidnotmakeclearinyourAddress,namelywhatisthemeaningandimportanceofProfessorsCopeandHyatt’sviewsonaccelerationandretardation。Ihaveendeavoured,andgivenupindespair,theattempttograsptheirmeaning。
PermitmetothankyoucordiallyforthekindfeelingshowntowardsmethroughyourAddress,andIremain,mydearSir,Yoursfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。
[Thenextletterreferstohis’BiographicalSketchofanInfant,’writtenfromnotesmade37yearspreviously,andpublishedin’Mind,’July,1877。
Thearticleattractedagooddealofattention,andwastranslatedatthetimein’Kosmos,’andthe’RevueScientifique,’andhasbeenrecentlypublishedinDr。Krause’s’GesammeltekleinereSchrifteNvonCharlesDarwin,’1887:]
CHARLESDARWINTOG。CROOMROBERTSON。(Theeditorof’Mind。’)
Down,April27,1877。
DearSir,IhopethatyouwillbesogoodastotakethetroubletoreadtheenclosedMS。,andifyouthinkitfitforpublicationinyouradmirablejournalof’Mind,’Ishallbegratified。Ifyoudonotthinkitfit,asisverylikely,willyoupleasetoreturnittome。Ihopethatyouwillreaditinanextracriticalspirit,asIcannotjudgewhetheritisworthpublishingfromhavingbeensomuchinterestedinwatchingthedawnoftheseveralfacultiesinmyowninfant。ImayaddthatIshouldneverhavethoughtofsendingyoutheMS。,hadnotM。Taine’sarticleappearedinyourJournal。(1877,page252。Theoriginalappearedinthe’RevuePhilosophique’1876。)IfmyMS。isprinted,IthinkthatIhadbetterseeaproof。
Iremain,dearSir,Yoursfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。
[Thetwofollowingextractsshowthelivelyinteresthepreservedindiversefieldsofenquiry。ProfessorCohnofBreslauhadmentioned,inaletter,Koch’sresearchesonSplenicFever,myfatherreplied,January3:——
"Iwellremembersayingtomyself,betweentwentyandthirtyyearsago,thatifevertheoriginofanyinfectiousdiseasecouldbeproved,itwouldbethegreatesttriumphtoscience;andnowIrejoicetohaveseenthetriumph。"
InthespringhereceivedacopyofDr。E。vonMojsisovics’’DolomitRiffe,’hislettertotheauthor(June1,1878)isinterestingasbearingontheinfluenceofhisownworkonthemethodsofgeology。
"Ihaveatlastfoundtimetoreadthefirstchapterofyour’DolomitRiffe,’andhavebeenEXCEEDINGLYinterestedbyit。WhatawonderfulchangeinthefutureofGeologicalchronologyyouindicate,byassumingthedescenttheorytobeestablished,andthentakingthegraduatedchangesofthesamegroupoforganismsasthetruestandard!Ineverhopedtolivetoseesuchastepevenproposedbyanyone。"
Anothergeologicalresearchwhichrousedmyfather’sadmirationwasMr。D。
Mackintosh’sworkonerraticblocks。Apartfromitsintrinsicmerittheworkkeenlyexcitedhissympathyfromtheconditionsunderwhichitwasexecuted,Mr。Mackintoshbeingcompelledtogivenearlyhiswholetimetotuition。ThefollowingpassageisfromalettertoMr。MackintoshofOctober9,1879,andreferstohispaperintheJournaloftheGeologicalSociety,1878:——
"IhopethatyouwillallowmetohavethepleasureofthankingyoufortheverygreatpleasurewhichIhavederivedfromjustreadingyourpaperonerraticblocks。Themapiswonderful,andwhatlaboureachofthoselinesshow!Ihavethoughtforsomeyearsthattheagencyoffloatingice,whichnearlyhalfacenturyagowasoverrated,hasoflatebeenunderrated。Youarethesolemanwhohasevernoticedthedistinctionsuggestedbyme(Inhispaperonthe’AncientGlaciersofCarnarvonshire,’Phil。Mag。xxi。
1842。)betweenflatorplanedscoredrocks,andmammillatedscoredrocks。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。RIDLEY。
Down,November28,1878。
DearSir,IjustskimmedthroughDr。Pusey’ssermon,aspublishedinthe"Guardian",butitdid[not]seemtomeworthyofanyattention。AsIhaveneveransweredcriticismsexceptingthosemadebyscientificmen,Iamnotwillingthatthislettershouldbepublished;butIhavenoobjectiontoyoursayingthatyousentmethethreequestions,andthatIansweredthatDr。PuseywasmistakeninimaginingthatIwrotethe’Origin’withanyrelationwhatevertoTheology。Ishouldhavethoughtthatthiswouldhavebeenevidenttoanyonewhohadtakenthetroubletoreadthebook,moreespeciallyasintheopeninglinesoftheintroductionIspecifyhowthesubjectaroseinmymind。Thisanswerdisposesofyourtwootherquestions;butImayaddthatmanyyearsago,whenIwascollectingfactsforthe’Origin,’mybeliefinwhatiscalledapersonalGodwasasfirmasthatofDr。Puseyhimself,andastotheeternityofmatterIhavenevertroubledmyselfaboutsuchinsolublequestions。Dr。Pusey’sattackwillbeaspowerlesstoretardbyadaythebeliefinEvolution,aswerethevirulentattacksmadebydivinesfiftyyearsagoagainstGeology,andthestillolderonesoftheCatholicChurchagainstGalileo,forthepubliciswiseenoughalwaystofollowScientificmenwhentheyagreeonanysubject;
andnowthereisalmostcompleteunanimityamongstBiologistsaboutEvolution,thoughthereisstillconsiderabledifferenceastothemeans,suchashowfarnaturalselectionhasacted,andhowfarexternalconditions,orwhetherthereexistssomemysteriousinnatetendencytoperfectability。Iremain,dearSir,Yoursfaithfully,CH。DARWIN。
[Theologianswerenottheonlyadversariesoffreedominscience。OnSeptember22,1877,Prof。VirchowdeliveredanaddressattheMunichmeetingofGermanNaturalistsandPhysicians,whichhadtheeffectofconnectingSocialismwiththeDescenttheory。Thispointofviewwastakenupbyanti—evolutioniststosuchanextentthat,accordingtoHaeckel,the"KreuzZeitung"threw"alltheblameof"the"treasonableattemptsofthedemocratsHodelandNobiling……directlyonthetheoryofDescent。"Prof。
Haeckelrepliedwithvigourandabilityinhis’FreedominScienceandTeaching’(EnglishTranslation1879),anessaywhichmusthavethesympathyofallloversoffreedom。
Thefollowingpassagefromaletter(December26,1879)toDr。Scherzer,theauthorofthe’Voyageofthe"Novara",’givesahintofmyfather’sviewsonthisonceburningquestion:——
"WhatafoolishideaseemstoprevailinGermanyontheconnectionbetweenSocialismandEvolutionthroughNaturalSelection。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOH。N。MOSELEY。(ProfessorofZoologyatOxford。ThebookalludedtoisProf。Moseley’s’NotesbyaNaturalistonthe"Challenger"。’)
Down,January20,1879。
DearMoseley,Ihavejustreceivedyourbook,andIdeclarethatneverinmylifehaveI
seenadedicationwhichIadmiredsomuch。("ToCharlesDarwin,Esquire,LL。D。,F。R。S。,etc。,fromthestudyofwhose’JournalofResearches’I
mainlyderivedmydesiretotravelroundtheworld;tothedevelopmentofwhosetheoryIowetheprincipalpleasuresandinterestsofmylife,andwhohaspersonallygivenmemuchkindlyencouragementintheprosecutionofmystudies,thisbookis,bypermission,gratefullydedicated。")OfcourseIamnotafairjudge,butIhopethatIspeakdispassionately,thoughyouhavetouchedmeinmyverytenderestpoint,bysayingthatmyoldJournalmainlygaveyouthewishtotravelasaNaturalist。Ishallbegintoreadyourbookthisveryevening,andamsurethatIshallenjoyitmuch。
Yoursverysincerely,CH。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOH。N。MOSELEY。
Down,February4,1879。
DearMoseley,Ihaveatlastreadeverywordofyourbook,andithasexcitedinmegreaterinterestthananyotherscientificbookwhichIhavereadforalongtime。YouwillperhapsbesurprisedhowslowIhavebeen,butmyheadpreventsmereadingexceptatintervals。IfIwereaskedwhichpartshaveinterestedmemost,Ishouldbesomewhatpuzzledtoanswer。IfancythatthegeneralreaderwouldpreferyouraccountofJapan。FormyselfI
hesitatebetweenyourdiscussionsanddescriptionoftheSouthernice,whichseemstomeadmirable,andthelastchapterwhichcontainedmanyfactsandviewsnewtome,thoughIhadreadyourpapersonthestonyHydroidCorals,yetyourresumemademerealisebetterthanIhaddonebefore,whatamostcuriouscaseitis。
Youhavealsocollectedasurprisingnumberofvaluablefactsbearingonthedispersalofplants,farmorethaninanyotherbookknowntome。Infactyourvolumeisamassofinterestingfactsanddiscussions,withhardlyasuperfluousword;andIheartilycongratulateyouonitspublication。
Yourdedicationmakesmeprouderthanever。
Believeme,yourssincerely,CH。DARWIN。
[InNovember,1879,heansweredforMr。Galtonaseriesofquestionsutilisedinhis’InquiriesintoHumanFaculty,’1883。HewrotetoMr。
Galton:——
"IhaveansweredthequestionsaswellasIcould,buttheyaremiserablyanswered,forIhavenevertriedlookingintomyownmind。UnlessothersanswerverymuchbetterthanIcando,youwillgetnogoodfromyourqueries。Doyounotthinkyououghttohavetheageoftheanswerer?I
thinkso,becauseIcancallupfacesofmanyschoolboys,notseenforsixtyyears,withMUCHDISTINCTNESS,butnowadaysImaytalkwithamanforanhour,andseehimseveraltimesconsecutively,and,afteramonth,Iamutterlyunabletorecollectwhatheisatalllike。Thepictureisquitewashedout。Thegreaternumberoftheanswersaregivenintheannexedtable。"]
QUESTIONSONTHEFACULTYOFVISUALISING。
1。ILLUMINATION?Moderate,butmysolitarybreakfastwasearly,andthemorningdark。
2。DEFINITION?Someobjectsquitedefined,asliceofcoldbeef,somegrapesandapear,thestateofmyplatewhenIhadfinished,andafewotherobjects,areasdistinctasifIhadphoto’sbeforeme。
3。COMPLETENESS?Verymoderatelyso。
4。COLOURING?Theobjectsabovenamedperfectlycoloured。
5。EXTENTOFFIELDOFVIEW?Rathersmall。
DIFFERENTKINDSOFIMAGERY。
6。PRINTEDPAGES。Icannotrememberasinglesentence,butIremembertheplaceofthesentenceandthekindoftype。
7。FURNITURE?Ihaveneverattendedtoit。
8。PERSONS?Irememberthefacesofpersonsformerlywell—knownvividly,andcanmakethemdoanythingIlike。
9。SCENERY?Remembrancevividanddistinct,andgivesmepleasure。
10。GEOGRAPHY?No。
11。MILITARYMOVEMENTS?No。
12。MECHANISM?Nevertried。
13。GEOMETRY?IdonotthinkIhaveanypowerofthekind。
14。NUMERALS?WhenIthinkofanynumber,printedfiguresarisebeforemymind。Ican’trememberforanhourfourconsecutivefigures。
15。CARDPLAYING?Havenotplayedformanyyears,butIamsureshouldnotremember。
16。CHESS?Neverplayed。
[In1880hepublishedashortpaperin’Nature’(volumexxi。page207)onthe"FertilityofHybridsfromthecommonandChinesegoose。"HereceivedthehybridsfromtheRev。Dr。Goodacre,andwasgladoftheopportunityoftestingtheaccuracyofthestatementthatthesespeciesarefertileinterse。Thisfact,whichwasgiveninthe’Origin’ontheauthorityofMr。
Eyton,heconsideredthemostremarkableasyetrecordedwithrespecttothefertilityofhybrids。Thefact(asconfirmedbyhimselfandDr。
Goodacre)isofinterestasgivinganotherproofthatsterilityisnocriterionofspecificdifference,sincethetwospeciesofgoosenowshowntobefertileintersearesodistinctthattheyhavebeenplacedbysomeauthoritiesindistinctgeneraorsub—genera。
ThefollowingletterreferstoMr。Huxley’slecture:"TheComingofAgeoftheOriginofSpecies"(Thissame"ComingofAge"wasthesubjectofanaddressfromtheCounciloftheOtagoInstitute。Itisgivenin’Nature,’
February24,1881。),givenattheRoyalInstitution,April9,1880,publishedin’Nature,’andin’ScienceandCulture,’page310:]
CHARLESDARWINTOT。H。HUXLEY。
AbingerHall,Dorking,Sunday,April11,1880。
MydearHuxley,IwishedmuchtoattendyourLecture,butIhavehadabadcough,andwehavecomeheretoseewhetherachangewoulddomegood,asithasdone。
Whatamagnificentsuccessyourlectureseemstohavebeen,asIjudgefromthereportsinthe"Standard"and"DailyNews",andmoreespeciallyfromtheaccountsgivenmebythreeofmychildren。Isupposethatyouhavenotwrittenoutyourlecture,soIfearthereisnochanceofitsbeingprintedinextenso。Youappeartohavepiled,asonsomanyotheroccasions,honourshighandthickonmyoldhead。ButIwellknowhowgreatapartyouhaveplayedinestablishingandspreadingthebeliefinthedescent—
theory,eversincethatgrandreviewinthe"Times"andthebattleroyalatOxforduptothepresentday。
EvermydearHuxley,Yourssincerelyandgratefully,CHARLESDARWIN。
P。S。——Itwasabsurdlystupidinme,butIhadreadtheannouncementofyourLecture,andthoughtthatyoumeantthematurityofthesubject,untilmywifeonedayremarked,"itisalmosttwenty—oneyearssincethe’Origin’
appeared,"andthenforthefirsttimethemeaningofyourwordsflashedonme!
[Intheabove—mentionedlectureMr。Huxleymadeastrongpointoftheaccumulationofpalaeontologicalevidencewhichtheyearsbetween1859and1880havegivenusinfavourofEvolution。Onthissubjectmyfatherwrote(August31,1880):]
MydearProfessorMarsh,IreceivedsometimeagoyourverykindnoteofJuly28th,andyesterdaythemagnificentvolume。(Odontornithes。AMonographontheextinctToothedBirdsofNorthAmerica。1880。ByO。C。Marsh。)Ihavelookedwithrenewedadmirationattheplates,andwillsoonreadthetext。Yourworkontheseoldbirds,andonthemanyfossilanimalsofNorthAmericahasaffordedthebestsupporttothetheoryofEvolution,whichhasappearedwithinthelasttwentyyears。(Mr。Huxleyhaswellpointedout(’ScienceandCulture,’page317)that:"In1875,thediscoveryofthetoothedbirdsofthecretaceousformationinNorthAmerica,byProf。Marsh,completedtheseriesoftransitionalformsbetweenbirdsandreptiles,andremovedMr。
Darwin’spropositionthat,’manyanimalformsoflifehavebeenutterlylost,throughwhichtheearlyprogenitorsofbirdswereformerlyconnectedwiththeearlyprogenitorsoftheothervertebrateclasses,’fromtheregionofhypothesistothatofdemonstrablefact。")Thegeneralappearanceofthecopywhichyouhavesentmeisworthyofitscontents,andIcansaynothingstrongerthanthis。
Withcordialthanks,believeme,Yoursverysincerely,CHARLESDARWIN。