Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2Darwin, Charles
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Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2
Darwin, Charles
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
He says he is going to review me in [his] yearly Report. My
good and kind agent for the propagation of the Gospel--i.e. the devil's
gospel.
Ever yours, C. DARWIN.
CHARLES DARWIN TO C. LYELL. Down, August 11th [1860].
... I have laughed at Woodward thinking that you were a man who could be
influenced in your judgment by the voice of the public; and yet after
mortally sneering at him, I was obliged to confess to myself, that I had
had fears, what the effect might be of so many heavy guns fired by great
men. As I have (sent by Murray) a spare 'Quarterly Review,' I send it by
this post, as it may amuse you. The Anti-Jacobin part amused me. It is
full of errors, and Hooker is thinking of answering it. There has been
a cancelled page; I should like to know what gigantic blunder it
contained. Hooker says that -- has played on the Bishop, and made him
strike whatever note he liked; he has wished to make the article as
disagreeable to you as possible. I will send the "Athenaeum" in a day or
two.
As you wish to hear what reviews have appeared, I may mention that
Agassiz has fired off a shot in the last 'Silliman,' not good at all,
denies variations and rests on the perfection of Geological evidence.
Asa Gray tells me that a very clever friend has been almost converted
to our side by this review of Agassiz's... Professor Parsons (Theophilus
Parsons, Professor of Law in Harvard University.) has published in
the same 'Silliman' a speculative paper correcting my notions, worth
nothing. In the 'Highland Agricultural Journal' there is a review by
some Entomologist, not worth much. This is all that I can remember... As
Huxley says, the platoon firing must soon cease. Hooker and Huxley, and
Asa Gray, I see, are determined to stick to the battle and not give in;
I am fully convinced that whenever you publish, it will produce a great
effect on all TRIMMERS, and on many others. By the way I forgot
to mention Daubeny's pamphlet ('Remarks on the final causes of the
sexuality of plants with particular reference to Mr. Darwin's work on
the "Origin of Species."'--British Association Report, 1860.), very
liberal and candid, but scientifically weak. I believe Hooker is going
nowhere this summer; he is excessively busy... He has written me many,
most nice letters. I shall be very curious to hear on your return some
account of your Geological doings. Talking of Geology, you used to
be interested about the "pipes" in the chalk. About three years ago
a perfectly circular hole suddenly appeared in a flat grass field to
everyone's astonishment, and was filled up with many waggon loads of
earth; and now two or three days ago, again it has circularly subsided
about two feet more. How clearly this shows what is still slowly going
on. This morning I recommenced work, and am at dogs; when I have written
my short discussion on them, I will have it copied, and if you like, you
can then see how the argument stands, about their multiple origin. As
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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