JET. 51.] TO CHARLES DARWIN. 485 



to get plenty of Mitchella repens, which my pupils do 

 not bring me in as they ought. I want to see if long- 

 styled stigma and short differ, and also the pollen of 

 the two, as they do in Houstonia, of which I hope I 

 sent you Rothrock's l observations. At least I will 

 send when he has completed them. 



Precocious fertilization in the bud was much noticed 

 here very long ago by Torrey, in Viola, Specularia, 

 etc., etc., also in Impatiens, about which see my 

 " Genera Illustrata," volume ii.- I once mentioned it 

 to you as good evidence of close fertilization. As to 

 pollen-tubes of such, I have no observations of my 

 own, but a memory or fancy that they were shown to 

 me by Torrey. I will ask him, and have him look at 

 Specularia. 



As to the French lady's translation and commen- 

 tary on the " Origin," I am not so much surprised. 

 As I view it, there are only two sides to the main 

 question. Very likely she takes one side in a 

 thorough-going and consistent manner ; and either 

 she is right, or I am right, i. e., there is design in na- 

 ture, or there is not. The no-design view, if one can 

 bring himself to entertain it, may well enough lead to 

 all she says, and we may very much admire how collision 

 and destruction of least-favored brings about appar- 

 ently orderly residts, apparent contrivances or ad- 

 aptation of means to ends. On the other hand, the 

 implication of a designing mind must bring with it a 

 strong implication of design in matters where we 

 could not directly prove it. 



If you grant an intelligent designer anywhere in 



1 J. Trimble Rothrock, of McVeytown, Pennsylvania, b. 1839 ; bot- 

 anist of Wheeler's Survey of the United States Expedition to Alaska ; 

 late professor in the University of Pennsylvania. 



