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CHAPTER IV. 



THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 

 JUNE 1 8, 1858, TO NOVEMBER 1 859. 



[The letters given in the present chapter tell their story with 

 sufficient clearness, and need but a few words of explanation. 

 Mr. Wallace's Essay, referred to in the first letter, bore the 

 title, ' On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely 

 from the Original Type,' and was published in the Linnean 

 Society's 'Journal' (1858, vol. iii. p. 53) as part of the joint 

 paper of " Messrs. C. Darwin and A. Wallace," of which the 

 full title was ' On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties ; 

 and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural 

 Means of Selection.' 



My father's contribution of the paper consisted of (1) Ex- 

 tracts from the sketch of 1844; (2) part of a letter addressed 

 to Dr. Asa Gray, dated September 5, 1857, and which is 

 given at p. 120. The paper was "communicated" to the 

 Society by Sir Charles Lyell and Sir Joseph Hooker, in 

 whose prefatory letter, a clear account of the circumstances 

 of the case is given. 



Referring to Mr. Wallace's Essay, they wrote : 

 " So highly did Mr. Darwin appreciate the value of the 

 views therein set forth, that he proposed, in a letter to Sir 

 Charles Lyell, to obtain Mr. Wallace's consent to allow the 

 Essay to be published as soon as possible. Of this step we 

 highly approved, provided Mr. Darwin did not withhold from 

 the public, as he was strongly inclined to do (in favour of 



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