I859-] 



THE ' TIMES ' REVIEW. 



2 :^ 



C. Darwin to T. H. Huxley. 



Down, Dec. 28th [1S59]. 



My DEAR HUXLEY, Yesterday evening-, when I read the 

 Times of a previous day, I was amazed to find a splendid 

 essay and review of me. Who can the author be ? I am 

 intensely curious. It included an eulogium of me which quite 

 touched me, though I am not vain enough to think it all 

 deserved. The author is a literary man, and German scholar. 

 He has read my book very attentively ; but, what is very 

 remarkable, it seems that he is a profound naturalist. He 

 knows my Barnacle-book, and appreciates it too highly. 

 Lastly, he writes and thinks with quite uncommon force and 

 clearness ; and what is even still rarer, his writing is seasoned 

 with most pleasant wit. We all laughed heartily over some 

 of the sentences. I was charmed with those unreasonable 

 mortals, who know anything, all thinking fit to range them- 

 selves on one side.* Who can it be ? Certainly I should 

 have said that there was only one man in England who could 

 have written this essay, and that you were the man. But I 

 suppose I am wrong, and that there is some hidden genius of 

 great calibre. For how could you influence Jupiter Olympius 

 and make him give three and a half columns to pure science ? 

 The old fogies will think the world will come to an end. 

 Well, whoever the man is, he has done great service to the 

 cause, far more than by a dozen reviews in common peri- 

 odicals. The grand way he soars above common religious 



* The reviewer proposes to pass 

 by the orthodox view, according to 

 which the phenomena of the organic 

 world are " the immediate product 

 of a creative fiat, and consequently 

 are out of the domain of science 

 altogether." And he does so " with 

 less hesitation, as it so happens 

 that those persons who are prac- 



tically conversant with the facts of 

 the case (plainly a considerable 

 advantage) have always thought 

 fit to range themselves " in the 

 category of those holding " views 

 which profess to rest on a scientific 

 basis only, and therefore admit 

 of being argued to their conse- 

 quences." 



