33o 



THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 



[i860. 



here, but I have not been able to lay hands on it since this 

 letter reached me two days ago. When I find it I will let you 

 know what there is in it. 



Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



C. Darwin to T. H. Huxley. 



Down, August 8 [i860]. 



My dear Huxley Your note contained magnificent 

 news, and thank you heartily for sending it me. Von 

 Baer weighs down with a vengeance all the virulence of [the 

 * Edinburgh' reviewer] and weak arguments of Agassiz. If 

 you write to Von Baer, for heaven's sake tell him that we 

 should think one nod of approbation on our side, of the 

 greatest value ; and if he does write anything, beg him to 

 send us a copy, for I would try and get it translated and 

 published in the Atheuseum and in ' Silliman ' to touch up 



Agassiz Have you seen Agassiz's weak metaphysical 



and theological attack on the ' Origin ' in the last ' Silliman ' ?* 

 I would send it you, but apprehend it would be less trouble 

 for you to look at it in London than return it to me. R. 

 Wagner has sent me a German pamphlet, f giving an abstract 

 of Agassiz's ' Essay on Classification,' " mit Riicksicht auf 

 Darwins Ansichten," &c. &c. He won't go very " dangerous 

 lengths," but thinks the truth lies half-way between Agassiz 

 and the ' Origin.' As he goes thus far he will, nolens 



* The ' American Journal of 

 Science and Arts' (commonly called 

 i Silliman's Journal'), July i860. 

 Printed from advanced sheets of 

 vol. iii. of ' Contributions to the 

 Nat. Hist, of the U. S.' My father's 

 copy has a pencilled " Truly ' : 

 opposite the following passage : 

 " Unless Darwin and his followers 

 succeed in showing that the struggle 



for life tends to something beyond 

 favouring the existence of certain 

 individuals over that of other indi- 

 viduals, they will soon find that 

 they are following a shadow." 



f ' Louis Agassiz's Prinzipien der 

 Classification, &c, mit Riicksicht 

 auf Darwins Ansichten. Separat- 

 Abdruck aus den Gottingischen 

 gelehrten Anzeigen,' 1860. 



