i36l] dr. gray's pamphlet descent theory. 371 



high opinion of it is shown not only in his letters, but by the 

 fact that he inserted a special notice of it in a most prominent 

 place in the third edition of the ' Origin.' Lyell, among 

 others, recognised its value as an antidote to the kind of 

 criticism from which the cause of Evolution suffered. Thus 

 my father wrote to Dr. Gray : " Just to exemplify the use 

 of your pamphlet, the Bishop of London was asking Lyell 

 what he thought of the review in the ' Quarterly,' and Lyell 

 answered, ' Read Asa Gray in the ' Atlantic' " It comes out 

 very clearly that in the case of such publications as Dr. Gray's, 

 my father did not rejoice over the success of his special view 

 of Evolution, viz. that modification is mainly due to Natural 

 Selection ; on the contrary, he felt strongly that the really 

 important point was that the doctrine of Descent should be 

 accepted. Thus he wrote to Professor Gray (May 1 1, 1863), 

 with reference to Lyell's 'Antiquity of Man ' : 



" You speak of Lyell as a judge ; now what I complain of 

 is that he declines to be a judge .... I have sometimes 

 almost wished that Lyell had pronounced against me. When 

 I say ' me,' I only mean change of species by descent. That 

 seems to me the turning-point. Personally, of course, I care 

 much about Natural Selection ; but that seems to me utterly 

 unimportant, compared to the question of Creation or Modifi- 

 cation."] 



C. Darwin to Asa Gray. 



Down, April 11 [1861]. 



My DEAR Gray, I was very glad to get your photograph : 

 I am expecting mine, which I will send off as soon as it 

 comes. It is an ugly affair, and I fear the fault does not lie 



with the photographer Since writing last, I have had 



several letters full of the highest commendation of your Essay; 

 all agree that it is by far the best thing written, and I do not 

 doubt it has done the ' Origin ' much good. I have not yet 

 heard how it has sold. You will have seen a review in the 



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