1 68 THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1859, 



fifty and sixty years of age, his chance of long life was poor, and 

 that on the contrary it was a very good sign if he grew fatter ; 

 so that your stoutness, I look at as a very good omen. My 

 health has been as bad as it well could be all this summer ; and 

 I have kept on my legs, only by going at short intervals to 

 Moor Park ; but I have been better lately, and, thank Heaven, 

 I have at last as good as done my book, having only the 

 index and two or three revises to do. It will be published 

 in the first week in November, and a copy shall be sent you. 

 Remember it is only an Abstract (but has cost me above 

 thirteen months to write ! !), and facts and authorities are far 

 from given in full. I shall be curious to hear what you think 

 of it, but I am not so silly as to expect to convert you. 

 Lyell has read about half of the volume in clean sheets, and 

 gives me very great kudos. He is wavering so much about 

 the immutability of species, that I expect he will come round. 

 Hooker has come round, and will publish his belief soon. So 

 much for my abominable volume, which has cost me so much, 

 labour that I almost hate it. On October 3rd I start for 

 Ilkley, but shall take three days for the journey ! It is so 

 late that we shall not take a house ; but I go there alone for 

 three or four weeks ; then return home for a week and go to 

 Moor Park for three or four weeks, and then I shall get a 

 moderate spell of hydropathy ; and I intend, if I can keep to 

 my resolution, of being idle this winter. But I fear ennui 

 will be as bad as a bad stomach. . . . 



C. Darwin to C. Lyell. 



Down, Sept. 25th [1859]. 



My DEAR LYELL, I send by this post four corrected sheets. 

 I have altered the sentence about the Eocene fauna being beaten 

 by recent, thanks to your remark. But I imagined that it 

 would have been clear that I supposed the climate to be 

 nearly similar ; you do not doubt, I imagine, that the climate 



