242 PUBLICATION OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1859. 



with me on the general issue, or against me. If you are 

 against me, I know well how honourable, fair, and candid an 

 opponent I shall have, and which is a good deal more than 

 I can say of all my opponents, . . . 



Pray tell me what you have been doing. Have you had 

 time for any Natural History ? . . . 



P.S. I have got I wish and hope I might say that we 

 have got a fair number of excellent men on our side of the 

 question on the mutability of species. 



J. D. Hooker to C. Darwin. 



Kew [1859]. 



DEAR DARWIN, You have, I know, been drenched with 

 letters since the publication of your book, and I have hence 

 forborne to add my mite.* I hope now that you are well 

 through Edition II., and I have heard that you were 

 flourishing in London. I have not yet got half-through the 

 book, not from want of will, but of time for it is the very 

 hardest book to read, to full profits, that I ever tried it is so 

 cram-full of matter and reasoning. I am all the more glad 

 that you have published in this form, for the three volumes, 

 unprefaced by this, would have choked any Naturalist of the 

 nineteenth century, and certainly have softened my brain in 

 the operation of assimilating their contents. I am perfectly 

 tired of marvelling at the wonderful amount of facts you have 

 brought to bear, and your skill in marshalling them and 

 throwing them on the enemy ; it is also extremely clear as 

 far as I have gone, but very hard to fully appreciate. Some- 

 how it reads very different from the MS., and I often fancy that 

 I must have been very stupid not to have more fully followed 

 it in MS. Lyell told me of his criticisms. I did not appre- 

 ciate them all, and there are many little matters I hope one 

 day to talk over with you. I saw a highly flattering notice 



* See, however, Vol. II. p. 22S. 



