220 PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, [ch. xii. 



The first page of this most important summary gives the 

 adversary an advantage, by putting forth so abruptly and 

 crudely such a startling objection as the formation of " the 

 eye," * not by means analogous to man's reason, or rather 

 by some power immeasurably superior to human reason, but 

 by superinduced variation like those of which a cattle- 

 breeder avails himself. Pages would be required thus to 

 state an objection and remove it. It would be better, as 

 you wish to persuade, to say nothing. Leave out several 

 sentences, and in a future edition bring it out more fully. 



. . . But these are small matters, mere spots on the sun. 

 Your comparison of the letters retained in words, when no 

 longer wanted for the sound, to rudimentary organs is ex- 

 cellent, as both are truly genealogical. . . . 



You enclose your sheets in old MS., so the Post Office 

 very properly charge them, as letters, 2d. extra. I wish all 

 their fines on MS. were worth as much. I paid 4s. 6d. for 

 such wash the other day from Paris, from a man who can 

 prove 300 deluges in the valley of Seine. 



With my hearty congratulations to you on your grand 

 work, believe me, 



Ever very affectionately yours. 



C. D. to L. Agassiz.\ Down, November 11th [1859]. 



My dear Sir, I have ventured to send you a copy of 

 my book (as yet only an abstract) on the Origin of Sjjecies. 

 As the conclusions at which I have arrived on several points 

 differ so widely from yours, I have thought (should you at 



before ' eminent' naturalists was a dreadful blunder." In the first edition, as 

 published, the blunder is corrected by the addition of the word " living." 



* Darwin wrote to Asa Gray in 1860 : " The eye to this day gives me a 

 cold shudder, but when I think of the fine known gradations, my reason tells 

 me I ought to conquer the cold shudder." 



t Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, born at Mortier, on the lake of Morat in 

 Switzerland, on May 28th, 1807. He emigrated to America in 1846, where he 

 spent the rest of his life, and died Dec. 14th, 1873. His Life, written by his 

 widow, was published in 1885. The following extract from a letter to Agas- 

 siz (1850) is worth giving, as showing how my father regarded him, and it 

 may be added that his cordial feeling towards the great American naturalist 

 remained strong to the end of his life : 



"I have seldom been more deeply gratified than by receiving your most 

 kind present of Lake Superior. I had heard of it, and had much wished to 

 read it, but I confess that it was the very great honour of having in my pos- 

 session a work with your autograph as a presentation copy, that has given 

 me such lively and sincere pleasure. I cordially thank you for it. I 

 have begun to read it with uncommon interest, which I see will increase as I 

 go on." 



