ch. xi.] 18581859. 215 



much longer periods produce species, and in a still longer 

 series of ages give rise to differences of generic rank. He 

 appears to me to have succeeded by his investigations and 

 reasonings in throwing a flood of light on many classes of 

 phenomena connected with the affinities, geographical dis- 

 tribution, and geological succession of organic beings, for 

 which no other hypothesis has been able, or has even at- 

 tempted to account." 



My father wrote : 



" You once gave me intense pleasure, or rather delight, 

 by the way you were interested, in a manner I never ex- 

 pected, in my Coral Reef notions, and now you have again 

 given me similar pleasure by the manner you have noticed 

 my species work. Nothing could be more satisfactory to 

 me, and I thank you for myself, and even more for the sub- 

 ject's sake, as I know well that the sentence will make many 

 fairly consider the subject, instead of ridiculing it." 



And again, a few days later : 



" I do thank you for your eulogy at Aberdeen. I have 

 been so wearied and exhausted of late that I have for months 

 doubted whether I have not been throwing away time and 

 labour for nothing. But now I care not what the universal 

 world says ; I have always found you right, and certainly on 

 this occasion I am not going to doubt for the first time. 

 Whether you go far, or but a very short way with me aud 

 others who believe as I do, I am contented, for my work 

 cannot be in vain. You would laugh if you knew how 

 often I have read your paragraph, and it has acted like a 

 little dram." 



C. D. to C. Lyell Down, Sept. 30th [1859]. 



My deae Lyell, I sent off this morning the last 

 sheets, but without index, which is not in type. I look at 

 you as my Lord High Chancellor in Natural Science, and 

 therefore I request you, after you have finished, just to re- 

 run over the heads in the recapitulation-part of the last 

 chapter. I shall be deeply anxious to hear what you decide 

 (if you are able to decide) on the balance of the pros and 

 contras given in my volume, and of such other pros and con- 

 tras as may occur to you. I hope that you w T ill think that I 

 have given the difficulties fairly. I feel an entire conviction 

 that if you are now staggered to any moderate extent, you 

 will come more and more round, the longer you keep the 

 15 



