ch. xiv.] 18C1 1871. 269 



ciate your work. No doubt the public or a part may be in- 

 duced to think that, as he gives to us a larger space than to 

 Lamarck, he must think that there is something in our 

 views. When reading the brain chapter, it struck me forci- 

 bly that if he had said openly that he believed in change 

 of species, and as a consequence that man was derived from 

 some Quadrumanous animal, it would have been very proper 

 to have discussed by compilation the differences in the most 

 important organ, viz. the brain. As it is, the chapter seems 

 to me to come in rather by the head and shoulders. I do 

 not think (but then I am as prejudiced as Falconer and 

 Huxley, or more so) that it is too severe ; it struck me as 

 given with judicial force. It might perhaps be said with 

 truth that he had no business to judge on a subject on 

 which he knows nothing ; but compilers must do this to a 

 certain extent. (You know I value and rank high compilers, 

 being one myself !) 



The Lyells are coming here on Sunday evening to stay 

 till Wednesday. I dread it, but I must say how much dis- 

 appointed I am that he has not spoken out on species, still 

 less on man. And the best of the joke is that he thinks he 

 has acted with the courage of a martyr of old. I hope I 

 may have taken an exaggerated view of his timidity, and 

 shall particularly be glad of your opinion on this head. 

 When I got his book I turned over the pages, and saw he 

 had discussed the subject of species, and said that I thought 

 he would do more to convert the public than all of us, and 

 now (which makes the case worse for me) I must, in com 

 mon honesty, retract. I wish to Heaven he had said not a 

 word on the subject. 



C. D. to C. Lyell Down, March 6 [1863]. 



... I have been of course deeply interested by your 

 book.* I have hardly any remarks worth sending, but will 

 scribble a little on what most interested me. But I will 

 first get out what I hate saying, viz. that I have been greatly 

 disappointed that you have not given judgment and 

 spoken fairly out what you think about the derivation of 

 species. I should have been contented if you had boldly 

 said that species have not been separately created, and had 

 thrown as much doubt as you like on how far variation and 



* The Antiquity of Man. 



