74 THE COMING [CH. 



see in the sequel. In 1844, Darwin wrote to Leonard 

 Horner how ' forcibly impressed I am with the 

 infinite superiority of the Lyellian School of Geology 

 over the continental/ he even says, ' I always feel as 

 if my books came half out of LyelTs brain ' ; adding 

 'I have always thought that the great merit of the 

 Principles was that it altered the whole tone of one's 

 mind, and therefore that, when seeing a thing never 

 seen by Lyell one yet saw it partially through his 

 eyes 66 / About the same time Darwin wrote, 'I am 

 much pleased to hear of the call for a new edition of 

 the Principles : what glorious good that work has 

 done 67 ! ' And in the Origin of Species he gives his 

 deliberate verdict on the book, referring to it as 

 'Lyell's grand work on the Principles of Geology, 

 which the future historian will recognise as having 

 produced a revolution in Natural Science 68 / 



Darwin seemed always afraid, such was his 

 sensitive and generous nature, that he did not 

 sufficiently acknowledge his indebtedness to Lyell. 

 He wrote to his friend in 1845 : 



4 1 have long wished not so much for your sake as for my own 

 feelings of honesty, to acknowledge more plainly than by mere 

 reference, how much I geologically owe you. Those authors, 

 however, who like you educate people's minds as well as teach 

 them special facts, can never, I should think, have full justice 

 done them except by posterity, for the mind thus insensibly 

 improved can hardly perceive its own upward ascent.' 



