160 EVOLUTION [CHAP. Ill 



Letter 109 in the Origin. No one person understands my views and 

 has defended them so well as A. Gray, though he does not 

 by any means go all the way with me. There was much 

 discussion on the subject at the British Association at 

 Oxford, and I had many defenders, and my side seems (for 

 I was not there) almost to have got the best of the battle. 

 Your correspondent and my neighbour, J. Lubbock, goes on 

 working at such spare time as he has. This is an egotistical 

 note, but I have not seen a naturalist for months. Most 

 sincerely and deeply do I hope that this note may find you 

 almost recovered. 



Letter no To W. H. Harvey. 1 



[August, 1860] 



I have read your long letter with much interest, and I 

 thank you sincerely for your great liberality in sending it me. 

 But, on reflection, I do not wish to attempt answering any 

 part, except to you privately. Anything said by myself in 

 defence would have no weight ; it is best to be defended by 

 others, or not at all. Parts of your letter seem to me, if I 

 may be permitted to say so, very acute and original, and 

 I feel it a great compliment your giving up so much time to 

 my book. But, on the whole, I am disappointed ; not from 

 your not concurring with me, for I never expected that, and, 

 indeed, in your remarks on Chs. XII. and XIII., you go much 

 further with me (though a little way) than I ever anticipated, 

 and am much pleased at the result. But on the whole I am 

 disappointed, because it seems to me that you do not under- 

 stand what I mean by Natural Selection, as shown at p. 1 1 2 

 of your letter and by several of your remarks. As my book 

 has failed to explain my meaning, it would be hopeless to 

 attempt it in a letter. You speak in the early part of your 

 letter, and at p. 9, as if I had said that Natural Selection was 



1 See Letter 95, note 3, p. 141 . This letter was written in reply to a long 

 one from W. H. Harvey, dated Aug. 24th, 1860. Harvey had already pub- 

 lished a serio-comic squib and a review, to which references are given in 

 the Life and Letters, II., pp. 314 and 375 ; but apparently he had not 

 before this time completed the reading of the Origin. 



2 Harvey speaks of the perpetuation or selection of the useful, pre- 

 supposing " a vigilant and intelligent agent," which is very much like 

 saying that an intelligent agent is needed to see that the small stones 

 pass through the meshes of a sieve and the big ones remain behind. 



