18431882] ASA GRAY 455 



how intensely interesting), and he told me that you were very Letter 346 

 antagonistic to my views on species. I well knew this would 

 be the case. I must freely confess, the difficulties and objec- 

 tions are terrific ; but I cannot believe that a false theory 

 would explain, as it seems to me it does explain, so many 

 classes of facts. Do you ever see Wollaston ? He and you 

 would agree nicely about my book 1 ill luck to both of 

 you. If you have anything at all pleasant for me to hear, do 

 write ; and if all that you can say is very unpleasant, it will 

 do you good to expectorate. And it is well known that you 

 are very fond of writing letters. Farewell, my good old 

 friend and enemy. 



Do make a note about the hippopotamus. If you are 

 such a gentleman as to write, pray tell me how Torquay 

 agrees with your health. 



To Asa Gray. 2 Letter 347 



Down, Dec. 24th [1859]. 



I have been for ten weeks at Water-cure, and on my 

 return a fortnight ago through London 1 found a copy of 



1 Origin of Species, 1859. 



- Asa Gray (1810-88) was born in the township of Paris, Oneida Co., 

 New York. He became interested in science when a student at the Fair- 

 field Academy ; he took his doctor's degree in 1831, but instead of pursuing 

 medical work he accepted the post of Instructor in Chemistry, Mineralogy, 

 and Botany in the High School of Utica. Gray afterwards became 

 assistant to Professor Torrey in the New York Medical School, and in 

 1835 he was appointed Curator and Librarian of the New York Lyceum 

 of Natural History. From 1842 to 1872 he occupied the Chair of Natural 

 History in Harvard College, and the post of Director of the Cambridge 

 Botanical Gardens ; from 1872 till the time of his death he was relieved 

 of the duties of teaching and of the active direction of the Gardens, but 

 retained the Herbarium. Professor Gray was a Foreign Member of the 

 Linnean and of the Royal Societies. The Flora of North America (of 

 which the first parts appeared in 1838), Manual of the Botany of the 

 Northern United States, the Botany of Commodore Wilkes> South 

 Pacific Exploring Expedition are among the most important of Gray's 

 systematic memoirs ; in addition to these he wrote several botanical 

 text-books and a great number of papers of first-class importance. In 

 an obituary notice written by Sir Joseph Hooker, Asa Gray is described 

 as " one of the first to accept and defend the doctrine of Natural Selec- 

 tion . . ., so that Darwin, whilst fully recognising the different standpoints 

 from which he and Gray took their departures, and their divergence of 



