liv PROOFS, ILLUSTRATIONS, AUTHORITIES, ETC. 



It is, the author believes, a fact, that many men of science have, 

 like Professor Sedgwick, received this work unfavourably, or at least 

 expressed unfavourable opinions regarding it, and spoken disparag- 

 ingly of its author. On the other hand, there are some who have 

 allowed the author to understand that they take a different view of 

 himself and his work. Let us assume, however, that many men of 

 science have professed to accord with Professor Sedgwick on this 

 subject it may still be fair to ask if the decree passed by them is 

 altogether irreversible. 



It is, we suppose, scarcely allowable that we should point to the 

 obvious temptation there is, in the state of public opinion, for men 

 of science to profess the views which many of them have professed 

 on this subject; for it is of course possible that they ma} 7 , to a 

 man, be possessed of that magnanimity, and that love of truth for 

 its own sake, which would place them above all flattery of, and suit- 

 mission to, vulgar prejudice. Let us therefore assume that they are 

 all scrupulous to judge of this subject on what they believe to be 

 perfectly pure grounds. It nevertheless strikes us as very remark- 

 able, that a book held by them as so worthless should have provoked 

 from them so many pamphlets, books, papers, prefaces, and appen- 

 dices in opposition nearly four hundred pages from Mr. Sedgwick 

 alone should have also been deemed by several of them worthy of 

 having books written in imitation of everything in it but its faithful 

 logic. For these reasons, we humbly think there may be an uncon- 

 scious insincerity in their professed opinions. 



What is, however, still more remarkable, scarcely one of these 

 gentlemen, in any public demonstration that has come from him on 

 the subject, has shown himself to have a right conception of the 

 fundamental proposition of the work. To be a superficial book, it 

 has been remarkably hard to understand. It has also appeared that 

 they were only able to make up a show of objection to the scientific 

 data on which the work is founded, by misrepresenting these data, 

 by ignoring all the highest authorities, and by clutching at imma- 

 ture announcements which turned out to be fictions. It has been 

 shown that the propositions of the work, which they misunderstood 

 or misrepresented, are in reality admitted or maintained by them- 

 selves. From their own writings it has been possible to collect those 

 proofs of progressive organization, the existence of which they denied. 

 It has been shown that the}' do not know the tendency of the facts 

 of their own sciences, and blunder whenever they attempt to reason 

 upon them : Professor Sedgwick, for example, corroborating at one 

 place all the great truths which he has contradicted at another, and 

 only truly contradicting and condemning himself. Now we respect 

 and are grateful to these men for the industry and ingenuity they 

 have exercised in furnishing us with isolated scientific facts; but 

 when we consider what has been stated above, we cannot admit that 

 any general opinion of theirs regarding this work is entitled to be 

 considered as decisive. The weight of that opinion it will be full 

 time to consider, when any one of them 'shall have taken up the 



