1 868.] 



REVIEWS. 



77 



he is lavish in acknowledging the smallest debts he may owe ; 

 and his book will make many men happy." 



I am indebted to Messrs. Smith & Elder for the informa- 

 tion that these articles were written by Mr. G. H. Lewes.] 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, February 23 [1868]. 



My DEAR HOOKER, — I have had almost as many letters 

 to write of late as you can have, viz. from 8 to 10 per diem, 

 chiefly getting up facts on sexual selection, therefore I have 

 felt no inclination to write to you, and now I mean to write 

 solely about my book for my own satisfaction, and not at all for 

 yours. The first edition was 1500 copies, and now the second 

 is printed off ; sharp work. Did you look at the review in the 

 A thenczum* showing profound contempt of me ? ... It is a 

 shame that he should have said that I have taken much from 

 Pouchet, without acknowledgment ; for I took literally nothing, 

 there being nothing to take. There is a capital review in the 

 Gardeners" Chronicle, which will sell the book if anything will. 



* Athenxum, February 15, 1868. 

 My father quoted Pouchet's asser- 

 tion that "variation under domes- 

 tication throws no light on the 

 natural modification of species." 

 The reviewer quotes the end of 

 a passage in which my father de- 

 clares that he can see no force 

 in Pouchet's arguments, or rather 

 assertions, and then goes on : "We 

 are sadly mistaken if there are not 

 clear proofs in the pages of the 

 book before us that, on the contrary, 

 Mr. Darwin has perceived, felt, and 

 yielded to the force of the argu- 

 ments or assertions of his French 

 antagonist." The following may 

 serve as samples of the rest of the 

 review : — 



" Henceforth the rhetoricians will 

 have a better illustration of anti- 

 climax than the mountain which 

 brought forth a mouse, ... in the 

 discoverer of the origin of species, 

 who tried to explain the variation 

 of pigeons ! 



" A few summary words. On 

 the ' Origin of Species ' Mr. Dar- 

 win has nothing, and is never likely 

 to have anything, to say ; but on the 

 vastly important subject of inheri- 

 tance, the transmission of pecu- 

 liarities once acquired through 

 successive generations, this work 

 is a valuable store-house of facts 

 for curious students and practical 

 breeders." 



