120 . WORK ON 'MAN.' [1870. 



1870. 



[My father wrote in his Diary : — " The whole of this year 

 [1870] at work on the 'Descent of Man.' . . . Went to Press 

 August 30, 1870." 



The letters are again of miscellaneous interest, dealing, not 

 only with his work, but also serving to indicate the course of 

 his reading.] 



C. Darwin to E. Ray Lankester. 



Down, March 15 [1870]. 



My DEAR Sir, — I do not know whether you will consider 

 me a very troublesome man, but I have just finished your 

 book,* and cannot resist telling you how the whole has much 

 interested me. No doubt, as you say, there must be much 

 speculation on such a subject, and certain results cannot be 

 reached ; but all your views are highly suggestive, and to my 

 mind that is high praise. I have been all the more interested, 

 as I am now writing on closely allied though not quite identi- 

 cal points. I was pleased to see you refer to my much 

 despised child, ' Pangenesis,' who I think will some day, under 

 some better nurse, turn out a fine stripling. It has also 

 pleased me to see how thoroughly you appreciate (and I do 

 not think that this is general with the men of science) 

 H. Spencer ; I suspect that hereafter he will be looked at as 

 by far the greatest living philosopher in England ; perhaps 

 equal to any that have lived. But I have no business to 

 trouble you with my notions. With sincere thanks for the 

 interest which your work has given me, 



I remain, yours very faithfully, 



Ch. Darwin. 



[The next letter refers to Mr. Wallace's 'Natural Selec- 



* ' Comparative Longevity.' 



