1 874-] 



DR. GRAY. 



189 



myself, I have always felt some doubt on this head. I trust 

 that you may soon bring many of your countrymen to believe 

 in Evolution, and my name will then perhaps cease to be 

 scorned. With the most sincere respect, I remain, dear Sir, 



Yours faithfully, 



Ch. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to Asa Gray. 



Down, June 5 [1874]. 



My dear Gray, — I have now read your article * in 

 1 Nature,' and the last two paragraphs were not included in 

 the slip sent before. I wrote yesterday and cannot remember 

 exactly what I said, and now cannot be easy without again 

 telling you how profoundly I have been gratified. Every one, 

 I suppose, occasionally thinks that he has worked in vain, and 

 when one of these fits overtakes me, I will think of your 

 article, and if that does not dispel the evil spirit, I shall know 

 that I am at the time a little bit insane, as we all are 

 occasionally. 



What you say about Teleologyf pleases me especially, and I 

 do not think any one else J has ever noticed the point. I have 

 always said you were the man to hit the nail on the head. 



Yours gratefully and affectionately, 



Ch. Darwin. 



[As a contribution to the history of the reception of the 

 1 Origin of Species,' the meeting of the British Association in 

 1874, at Belfast, should be mentioned. It is memorable for 



* The article, " Charles Darwin," 

 in the series of Scientific Worthies 

 (' Nature,' June 4, 1874). This ad- 

 mirable estimate of my father's work 

 in science is given in the form of a 

 comparison and contrast between 

 Robert Brown and Charles Darwin. 



t "Let us recognise Darwin's 



great service to Natural Science in 

 bringing back to it Teleology : so 

 that instead of Morphology versus 

 Teleology, we shall have Morpho- 

 logy wedded to Teleology." 



X Similar remarks had been pre- 

 viously made by Mr. Huxley. See 

 Vol. II. p. 201. 



