1 882.] DR. VAN DYCK'S PAPER. 253 



C. Darwin to W. Van Dyck. 



Down, April 3, 1882. 



DEAR Sir, — After much deliberation, I have thought it 

 best to send your very interesting paper to the Zoological 

 Society, in hopes that it will be published in their Journal. 

 This journal goes to every scientific institution in the world, 

 and the contents are abstracted in all year-books on Zoology. 

 Therefore I have preferred it to 'Nature,' though the latter has 

 a wider circulation, but is ephemeral. 



I have prefaced your essay by a few general remarks, to 

 which I hope that you will not object. 



Of course I do not know that the Zoological Society, which 

 is much addicted to mere systematic work, will publish your 

 essay. If it does, I will send you copies of your essay, but 

 these will not be ready for some months. If not published 

 by the Zoological Society, I will endeavour to get ' Nature' to 

 publish it. I am very anxious that it should be published 

 and preserved. Dear Sir, 



Yours faithfully, 



Ch. Darwin. 



[The paper was read at a meeting of the Zoological Society 

 on April 18th — the day before my father's death. 



The preliminary remarks with which Dr. Van Dyck's paper 

 is prefaced are thus the latest of my father's writings. ] 



We must now return to an early period of his life, and give 

 a connected account of his botanical work, which has hitherto 

 been omitted. 



