342 LIFE AT DOWN. ^TAT. 33-45. [1849. 



of a child, three or four years old (whose parents and self I 

 well knew) mesmerised by his father, which is the first fact 

 which has staggered me. I shall not believe fully till I see 

 or hear from good evidence of animals (as has been stated is 

 possible) not drugged, being put to stupor; of course the im- 

 possibility would not prove mesmerism false ; but it is the 

 only clear experi7?ientu7n cruciSy and I am astonished it has 

 I not been systematically tried. If mesmerism was investi- 

 gated, like a science, this could not have been left till the 

 present day to be do7ie satisfactorily^ as it has been I believe 

 i left. Keep some cats yourself, and do get some mesmeriser 

 ■ to attempt it. One man told me he had succeeded, but his 

 \ experiments were most vague, as was likely from a man who 

 I said cats were more easily done than other animals, because 

 ^ they were so electrical ! "] 



C. Darwiji to C. Lyell. 



Down, December 4th [1849]. 



1 My dear Lyell, — This letter requires no answer, and I 

 write from exuberance of vanity. Dana has sent me the 

 Geology of the United States Expedition, and I have just 

 read the Coral part. To begin with a modest speech, / am 

 astonished at my oum accuracy f ! If I were to rewrite now my 

 Coral book there is hardly a sentence I should have to alter, 

 except that I ought to have attributed more effect to recent 

 volcanic action in checking growth of coral. When I say all 

 this I ought to add that the consequences of the theory on 

 areas of subsidence are treated in a separate chapter to which 

 I have not come, and in this, I suspect, we shall differ more. 

 Dana talks of agreeing with my theory in most points ; I can 

 find out not one in which he differs. Considering how in- 

 finitely more he saw of Coral Reefs than I did, this is won- 

 derfully satisfactory to me. He treats me most courteously. 

 There now, my vanity is pretty well satisfied. . . 



