GLIMPSES AT DARWIN'S WORKING LIFE. 625 



even in the master-art of wriggling, I feel aggrieved. If he bad trained 

 himself to observe more, even at the exjjense, by the law of balance- 

 ment, of some loss of thinking power, he would have been a wonder- 

 ful man." To E. Ray Lankester he acknowledged a suspicion that 

 hereafter Spencer would be looked at as "by far the greatest living 

 philosopher in England ; perhaps equal to any that have lived." 



A copy of the " Origin " v>'a3 sent to Professor Agassiz, with the 

 explanation that, " as the conclusions at which I have arrived on sev- 

 eral points differ so widely from yours, I have thought (should you at 

 any time read my volume) that you might think that I had sont it to 

 you out of a spirit of defiance or bravado ; but I assure you that I act 

 under a wholly different frame of mind. I hope that you will at least 

 give me credit, however erroneous you may think my conclusions, for 

 having earnestly endeavored to arrive at the truth." 



Mr. Darwin's relations with American men of science began with 

 a letter to Asa Gray, in April, 1855, seeking for information on Ameri- 

 can Alpine plants, and offering an apology for the presumption of the 

 writer, not a botanist, in making " even the most trifling suggestion 

 to such a botanist as yourself." The correspondence was continued 

 in frequent letters embodying discussions of subjects on which Mr. 

 Darwin sought information or explanations from Professor Gray, the 

 chief use of which was " to show a botanist what points a non-botanist 

 is curious to learn ; for I think every one who studies profoundly a 

 subject often becomes unaware on what points the ignorant require 

 information." After the publication of the " Origin," Mr. Darwin 

 wrote to Professor Gray : " I should, for several reasons, be very 

 glad of an American edition. I have made up my mind to be well 

 abused ; but I think it of importance that my notions should be read 

 by intelligent men, accustomed to scientific argument, though not 

 naturalists. It may seem absurd, but I think such men will drag after 

 them those naturalists who have too firmly fixed in their heads that a 

 species is an entity. ... I should be infinitely obliged if you could 

 aid an American edition." Professor Gray interested himself to secure 

 a republication in the United States, and applied to a Boston house, 

 while a New York house also moved in the matter. As he tells the 

 story in a letter to Darwin : " All looked pretty well, when, lo ! we 

 found that a second New York publishing-house had announced a reprint 

 also ! I wrote then to both New York publishers, asking them to give 

 way to the author and his reprint of a revised edition. I got an answer 

 from the Harpers that they withdraw — from the Appletons that they 

 had got the book oict (and the next day I saw a copy) ; but that, ' if 

 the work should have any considerable sale, we certainly shall be dis- 

 posed to pay the author reasonably and liberally.' The Appletons 

 being thus out with their reprint, the Boston house declined to go on. 

 So I wrote to the Appletons, taking them at their word, offering to 

 aid their reprint, to give them the use of the alterations in the London 



VOL. XXXII. — 40 



