ASA rJRAY. 759 



eighty botauists of North America to Asa Gray, ou his seveuty-fifth 

 birthday, November 18th, 1885.* 



Uotanists have, as their coaimon object of interest, that part of Nat- 

 ure which seems by its free gift of beauty aud fragrance (without a 

 trace of self, the dominating element in the animal) fully to reciprocate 

 affection ; and there is hence a reason for that feeling of fraternity which 

 sucli a gift so beautifully expresses, independently of the tribute in it to 

 the botanist of botanists. Plants seem thus to select from among inquir- 

 ing minds those which are to be their investigators, or the botanists. 



Darwin first mentioned to Gray his view that " species arise like 

 varieties with much extinction," in a letter to Graj^ of July 20, 185G.t 

 At this time all men of science with a rare exception believed in the 

 permanence of species. J. D. Hooker's Flora Indica of 1855 '^assumes 

 that species are distinct creations." | Professor Huxley, in his history 

 of the reception of Darwinian ideas, says, with the perfect fairness that 

 always has characterized him, that " within the ranks of the biologists, 

 at that time [1851-'58], I met with nobody [and he here includes him- 

 self] except Dr. Grant, of University College, who had a word to say 

 for evolution ; aud his advocacy was not calculated to advance the 

 cause. Outside of these ranks, the only person known to me whose 

 knowledge and capacity compelled respect, and who was, at the same 

 time, a thorough-going evolutionist, was Herbert Spencer. - - - 

 But even my friend's rare dialectic skill and copiousness of apt illustra- 

 tion could not drive me from my agnostic position." Lyell, he shows, 

 was leaning that way, but not himself. So it was iu 1857, and in 1858 

 up to the publication of Darwin's and Wallace's papers of that year.§ 



Gray therefore knew of Darwin's views before the biologists of 

 Britain, unless we except Lyell aud J. D. Hooker. Darwin acknowl- 

 edged Gray's "remarkably kind letter "on the 5th of September, 1857,|| 

 and was prompted by his "extraordinary kindness," and evidently by 

 his assurances, that he had no objections to facts froui any source, had 

 great interest in the subject, and only saw some " grave difficulties" 

 against his doctrine, to explain to Dr. Gray with detail, under six 

 heads, the prominent facts and arguments in the theory of "Natural 

 Selection," which he says is the "title of his book." This letter is the 

 first exposition that Darwin had made of his theory, and hence it has 

 proved to have great documentary- value. 



A letter which the writer received from Gray in the interval be- 

 tween Darwin's two letters, dated December 13, 1856, shows well the 

 state of his mind at that time. He says : " On the subject of species, 

 their nature, distribution, what system iu natural history is, etc., cer- 



* This des<;iiptiT)u of the vaso is from the "Botanical Gazette" of December, 1885, 

 which coiitaius also good figures of the vase, 

 t Darwin's Life aud Letters, p. 437. 



t Gray's review, Am. Journal of Science, 1856, xxi, 135, January. 

 $ Darwin's Life and Letters, chapter xiv of vol. I, by Professor Huxley. 

 II Ibid, p. 477. 



