80 JOURNAL OF THE [April, 



The letter is as follows ; — the date being supplied from the 

 post-marks which it bears. 



" Down, Farneorough, Kent. 



Sunday [March 26, 1848]. 

 " My Dear Owen, 



I do not know whether your MS. instructions are sent 

 in : but even if they are not sent in, I dare say what I am going 

 to write will be absolutely superfluous, but I have derived such 

 infinitely great advantage from my new simple microscope, in 

 comparison with the one, which I used on board the Beagle and 

 which was recommended to me by R. Brown, that I cannot 

 forego the mere chance of advantage of urging this on you. The 

 leading point of difference consists simply in having the stage 

 for saucers very large and fixed. Mine will hold a saucer 3 

 inches in inside diameter. I have never seen such a microscope 

 as mine, though Chevalier's (from whose plan many points of 

 mine are taken) of Paris approaches it pretty closely. I fully 

 appreciate the utter absurdity of my giving you advice 

 about means of dissecting ; but I have appreciated myself 

 the enormous disadvantage of having worked with a bad 

 instrument, though thought a few years since the best. 

 Please to observe that without you call especial attention to this 

 point, those ignorant of natural history will be sure to get one 

 of the fiddling instruments sold in shops. If you thought fit I 

 would point out the differences which, from my experience, 

 make a useful microscope for the kind of dissection, of the 

 invertebrates, which a person would be likely to attempt on 

 board a vessel. But jiray again believe that I feel the absurdity 

 of this letter, and I write merely from the chance of yourself 

 possessing great skill and having worked with good instruments, 

 may not possibly be fully aware what an astonishing difference 

 the kind of microscope makes for those who have not been 

 trained in skill for dissection under water. 



" When next I come to town ( I was prevented last time by 

 illness ) I must call on you, and report for my own satisfaction, a 

 really ( I tlvink), curious point I have made out in my beloved 

 Barnacles. You cannot tell how much I enjoyed my talk with 

 you here. Ever, my dear Owen, 



Yours sincerely, 



C. Darwin, 



(Over.) 



