100 DARWINIANIS.M. 



himself would have been unable" to detect one turn of the 

 snob in him. As the student that meant well at college 

 and would have only reputable associates, so he is not 

 ashamed in after life to confess, on hint of Lyell's, that 

 he has " the true English instinctive reverence for rank, 

 and therefore liked to hear about the Princess Royal." 

 It is with perfect openness he tells this same Lyell, " I 

 dined at Chevening with Lord Mahon, who did me the 

 great honour of calling on me I was charmed with 

 Lady Mahon, and any one might have been proud at the 

 pieces of agreeableness which came from her beautiful 

 lips with respect to you I like old Lord Stanhope very 

 much, though he abused Geology and Zoology heartily as 

 all fiddle-faddle I sometimes, after being a whole week 

 employed, and having described perhaps only two species 

 (of Cirrepedes), agree mentally with Lord Stanhope that 

 it is all fiddle-faddle." 



I know of only two occasions on which there is the 

 slightest edge of a glimpse of snobbery on the part of 

 Charles Darwin, and one of them, even if it were not 

 frankly intentional (which it is), is not without a certain 

 innocency and charm. He wants, namely, the son's 

 opinion (who is as yet only Joseph) in regard to nuts 

 found in Petrels' maws ; but Sir W. Milner, Bart., being 

 concerned, he asks him (Sir. W.) to write to the father 

 " for grandeur's sake ! " (" I have asked him (but I 

 l.iubt whether he will) to send a nut to Sir William 

 Hooker (I gave this address for grandeur's sake) to see 

 if any of you can name it and its native country will 

 you phase mention this to Sir William Hooker ? ") 



The other reference is to a remark a sufficiently 



iniinivnt one that occurs by the bye in a charming letter 



<>f Mr. Darwin's from a Water-Cure to his wife (ii. 114). 



then," he says there, " I read a bit of my novel, 



which is feminine, etc. I say feminine, for the author 



