VIEWS OF SIR JOHN HERSCHEL. 141 



merical and blasphemous before thej ^vere de- 

 monstrated."* 



Where men are so much perplexed between 

 two opposite principles, led by science in the 

 one direction and drawn by intellectual indolence 

 or timiditj^ in the other, it is not surprising to 

 find them expressing opinions wholly contradic- 

 tor}'. Sir John Herschel some years ago an- 

 nounced views strictly conformable to those sub- 

 sequently taken of organic creation in my book. 

 " For my part," said he, " I cannot but think it an 

 inadequate conception of the Creator, to assume 

 it as granted that his combinations axe exhausted 

 upon any one of the theatres of their former exer- 

 cise, though, in this, as in all his other works, we 

 are led, by all analogy, to suppose that he operates 

 through a series of intermediate causes, and that, 

 in consequence, the origination of fresh species, 

 could it ever come under our cognizance, tcould be 

 found to be a natural, in contradistinction to a mira- 

 culous process, — although we perceive no indica- 

 tions of any process actually in progress which is 

 likely to issue in such a result." In his address 

 to the British Association at Cambridge, (1845,) 

 * Jameson's Joarnal, 1842. 



