1859— 1863] J. D. DANA 1 59 



I hope you will soon have an outing, and that will do you Letter 108 

 real good. 



I am glad to hear about J. Lubbock, whom I hope to see 

 soon, and shall tell him what you have said. Have you read 

 Hopkins in the last Fraser? — well put, in good spirit, except 

 soul discussion bad, as I have told him ; nothing actually 

 new, takes the weak points alone, and leaves out all other 

 considerations. 



I heard from Asa Gray yesterday ; he goes on fighting 

 like a Trojan. 



God bless you ! — get well, be idle, and always reverence 

 a bishop. 



To J. D. Dana. 1 Letter 109 



Down, July 301I1 [1S60]. 

 I received several weeks ago your note telling me that 

 you could not visit England, which I sincerely regretted, as I 

 should most heartily have liked to have made your personal 

 acquaintance. You gave me an improved, but not very good, 

 account of your health. I should at some time be grateful 

 for a line to tell me how you are. We have had a miserable 

 summer, owing to a terribly long and severe illness of my 

 eldest girl, who improves slightly but is still in a precarious 

 condition. I have been able to do nothing in science of late. 

 My kind friend Asa Gray often writes to me and tells me of 

 the warm discussions on the Origin of Species in the United 

 States. Whenever you are strong enough to read it, I know 

 you will be dead against me, but I know equally well that 

 your opposition will be liberal and philosophical. And this 

 is a good deal more than I can say of all my opponents in 

 this country. I have not yet seen Agassiz's attack, 2 but I 

 hope to find it at home when I return in a few days, for 

 I have been for several weeks away from home on my 

 daughter's account. Prof. Silliman sent me an extremely 

 kind message by Asa Gray that your Journal would be open 

 to a reply by me. I cannot decide till I see it, but on 

 principle I have resolved to avoid answering anything, as it 

 consumes much time, often temper, and I have said my say 



1 See note 1, Letter 162. 



2 Silliman's Journal, July, i860. A passage from Agassiz's review 

 is given by Mr. Huxley in Darwin's Life and Letters, II., p. 184. 



