510 * OEIGIN ' AND ' TASMANIAN FLOKA 



Athenasum: November 21, 1859 



Dear Darwin, — I am a sinner not to have written to 

 you ere this, if only to thank you for your glorious book. 

 What a mass of close reasoning on curious facts and fresh' 

 phenomena ; it is capitally written and will be very success- 

 ful. I say this on the strength of two or three plunges into 

 as many chapters, for I have not yet attempted to read it. 

 Lyell, with whom we are staying, is perfectly enchanted and 

 is absolutely gloating over it. I must accept your compK- 

 ment to me and acknowledgment of supposed assistance 

 from me as the warm tribute of affection from an honest 

 (though deluded) man, and furthermore accept it as very- 

 pleasing to my vanity — but; my dear fellow, neither my 

 name, nor my judgment, nor my assistance deserved any 

 such compliments, and if I am dishonest enough to be 

 pleased with what I don't deserve, it must just pass. How 

 different the hook reads from the MS. I see I shall 

 have much to talk over with you. Those lazy printers 

 have not finished my luckless Essay,^ which beside your 

 book will look like a ragged handkerchief beside a Eoyal 

 Standard. 



Kew : ( ? before December 14, 1859). 



Dear Darwin, — You have, I know, been drenched with 

 letters since the publication of your book and I have hence 

 forborne to add my mite. I hope that now you are well 

 through Edition IL, and I have heard that you were flourish- 

 ing in London. I have not yet got half through the book, 

 not from want of will, but of time — for it is the very hardest 

 book to read to full profit that I ever tried ; it is so cram- 

 full of matter and reasoning. I am all the more glad that 

 you have published in this form, for the 3 vols., unpre- 

 faced by this, would have choked any Naturalist of the 

 XIX century and certainly have softened my brain in the 

 operation of assimilating their contents. I am perfectly 

 tired of marvelling at the wonderful amount of facts you 

 have brought to bear, and your skill in marshalling them 

 and throwing them on the enemy. It is also extremely 

 clear as far as I have gone, but very hard to fully appreciate. 

 Somehow it reads very different from the MS., and I often 

 fancy that I must have been very stupid not to have more 

 fully followed it in MS. Lyell told me of his criticisms. I 



1 The reprint. 



n 



