CONTINENTAL EXTENSIONS 99 



You must not suppose me to be a champion of Continental 

 Connection, because I am not agreeable to trans-oceanic 

 migration. I have no fixed opinion on the subject, and am 

 much in the state regarding this point that the Vestiges left 

 me in regarding species. What we want is, not new facts, 

 but new ideas analogous to yours of Natural Selection in its 

 application to origin. Either hypothesis appears to me well 

 to cover the facts of Oceanic Floras, but there are grave 

 objections to both, Botanical to yours, Geological to Forbes'. 

 I intend to discuss the point with as little prejudice as I can 



— in fact to d n both hypotheses, or, if you like, to d n 



Forbes's and double d n yours ! for I suppose that is 



how you will take my fair flay. I own that it is most dis- 

 gusting to have no side, and I cannot tell you how it dispirits 

 me with the whole thing. I shall make up for it by blessing 

 Nat. Selection and Variation — and they shall be blest — 

 as necessary to either hypothesis, and therefore proving 

 them to be twice as right as if they only fitted one ! (July 

 81, 1866.) 



However, on August 6 he adds, ' You need not fear my not 

 doing justice to your objections to the Continental Hypothesis ! * 

 And on the 7th : 



You must not let me worry you. I am an obstinate pig, 

 but you must not be miserable at my looking at the same 

 thing in a different light from you. I must get to the bottom 

 of this question, and that is all I can do. Some cleverer 

 fellow one day will knock the bottom out of it, and see 

 his way to explain what to a Botanist, without a theory to 

 support, must be very great difficulties. True enough, all 

 may be explained as you reason it will be, I quite grant this ; 

 but meanwhile all is not so explained, and I cannot accept 

 a hypothesis that leaves so many facts unaccounted for. . . . 



I do want to sum up impartially, leaving verdict to 

 Jury. I cannot do this without putting all difficulties most 

 clearly — how do you know how you would fare with me if you 

 were a continentalist ! Then too, we must recollect that I 

 have to meet a host who are all on the continental side, in 

 fact pretty nearly all the thinkers, Forbes, Hartung, 1 Heer, 



1 G. Hartung, joint author with Dr. K. von Fritsch of Tenerife Geologisch 

 mid topographisch (largest ellt, published 1867. 



