1865.] DR. WELLS CANON FARRAR. 4! 



politics were compared with science even to scientific men ? 

 Remember what Trollope says, in ' Can you Forgive her ? ' 

 about getting into Parliament, as the highest earthly ambition. 

 Jeffrey, in one of his letters, I remember, says that making an 

 effective speech in Parliament is a far grander thing than 

 writing the grandest history. All this seems to me a poor 

 short-sighted view. I cannot tell you how it has rejoiced 

 me once again seeing your handwriting my best of old 

 friends. 



Yours affectionately, 



CH. DARWIN. 



[In October he wrote Sir J. D. Hooker : 



" Talking of the ' Origin,' a Yankee has called my attention 

 to a paper attached to Dr. Wells' famous ' Essay on Dew/ 

 which was read in 1813 to the Royal Soc., but not [then] 

 printed, in which he applies most distinctly the principle of 

 Natural Selection to the Races of Man. So poor old Patrick 

 Matthew is not the first, and he cannot, or ought not, any 

 longer to put on his title-pages, ' Discoverer of the principle of 

 Natural Selection ' ! "] 



, C. Darwin to F. W. Farrar* 



Down, Nov. 2 [1865 ?] 



DEAR SIR, As I have never studied the science of lan- 

 guage, it may perhaps seem presumptuous, but I cannot 

 resist the pleasure of telling you what interest and pleasure I 

 have derived from hearing read aloud your volume.f 



I formerly read Max Miiller, and thought his theory (if it 

 deserves to be called so) both obscure and weak ; and now, 

 after hearing what you say, I feel sure that this is the case, 

 and that your cause will ultimately triumph. My indirect 

 interest in your book has been increased from Mr. Hensleigh 

 Wedgwood, whom you often quote, being my brother-in-law. 



* Canon of Westminster. f 'Chapters on Language,' 1865. 



