1 868.] PUBLICATION. 75 



1868. 



['The Variation of Animals and Plants' was, as already 

 mentioned, published on January 30, 1868, and on that day 

 he sent a copy to Fritz Muller, and wrote to him : 



" I send, by this post, by French packet, my new book, the 

 publication of which has been much delayed. The greater 

 part, as you will see, is not meant to be read ; but I should 

 very much like to hear what you think of ' Pangenesis/ 

 though I fear it will appear to every one far too speculative."] 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



February 3 [1868]. 



... I am very much pleased at what you say about my 

 Introduction ; after it was in type I was as near as possible 

 cancelling the whole. I have been for some time in despair 

 about my book, and if I try to read a few pages I feel fairly 

 nauseated, but do not let this make you praise it ; for I have 

 made up my mind that it is not worth a fifth part of the 

 enormous labour it has cost me. I assure you that all that is 

 worth your doing (if you have time for so much) is glancing 

 at Chapter VI., and reading parts of the later chapters. 

 The facts on self-impotent plants seem to me curious, and I 

 have worked out to my own satisfaction the good from cross- 

 ing and evil from interbreeding. I did read Pangenesis the 

 other evening, but even this, my beloved child, as I had 

 fancied, quite disgusted me. The devil take the whole book ; 

 and yet now I am at work again as hard as I am able. It is 

 really a great evil that from habit I have pleasure in hardly 

 anything except Natural History, for nothing else makes me 

 forget my ever-recurrent uncomfortable sensations. But I 

 must not howl any more, and the critics may say what they 

 like ; I did my best, and man can do no more. What a 

 splendid pursuit Natural History would be if it was all 

 observing and no writing ! . . . . 



