I845-] LYELL'S ' NORTH AMERICA.' 339 



How sorry I am to think that we shall not see you here 

 again for so long ; I wish you may knock yourself a little bit 

 up before you start and require a day's fresh air, before the 



ocean breezes blow on you. . . . 



Ever yours, 



C. DARWIN. 

 C. Darwin to C. Lyell. 



Down, Saturday [August ist, 1845]. 



MY DEAR LYELL, I have been wishing to write to you for 

 a week past, but every five minutes' worth of strength has been 

 expended in getting out my second part* Your note pleased 

 me a good deal more I dare say than my dedication did you, 

 and I thank you much for it. Your work has interested me 

 much, and I will give you my impressions, though, as I never 

 thought you would care to hear what I thought of the non- 

 scientific parts, I made no notes, nor took pains to remember 

 any particular impression of two-thirds of the first volume. 

 The first impression I should say would be with most (though 

 I have literally seen not one soul since reading it) regret at 

 there not being more of the non-scientific [parts]. I am not a 

 good judge, for I have read nothing, i.e. non-scientific about 

 North America, but the whole struck me as very new, fresh, 

 and interesting. Your discussions bore to my mind the 

 evident stamp of matured thought, and of conclusions drawn 

 from facts observed by yourself, and not from the opinions of 

 the people whom you met ; and this I suspect is compara- 

 tively rare. 



Your slave discussion disturbed me much ; but as you 

 would care no more for my opinion on this head than for the 

 ashes of this letter, I will say nothing except that it gave me 

 some sleepless, most uncomfortable hours. Your account of 

 the religious state of the States particularly interested me ; I 

 am surprised throughout at your very proper boldness against 



* Of the second edition of the ' Journal of Researches.' 

 VOL. I. 2 A 



