476 THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1858 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, Tuesday [June 29, 1858]. 



.... I have received your letters. I cannot think now* 

 on the subject, but soon will. But I can see that you have 

 acted with more kindness, and so has Lyell, even than I could 

 have expected from you both, most kind as you are. 



I can easily get my letter to Asa Gray copied, but it is too 

 short. 



.... God bless you. You shall hear soon, as soon as I 



can think. 



Yours affectionately, 



C. DARWIN. 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Tuesday night [June 29, 1858]. 



MY DEAR HOOKER, I have just read your letter, and see 

 you want the papers at once. I am quite prostrated, and 

 can do nothing, but I send Wallace, and the abstract f of my 

 letter to Asa Gray, which gives most imperfectly only the 

 means of change, and does not touch on reasons for believing 

 that species do change. I dare say all is too late. I hardly 

 care about it. But you are too generous to sacrifice so much 

 time and kindness. It is most generous, most kind. I send 

 my sketch of 1844 solely that you may see by your own 

 handwriting that you did read it. I really cannot bear to 

 look at it. Do not waste much time. It is miserable in me 

 to care at all about priority. 



The table Of contents will show what it is. 



I would make a similar, but shorter and more accurate 

 sketch for the ' Linnean Journal.' 



* So soon after the death, from scarlet fever, of his infant child. 



f " Abstract " is here used in the sense of " extract ; " in this sense also 

 it occurs in the ' Linnean Journal,' where the sources of my father's paper 

 are described. 



