56 THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1860. 



C. Darwin to C. LyelL 



Down, [January 4th ? 1860]. 



I have had a brief note from Keyserling,* but 



not worth sending you. He believes in change of species, 

 grants that natural selection explains well adaptation of form, 

 but thinks species change too regularly, as if by some chemi- 

 cal law, for natural selection to be the sole cause of change. 

 I can hardly understand his brief note/ but this is I think the 

 upshot. 



I will send A. Murray's paper whenever pub- 



lished.f It includes speculations (which he perhaps will 

 modify) so rash, and without a single fact in support, that 

 had I advanced them he or other reviewers would have hit 

 me very hard. I am sorry to say that I have no " consolatory 

 view" on the dignity of man. I am content that man will 

 probably advance, and care not much whether we are looked 

 at as mere savages in a remotely distant future. Many thanks 

 for your last note. 



Yours affectionately, 



C. DARWIN. 



I have received, in a Manchester newspaper, rather a good 

 squib, showing that I have proved "might is right," and there- 



* Joint author with Murchison of the ' Geology of Russia,' 1845. 



f The late Andrew Murray wrote two papers on the ' Origin ' in the 

 Proc. R. Soc. Edin. 1860. The one referred to here is dated Jan. 16, 1860. 

 The following is quoted from p. 6 of the separate copy : " But the second, 

 and, as it appears to me, by much the most important phase of reversion to 

 type (and which is practically, if not altogether ignored by Mr. Darwin), is 

 the instinctive inclination which induces individuals of the same species 

 by preference to intercross with those possessing the qualities which they 

 themselves want, so as to preserve the purity or equilibrium of the breed. 

 ... It is trite to a proverb, that tall men marry little women ... a man 

 of genius marries a fool . . , and we are told that this is the result of the 

 charm of contrast, or of qualities admired in others because we do not pos- 

 sess them. 1 do not so explain it. I imagine it it is the effort of nature 

 to preserve the typical medium of the race." 



