58 THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1860. 



impression my book produces on philosophical and instructed 

 minds. I thank you for the kind things which you say ; and 

 you go with me much further than I expected. You will 

 think it presumptuous, but I am convinced, */ circumstances 

 lead you to keep the subject in mind, that you will go further. 

 No one has yet cast doubts on my explanation of the sub- 

 ordination of group to group, on homologies, embryology, 

 and rudimentary organs ; and if my explanation of these 

 classes of tacts be at all right, whole classes of organic beings 

 must be included in one line of descent. 



The imperfection of the Geological Record is one of the 

 greatest difficulties. . . . During the earliest period the 

 record would be most imperfect, and this seems to me suffi- 

 cient to account for our not finding intermediate forms be- 

 tween the classes in the same great kingdoms. It was cer- 

 tainly rash in me putting in my belief of the probability of 

 all beings having descended from one primordial form ; but 

 as this seems yet to me probable, I am not willing to strike 

 it out. Huxley alone supports me in this, and something 

 could be said in its favour. With respect to man, I am very 

 far from wishing to obtrude my belief; but I thought it 

 dishonest to quite conceal my opinion. Of course it is 

 open to every one to believe that man appeared by a sepa- 

 rate miracle, though I do not myself see the necessity or 

 probability. 



Pray accept my sincere thanks for your kind note. Your 

 going some way with me gives me great confidence that I am 

 not very wrong. For a very long time I halted half way ; but 

 I do not believe that any enquiring mind will rest half-way. 

 People will have to reject all or admit all ; by all I mean 

 only the members of each great kingdom. 



My dear Jenyns, yours most sincerely, 



C. DARWIN. 



