252 THE HISTORY OF GEOLOGY 



read it, let me beg you to read it all straight through, as 

 otherwise it will be unintelligible. Try not to condemn 

 it utterly till you have finished it and reflected on the 

 recapitulation. Not that I am so foolish as to expect to 

 convert any one who has long viewed the subject from 

 an opposite point of view. I remember too well how 

 many long years my own conversion took. The utmost 

 which I hope is that you may see that more can be said 

 on the side of mutability of specific forms than is at first 

 sight apparent. If, indeed, your own observations have 

 made you at all sceptical on the subject, then my book 

 may produce some effect. . . . 



' ' Yours very sincerely, 



" CHAKLES DARWIN." 



Phillips had for a long time previously given careful 

 attention to the " Succession of Life on the Earth," and 

 had chosen this subject for the Bead lecture, which he 

 delivered before the University of Cambridge, shortly 

 before the appearance of the " Origin of Species." 



His pronouncement on Darwin's work was adverse. 

 " Dead against," as Darwin wrote. His opinion as ex- 

 pressed in a letter to Darwin, of which he did not preserve 

 a copy, called forth the following reply : 



"ILKLEY WELLS HOUSE, 



" OTLEY, YORKSHIRE, 26th November, 1859. 



" MY DEAR PHILLIPS, Thank you for your note. Per- 

 mit me to say one word about my book. Though many 

 facts in palaeontology may appear, or be really, opposed 

 to my notions, and though my explanations may be quite 

 fallacious, I earnestly beg you to consider whether a theory 

 wholly false would explain, as it seems to me to explain, 

 several classes of facts as affinity of inhabitants of 

 islands to nearest continent ; the nature of the inhabi- 



