6 FIFTY YEARS OF DARWINISM 



St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verde Islands, 

 showed him the infinite superiority of Lyell's 

 teachings. 1 



He wrote in 1876 : * The science of Geology is 

 enormously indebted to Lyell more so, as I 

 believe, than to any other man who ever lived.' 2 

 An even more remarkable tribute to his old 

 teacher is paid by Darwin in the following words 

 written to L. Horner, August 29, 1844 : 



' I have lately been reading with care A. d'Orbigny's work 

 on South America, and I cannot say how forcibly impressed 

 I am with the infinite superiority of the Lyellian school of 

 Geology over the continental. I always feel as if my books 

 came half out of Lyell's brain, and that I never acknowledge 

 this sufficiently ; nor do I know how I can without saying 

 so in so many words for I have always thought that the 

 great merit of the Principles was that it altered the whole 

 tone of one's mind, and therefore that, when seeing a thing 

 never seen by Lyell, one yet saw it partially through his 

 eyes it would have been in some respects better if I had 

 done this less . . . .' s 



This letter was written not two months after 

 the date which marks the completion of the 

 finished sketch of 1844. On July 5, -Darwin 

 wrote the letter to his wife begging her, in the 

 event of his death, to arrange for the publication 

 of the account he had just prepared. At this 

 psychological moment in his career he wrote of 

 the influence received from Lyell, and we are 

 naturally led to observe how essentially Lyellian 



1 Life and Letters, i. 62, 72, 73. 2 1. c., 72. 



3 More Letters, ii. 117. 



