The Wallace-Darwin Correspondence 



most powerful men will have the pick of the women, and 

 they will generally leave the most descendants. 



I have collected a few notes on Man, but I do not sup- 

 pose I shall ever use them. Do you intend to follow out 

 your views, and if so would you like at some future time 

 to have my few references and notes ? 



I am sure I hardly know whether they are of any value, 

 and they are at present in a state of chaos. 



There is much more that I should like to write but I 

 have not strength. — Believe me, dear Wallace, yours very 

 sincerely, Ch. Darwin. 



Our aristocracy is handsomer ? (more hideous according 

 to a Chinese or negro) than the middle classes, from pick of 

 women ; but oh what a scheme is primogeniture for destroy- 

 ing Natural Selection ! I fear my letter will be barely in- 

 telligible to you. 



5 Westbourne Grove Terrace, W. May 29 [1864]. 



My dear Darwin, — You are always so ready to appreciate 

 what others do, and especially to overestimate my desultory 

 efforts, that I cannot be surprised at your very kind and flat- 

 tering remarks on my papers. I am glad, however, that you 

 have made a few critical observations, and am only sorry you 

 were not well enough to make more, as that enables me to 

 say a few words in explanation. 



My great fault is haste. An idea strikes me, I think over 

 it for a few days, and then write away with such illustrations 

 as occur to me while going on. I therefore look at the sub- 

 ject almost solely from one point of view. Thus in my paper 

 on Man' I aim solely at showing that brutes are modified in 

 a great variety of ways by Natural Selection, but that in 

 none of these particular ways can man be modified, because 

 of the superiority of his intellect. I therefore no doubt 



1 Antbropolog. Rev., 1864. 

 155 



