Alfred Russel Wallace 



Down, Beckenham, Kent. September 2, 1872. 



My dear Wallace, — I write a line to say that I under- 

 stood — but I may of course have been mistaken — from 

 Huxley that Bastian distinctly stated that he had watched 

 the development of the scale of Sphagnum : I was aston- 

 ished, as I knew the appearance of Sphagnum under a 

 high power, and asked a second time; but I repeat that 

 I may have been mistaken. Busk told me that Sharpey 

 had noticed the appearance of numerous Infusoria in one 

 of the solutions not containing any nitrogen ; and I do not 

 suppose that any physiologist would admit the possibility 

 of Infusoria absorbing nitrogen gas. Possibly I ought not 

 to have mentioned statements made in private conversa- 

 tion, so please do not repeat them. 



I quite agree about the extreme importance of such men 

 as Cohn [illegible] and Carter having observed apparent 

 cases of heterogenesis. At present I should prefer any 

 mad hypothesis, such as that every disintegrated molecule 

 of the lowest forms can reproduce the parent -form, and 

 that the molecules are universally distributed, and that 

 they do not lose their vital power until heated to such 

 a temperature that they decompose like dead organic 

 particles. 



I am extremely grieved to hear about the Museum : it 

 is a great misfortune. — Yours most sincerely, 



0. Darwin. 



I have taken up old botanical work and have given up 

 all theories. 



I quite agree about Howorth's paper : he wrote to me 

 and I told him that we differed so widely it was of no use 

 our discussing any point. 



As for Galton^s paper, I have never yet been able to 

 fully digest it : as far as I have, it has not cleared my 



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