PREFACE. Vll 



ledge on the epiftolary page ; but his epif- 

 tles, though profeffionally numerous, were 

 Ihort from neceffity, and by choice com- 

 preffed. He has often faid that he had 

 not the talent of elegant letter-writing. 

 Like all other diftinguiihed acquirements, 

 it can only obtain excellence from frequent 

 and diffufe practice, unreftrained by the 

 interfering preffure of extrinfic confider- 

 ations. 



It was alfo his frequent remark, that 

 literary fame invariably fuffers by the pub- 

 lication of every thing which is below the 

 level of that celebrity which it has already 

 gained. Letters, through whofe progress 

 either wit fcatters it's fcintillations, criti- 

 cifm it's inftruftion, knowledge it's trea- 

 fures, or fancy it's glow, are not beneath 

 the dignity of the moft eminent reputation ; 

 but fince coercive circumflances in a great 

 meafure precluded thofe efFufions to the 

 letters of Darwin, , there would be no 



a 4 kind- 



