M. de Quatrefages on Charles Darwin. 469 



wliicli are veiy important. Whether the question is of man, 

 of animals, or of plants, Darwin shows himself a careful and 

 sagacious observer, capable of rapidly seizing upon relations, 

 even though they may be distant, and to bring out their con- 

 sequences. He also appears as a man of generous thouglits. 

 The extermination of the Tasmanians calls from him a cry of 

 indignation, which, it may be said to the honour of English- 

 men, was repeated by many of his compatriots. 



Our Correspondent was charged with the conduct of the publi- 

 cation of the scientific results obtained by the expedition of the 

 'Beagle.' His co-labourers were Owen, who described the fossil 

 Mammalia; Waterhouse, who published the recent Mammals. 

 Gould undertook the birds ; but, being sent into Australia, he 

 left this work to Darwin, who obtained the aid of Gray, as it 

 is hardly necessary to say. However, two great memoirs, 

 called " Introductions," one upon geology considered in its 

 relations with the extinct mammalogical species, the other on 

 the geograpliical distribution of the recent Mammalia, attest 

 the knowledge he possessed of these groups and his aptitude 

 for the treatment of general questions. 



Darwin did not recoil from the minute investigations which 

 are required for the knowledge and discrimination of species. 

 This lie has well proved by the manner in which he has 

 monographically treated the history of the Cirripedes. Before 

 his time there existed upon this class scarcely any thing but 

 scattered materials, and the characterization of the groups 

 was not sufficiently advanced to permit geologists to take ad- 

 vantage of the fossils of this kind buried in various strata. 

 Darwin devoted three volumes, representing more than 1200 

 pages, to the investigation of the recent and fossil Cirripedes. 

 These works were printed at the cost of the Ray and Pal^eon- 

 tographical Societies. This is enough to prove their value ; 

 for Darwin was as yet only the Naturalist of the ''Beagle,^ and 

 it was not to his future reputation, which there was nothing 

 at that time to foretell, that so significant a homage could be 

 paid. 



However, at first, it is towards the history of our globe 

 that Darwin's thoughts appear to have been directed in pre- 

 ference. At the time of the publication of the scientific 

 results of the ' Beagle's ' voyage, he undertook single-handed 

 the geological part, which includes several volumes. He 

 inserted in these or published elsewhere a great number of 

 memoirs or notes, among others upon coral islands, on the 

 formation of volcanic islands, on the geology of the Falkland 

 Islands, on the various geological phenomena which Avere 

 manifested in South America, c^c. These diverse publica- 



