7573 Notices of New Books. 



work, which is in itself but an abridgment of a larger unpublished 

 work, has made us keep silent so long ; and in nuvv taking up our 

 pen we feel profoundly the difficulty we are under in attempting to 

 criticize any of Mr. Darwin's views ; but, with the amount of detail 

 in which he has advanced them, we cannot do this in a periodical 

 magazine, and must therefore attempt little more than a brief sum- 

 mary of the four books before us, keeping any views we may have 

 formed on their subject as much in the back ground as possible. 

 They are singularly diverse in character. Mr. Darwin's book, 

 considering the nature of the subject, is remarkably concise and 

 readable, without the slightest attempt at ornamentation or ele- 

 gance, beyond what the easy expression of an overflowing power of 

 ihought naturally possesses. The author, moreover, has that rare 

 qualification of being able to think and write upon more than one 

 phase of his subject : no difficulties that strike him are slurred over; 

 each one is fairly and boldly met; entire chapters are devoted to self- 

 imposed objections to the theories advanced : indeed, the whole work 

 has more the character of an equally-balanced controversy than the 

 pleading of an author on behalf of his subject. Criticism is thus dis- 

 armed, and the critic feels he can do little more than feebly reiterate 

 what the author has said either for or against himself. We cannot 

 feel, in reading Dr. Bree's work, that he fully appreciates the quality 

 of his antagonist, or treats him fairly. Dr. Bree's style is very florid 

 and elegant ; but we think he unwisely sacrifices closeness and exact- 

 ness of thought and expression — which are so fascinating in Mr. 

 Darwin — for a sort of elegant flippancy, which, in dealing with the 

 subject, is painful, as it is out of place. The following sentence, at 

 page 151, will explain our objection : — " I do not think I need say 

 one word in refutation of an hypothesis which I might simply 

 designate profane ; but I will leave the matter to the cool reflection 

 of those who may read a statement which shocks and outrages every 

 proper feeling, as much as it does violence to our reason and common 

 sense." There is a general want of close accuracy throughout the 

 whole book ; and as an example we may notice Dr. Bree's careless- 

 ness in entirely misquoting the title of the work he is reviewing. 



Again, Dr. Bree states, at page 189, reiterates over and over again, 

 and implies it by the title of his work, that Mr. Darwin believes in 

 the transmutability of one highly-developed form to another, which 

 is an unfair inference from the very distinct theory (however great its 

 falsity) of the common origin of widely-differing highly-developed 

 forms from some vastly-distant and more elementary progenitor. 



