PREFACE. 



At the beginning of this year the reading classes of 

 England were all, more or less, in a state of expectancy, 

 their attention being fixed on Mr. Darwin, who was 

 known to be engaged in bringing out a work which was 

 to mark a new era in Natural Science. It was confidently 

 believed by many that he had in his possession facts 

 which would enable him to establish his favourite hypo- 

 thesis on a sure basis, and lay all his opponents, whether 

 men or systems, defeated in the dust. 



The work at length appeared, and was eagerly read by 

 thousands throughout our land. There is no difficulty 

 in getting through the two volumes of which it is 

 composed, for they abound in facts gathered from that 

 most interesting field of enquiry — Natural History ; and 

 where facts fail him, Mr. Darwin is able, in their 

 stead, to present suppositions quite as interesting, and 

 perhaps even more startling. 



But to the mind of a serious reader this is all that can 

 be obtained from its perusal, for Mr. Darwin's style of 



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