DARWIN'S CLAIM TO DESCENT. 193 



" When on board H.M.S. ' Beagle,' as naturalist, I 

 was mucii struck with certain facts in the distribution 

 of the inhabitants of South America, and in the geo- 

 logical relation of the present to the past inhabitants 

 of that continent. These facts seemed to me to throw 

 some light on the origin of species — that mystery of 

 mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest 

 philosophers. On my return home it occurred to me, 

 in 1837, that something might perhaps be made out 

 on this question by patiently accumulating and reflect- 

 ing upon all sorts of facts which could possibly have 

 any bearing on it. After five years' work I allowed 

 myself to speculate upon the subject, and drew up 

 some short notes ; these I enlarged in 1 844 * into 

 a sketch of the conclusions which then seemed to me 

 probable. From that period to the present day I have 

 steadily pursued the same object. I hope I may be 

 excused these personal details, as I give them to show 

 that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision." 



This is bland, but peremptory. Mr. Darwin implies 

 that the mere asking of the question how species has 

 come about opened up a field into which speculation 

 itself had hardly yet ventured to intrude. It was the 

 mystery of mysteries ; one of our greatest philosophers 

 had said so ; not one little feeble ray of light had ever 

 yet been thrown upon it. Mr. Darwin knew all this, 

 and was appalled at the greatness of the task that lay 

 before him ; still, after he had pondered on what he 

 had seen in South America, it really did occur to him, 



* It should be remembered this was the year in which the "Vestiges 

 of Creation " appeared. 



N 



