16 VARIATIONS, DUE TO REVERSION. 



A fair analogue of Darwin's argument, is this : An 

 individual lays claim to a piece of real estate, of which 

 another has long been, and is, in adverse possession. 

 The evidence adduced by the plaintiff to sustain such 

 claim is — the plaintiff's satisfaction of what purported 

 to be a mortgage upon the property, given by the 

 plaintiff; and to the objection, naturally raised, that 

 such evidence is no proof of any acquirement of title, 

 by the plaintiff, to the property, the insensate retort 

 comes, That is " merely pushing the difficulty further 

 back in time." True, true " as proof of Holy Writ ;" 

 but make your testimony competent and relevant, by 

 adducing evidence which has some relation to that 

 difficulty further back in time : — would obviously be 

 the response of the defendant. 



So, to Darwin it may be said : If Reversion ac- 

 counts for the improvements under domestication, and 

 for those which are assumed occasionally to appear 

 under nature, and such explanation but pushes the 

 difficulty further back in time, why not adduce, in- 

 stead, evidence and arguments which meet that diffi- 

 culty further back in time ? 



A true conception of the relation in which Darwin's 

 theory of evolution, stands to the law of Reversion, 

 may be gained, if the reader does but fancy Darwin 

 standing by a canal-lock, immediately subsequent to 

 the passage of a boat, from the river above, to the 

 channel below. He turns to the lock-master, and 

 assures him, that he can explain to him clearly, how 

 the river was originally formed: — If you will notice 

 the action of the water within this lock, you will ob- 



