1 8 PUBLICATION OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1859. 



last chapter without reading the previous chapters, you must 

 have maturely and most profoundly self-thought out the sub- 

 ject ; for I have found the most extraordinary difficulty in 

 making even able men understand at what I was driving. 

 There will be strong opposition to my views. If I am in the 

 main right (of course including partial errors unseen by me), 

 the admission in my views will depend far more on men, like 

 yourself, with well-established reputations, than on my own 

 writings. Therefore, on the supposition that when you have 

 read my volume you think the view in the main true, I thank 

 and honour you for being willing to run the chance of un- 

 popularity by advocating the view. I know not in the least 

 whether any one will review me in any of the Reviews. I do 

 not see how an author could enquire or interfere ; but if you 

 are willing to review me anywhere, I am sure from the admi- 

 ration which I have long felt and expressed for your * Com- 

 parative Physiology,' that your review will be excellently 

 done, and will do good service in the cause for which I think 

 I am not selfishly deeply interested. I am feeling very unwell 

 to-day, and this note is badly, perhaps hardly intelligibly, 

 expressed ; but you must excuse me, for I could not let a 

 post pass, without thanking you for your note. You will have 

 a tough job even to shake in the slightest degree Sir H. Hol- 

 land. I do not think (privately I say it) that the great man 

 has knowledge enough to enter on the subject. Pray believe 

 me with sincerity, Yours truly obliged, 



C. Darwin. 



P. S. — As you are not a practical geologist, let me add 

 that Lyell thinks the chapter on the Imperfection of the 

 Geological Record not exaggerated. 



C. Darwin to W. B. Carpenter. 



Ilkley, Yorkshire, 



November 19th [1859]. 



My dear Carpenter, — I beg pardon for troubling you 

 again. If, after reading my book, you are able to come to a 



