346 'DESCENT OF MAN '—EXPRESSION. [1S72. 



closed letter * to ' Nature,' that is if you in the least desire it. 

 In this case please post it. If you do not at all wish it, I 

 should rather prefer not sending it, and in this case please to 

 tear it up. And I beg you to do the same, if you intend an- 

 swering Dr. Bree yourself, as you will do it incomparably 

 better than I should. Also please tear it up if you don't like 

 the letter. 



My dear Wallace, yours very sincerely, 



Ch. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to A. R. Wallace. 



Down, August 28, 1872. 



My dear Wallace, — I have at last finished the gigantic 

 job of reading Dr. Bastian's book,f and have been deeply, 

 interested by it. You wished to hear my impression, but it 

 is not worth sending. 



He seems to me an extremely able man, as, indeed, I 

 thought when I read his first essay. His general argument 

 in favour of Archebiosis % is wonderfully strong, though I 

 cannot think much of some few of his arguments. The re- 

 sult is that I am bewildered and astonished by his statements, 

 but am not convinced, though, on the whole, it seems to me 

 probable that Archebiosis is true. I am not convinced, part- 



* The letter is as follows : — " Bree on Darwinism." - Nature,' Aug. 8, 

 1872. Permit me to state — though the statement is almost superfluous — 

 that Mr. Wallace, in his review of Dr. Bree's work, gives with perfect cor- 

 rectness what I intended to express, and what I believe was expressed 

 clearly, with respect to the probable position of man in the early part of 

 his pedigree. As I have not seen Dr. Bree's recent work, and as his let- 

 ter is unintelligible to me, I cannot even conjecture how he has so com- 

 pletely mistaken my meaning : but, perhaps, no one who has read Mr. 

 Wallace's article, or who has read a work- formerly published by Dr. Bree 

 on the same subject as his recent one, will be surprised at any amount of 

 misunderstanding on his part.— Charles Darwin. 

 Aug. 3. 



f ' The Beginnings of Life.' H. C. Bastian, 1872. 



X That is to say, Spontaneous Generation. For the distinction be- 

 tween Archebiosis and Heterogenesis, see Bastian, chapter vi. 



