1873] 



MR. GALTON'S QUESTIONS. 



355 



years ago in Brazil. We have your collected Essays, which 

 were kindly sent us by Mr. [Moncure] Conway, but have not 

 yet had time to read them. I occasionally glean a little news 

 of you in the ' Index ' ; and within the last hour have read an 

 interesting article of yours on the progress of Free Thought. 

 Believe me, my dear Sir, with sincere admiration, 



Yours very faithfully, 



Ch. Darwin. 



[On May 28th he sent the following answers to the ques- 

 tions that Mr. Galton was at that time addressing to various 

 scientific men, in the course of the inquiry which is given in 

 his * English Men of Science, their Nature and Nurture,' 1874. 

 With regard to the questions, my father wrote, " I have filled 

 up the answers as well as I could, but it is simply impossible 

 for me to estimate the degrees." For the sake of conven- 

 ience, the questions and answers relating to Nurture are 

 made to precede those on Nature: 





r How taught? 



I consider that all I have learnt of any 

 value has been self-taught. 





Conducive to or restrictive of 

 habits of observation ? 



Restrictive of observation, being al- 

 most entirely classical. 



Conducive to health or other- 



Yes. 



wise? 

 Peculiar merits ? 



None whatever. 





Chief omissions ? 



No mathematics or modern languages, 

 nor any habits of observation or 





- 



reasoning. 



Has the religious creed taught 

 in your youth had any deter- 

 rent effect on the freedom of 

 your researches ? 



No. 



Do your scientific tastes appear 

 to have been innate ? 



Certainly innate. 



Were they determined by any 

 and what events? 



My innate taste for natural history 

 strongly confirmed and directed by 

 the voyage in the Beagle. 



