I2O THE WRITING OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [1858. 



care about it. But you are too generous to sacrifice so much 

 time and kindness. It is most generous, most kind. I send 

 my sketch of 1844 solely that you may see by your own 

 handwriting that you did read it. I really cannot bear to 

 look at it. Do not waste much time. It is miserable in me 

 to care at all about priority. 



The table of contents will show what it is. 



I would make a similar, but shorter and more accurate 

 sketch for the ' Linnean Journal.' 



I will do anything. God bless you, my dear kind friend. 



I can write no more. I send this by my servant to Kew. 



Yours, 



C. DARWIN. 



[The following letter is that already referred to as forming 

 part of the joint paper published in the Linnean Society's 

 'Journal,' 1858]: 



C. Darwin to Asa Gray. 



Down, Sept.* 5th [1857]. 



MY DEAR GRAY, I forget the exact words which I used 

 in my former letter, but I dare say I said that I thought you 

 would utterly despise me when I told you what views I had 

 arrived at, which I did because I thought I was bound as an 

 honest man to do so. I should have been a strange mortal, 

 seeing how much I owe to your quite extraordinary kindness, if 

 in saying this I had meant to attribute the least bad feeling to 

 you. Permit me to tell you that, before I had ever cor- 

 responded with you, Hooker had shown me several of your 

 letters (not of a private nature), and these gave me the 

 warmest feeling of respect to you ; and I should indeed be 



* The date is given as October possession, on which he had written, 



in the ' Linnean Journal.' The " This was sent to Asa Gray 8 or 9 



extracts were printed from a dupli- months ago, I think October 1857." 

 cate undated copy in my father's 



