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



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Miss Wedgwood's, Hartfield, Tunbridge Wells, 



[July 1 3th, 1858]. 



MY DEAR HOOKER, Your letter to Wallace seems to me 

 perfect, quite clear and most courteous. I do not think it 

 could possibly be improved, and I have to-day forwarded it 

 with a letter of my own. I always thought it very possible 

 that I might be forestalled, but I fancied that I had a grand 

 enough soul not to care ; but I found myself mistaken and 

 punished ; I had, however, quite resigned myself, and had 

 written half a letter to Wallace to give up all priority to him, 

 and should certainly not have changed had it not been for 

 Lyell's and your quite extraordinary kindness. I assure you 

 I feel it, and shall not forget it. I am more than satisfied at 

 what took place at the Linnean Society. I had thought 

 that your letter and mine to Asa Gray were to be only an 

 appendix to Wallace's paper. 



We go from here in a few days to the sea-side, probably 

 to the Isle of Wight, and on my return (after a battle with 

 pigeon skeletons) I will set to work at the abstract, though 

 how on earth I shall make anything of an abstract in thirty 

 pages of the Journal, I know not, but will try my best. I shall 

 order Bentham ; is it not a pity that you should waste time 

 in tabulating varieties ? for I can get the Down schoolmaster 

 to do it on my return, and can tell you all the results. 



I must try and see you before your journey ; but do not 

 think I am fishing to ask you to come to Down, for you will 

 have no time for that. 



You cannot imagine how pleased I am that the notion of 

 Natural Selection has acted as a purgative on your bowels of 

 immutability. Whenever naturalists can look at species, 

 changing as certain, what a magnificent field will be open, 

 on all the laws of variation, on the genealogy of all living; 

 beings, on their lines of migration, &c. &c. Pray thank 



