i860.] ' NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW.' 30$ 



.... I am glad you like Adam Bede so much. I was 

 charmed with it. ... 



We think you must by mistake have taken with your own 

 numbers of the 'National Review' my precious number.* 

 I wish you would look. 



C. Danvin to Asa Gray, 



Down, April 25th [1860]. 



MY DEAR GRAY, I have no doubt I have to thank you 

 for the copy of a review on the ' Origin ' in the ' North 

 American Review.' It seems to me clever, and I do not 

 doubt will damage my book. I had meant to have made 

 some remarks on it ; but Lyell wished much to keep it, and 

 my head is quite confused between the many reviews which 

 I have lately read. I am sure the reviewer is wrong about 

 bees' cells, i.e. about the distance ; any lesser distance would 

 do, or even greater distance, but then some of the places 

 would lie outside the generative spheres ; but this would 

 not add much difficulty to the work. The reviewer takes a 

 strange view of instinct : he seems to regard intelligence as 

 a developed instinct ; which I believe to be wholly false. I 

 suspect he has never much attended to instinct and the 

 minds of animals, except perhaps by reading. 



My chief object is to ask you if you could procure for me 

 a copy of the New York Times for Wednesday, March 28th. 

 It contains a very striking review of my book, which I should 

 much like to keep. How curious that the two most striking 

 reviews (i.e. yours and this) should have appeared in America. 

 This review is not really useful, but somehow is impressive. 

 There was a good review in the Revue des Deux Mondes,' 

 April ist, by M. Laugel, said to be a very clever man. 



* This no doubt refers to the January number, containing Dr. 

 Carpenter's review of the ' Origin.' 



VOL. II. X 



