[86o.] 



ATTACKS. 



315 



against me as you prophesied ; but he is generously civil to 

 me personally.* On his standard of proof, natural science 

 would never progress, for without the making of theories 

 I am convinced there would be no observation. 



.... I have begun reading the 'North British,' f which 

 so far strikes me as clever. 



Phillips's Lecture at Cambridge is to be published. 



All these reiterated attacks will tell heavily ; there will be 

 no more converts, and probably some will go back. I hope 

 you do not grow disheartened, I am determined to fight to the 

 last. I hear, however, that the great Buckle highly approves 

 of my book. 



I have had a note from poor Blyth, { of Calcutta, who is 



an ardour for competition." He 

 contributed many papers on geolo- 

 gical and mathematical subjects to 

 the scientific journals. He had a 

 strong influence for good over the 

 younger men with whom he came in 

 contact. The letter which he wrote 

 to Henry Fawcett on the occasion 

 of his blindness illustrates this. Mr. 

 Stephen says (' Life of Fawcett,' 

 p. 48) that by " this timely word of 

 good cheer," Fawcett was roused 

 from " his temporary prostration," 

 and enabled to take a " more cheer- 

 ful and resolute tone." 



* ' Fraser's Magazine,' June 1860. 

 My father, no doubt, refers to the 

 following passage, p. 752, where 

 the Reviewer expresses his " full 

 participation in the high respect in 

 which the author is universally held, 

 both as a man and a naturalist ; 

 and the more so, because in the 

 remarks which will follow in the 

 second part of this Essay we shall 

 be found to differ widely from him 

 as regards many of his conclusions 

 and the reasonings on which he 



has founded them, and shall claim 

 the full right to express such differ- 

 ences of opinion with all that free- 

 dom which the interests of scientific 

 truth demands, and which we are 

 sure Mr. Darwin would be one of 

 the last to refuse to any one pre- 

 pared to exercise it with candour 

 and courtesy." Speaking of this 

 review, my father wrote to Dr. Asa 

 Gray : " I have remonstrated with 

 him [Hopkins] for so coolly saying 

 that I base my views on what I 

 reckon as great difficulties. Any 

 one, by taking these difficulties 

 alone, can make a most strong case 

 against me. I could myself write 

 a more damning review than has 

 as yet appeared ! " A second notice 

 by Hopkins appeared in the July 

 number of ' Fraser's Magazine.' 



t May 1860. 



t Edward Blyth, born 1810, died 

 1873. His indomitable love of 

 natural history made him neglect 

 the druggist's business with which 

 he started in life, and he soon got 

 into serious difficulties. After sup- 



