199 



NOTE CONCLUSORY. 



Thus ends a book, composed in solitude, and almost 

 without the cognizance of a single human being, for the 

 sole purpose (or as nearly so as may be) of improving the 

 knowledge of mankind, and through that medium their 

 happiness. For reasons which need not be specified, the 

 author's name is retained in its original obscurity, and, 

 in all probability, will never be generally known. I do 

 not expect that any word of praise which the work may 

 elicit shall ever be responded to by me, or that any word 

 of censure shall ever be parried or deprecated. It goes 

 forth to take its chance of instant oblivion, or of a long 

 and active course of usefulness in the world. Neither 

 contingency can be of any importance to me, beyond the 

 regret or the satisfaction which may be imparted by my 

 sense of a lost or a realized benefit to my fellow-creatures. 

 The book, as far as I am aware, is the first attempt to 

 connect the natural sciences into a history of creation. 

 The idea is a bold one, and there are many circumstances 

 of time and place to render its boldness more than usually 

 conspicuous. But I believe my doctrines to be in the 

 main true ; I believe all truth to be valuable, and its dis- 

 semination a blessing. At the same time, I hold myself 

 duly sensible of the common liability to error, but am 

 certain that no error in this line has the least chance of 

 oein^ allowed to injure the public mind. Therefore I 

 publish. My views, if correct, will most assuredly stand, 

 and may sooner or later prove beneficial; if otherwise, 

 they will as surely pass out of notice without doing any 

 harm. 



My sincere desire in the composition of the book was 

 to give the true view of the history of nature, with as 

 little disturbance as possible to existing beliefs, whether 

 philosophical or religious. I have made little reference 

 to any doctrines of the latter kind which may be thought 

 inconsistent with, mine, because to do so would have 

 been to enter upon questions for the settlement of which 

 our knowledge is not yet ripe. Let the reconciliation of 

 whatever is true in my views with whatever is true in 

 other systems come about in the fulness of calm and 

 careful inquiry. I cannot but here remind the reader oi 

 what Dr. Wiseman has shown so strikingly in his Lee- 



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