The History of a Forty Years ’ Friendship. 203 
Darwin, on the other hand, had greater faith in the possibilities of 
ocean transport, and was generally averse to raising and sinking 
continents as a means of explaining facts of distribution. “ I quite 
agree,” says Darwin in 1859 “that we only differ in degree about the 
means of dispersal .. . you put in a very striking manner the muta¬ 
tion of our continents, and I quite agree; I only doubt about our 
oceans.” 1 In 1854 Darwin wrote,—“ When I wrote last I was 
going to triumph over you, for my experiment had in a slight degree 
succeeded ; but this, with infinite baseness, I did not tell, in hopes 
that you would say you would eat all the plants which 1 could 
raise after immersion.” 2 In a letter on the next day he added 
“ You are a good man to confess that you expected the cress would 
be killed in a week, for this gives me a nice little triumph. The 
children at first were tremendously eager, and asked me often 
whether I should beat Dr. Hooker! ” A few years later Darwin 
tells Hooker when he delivers his lecture at the British 
Association meeting at Nottingham (1866) to be honest and “ admit 
how little is known on the subject of occasional means of trans¬ 
port.” 3 In the same year Hooker wrote, “ Dear old Darwin, you 
must not let me worry you. I am an obstinate pig, but you must not 
be miserable at my looking at the same thing in a different light 
from you.” 4 In a later letter, Hooker says, “ If my letters did not 
g£ne you it is impossible that you should suppose that yours were 
of no use to me! I would throw up the whole thing were it not 
for correspondence with you, which is the only bit of silver in the 
affair.” After expressing his opinion or, continental extension and 
means of transport, Hooker concludes, “ Oh, dear me, what a 
comfort it is to have a belief (sneer away).” 5 Darwin thus ends a 
letter to Hooker on the dispersal of seeds,—“ 1 know all that I 
have said will excite in you savage comtempt towards me. Do 
not answer this rigmarole, but attack me to your heart’s content, 
and to that of mine, whenever you can come here, and may it be 
soon.” 6 In 1856 Darwin wrote,—“I thank you sincerely for all 
your assistance ; and whether or no my book may be wretched, 
you have done your best to make it less wretched .. . My own 
mind is decided on the question of the origin of species ; but, 
good heavens, how little that is worth.” 1 In another letter, he 
says,—“ I was particularly glad of our discussion after dinner; 
fighting a battle with you always clears my mind wonderfully... 
1 L. and L., Vol. II, p. 144. 2 Ibid, p. 54. 3 M. L., Vol. I, p. 483. 
* Ibid, p. 486. 6 Ibid, p. 489. c Ibid, p. 6. 
* L. and L., Vol. II, p. 83. 
