Volume I Part 43 (2/2)

My father's contribution to the paper consisted of (1) Extracts from the sketch of 1844; (2) part of a letter addressed to Dr Asa Gray, dated Septeiven above The paper was ”communicated” to the Society by Sir Charles Lyell and Sir Joseph Hooker, in whose prefatory letter, a clear account of the circu to Mr Wallace's Essay, they wrote:

”So highly did Mr Darwin appreciate the value of the views therein set forth, that he proposed, in a letter to Sir Charles Lyell, to obtain Mr Wallace's consent to allow the Essay to be published as soon as possible Of this step we highly approved, provided Mr Darwin did not withhold froly inclined to do (in favour of Mr Wallace), the memoir which he had himself written on the same subject, and which, as before stated, one of us had perused in 1844, and the contents of which we had both of us been privy to for ave us perht proper of hisour present course, of presenting it to the Linnean Society, we have explained to hi the relative claims to priority of hienerally”]

LETTERS

CHARLES DARWIN TO C LYELL Down, 18th [June 1858]

My dear Lyell,

Soo you recommended azine of Natural History', 1855), which had interested you, and, as I riting to him, I knew this would please him much, so I told him He has to-day sent me the enclosed, and askedYour words have coeance--that I should be forestalled You said this, when I explained to you here very briefly le for existence I never saw acoincidence; if Wallace had my MS sketch written out in 1842, he could not have made a better short abstract! Even his terms now stand as heads of my chapters Please return me the MS, which he does not say he wishes me to publish, but I shall of course, at once write and offer to send to any journal So all inality, whatever it h my book, if it will ever have any value, will not be deteriorated; as all the labour consists in the application of the theory

I hope you will approve of Wallace's sketch, that I may tell him what you say

My dear Lyell, yours most truly, C DARWIN

CHARLES DARWIN TO C LYELL Down, Friday [June 25, 1858]

My dear Lyell,

I am very sorry to trouble you, busy as you are, in so ive reat a service as everin Wallace's sketch which is not written out much fuller in my sketch, copied out in 1844, and read by Hooker soo I sent a short sketch, of which I have a copy, ofto correspondence on several points) to Asa Gray, so that I couldfrolad now to publish a sketch of es or so; but I cannot persuadeabout publication, and I enclose his letter But as I had not intended to publish any sketch, can I do so honourably, because Wallace has sent me an outline of his doctrine? I would far rather burn my whole book, than that he or any other man should think that I had behaved in a paltry spirit Do you not think his having sent me this sketch ties my hands? If I could honourably publish, I would state that I was induced now to publish a sketch (and I should be very glad to be periven) froeneral conclusions We differ only, [in] that I was led to my views from what artificial selection has done for domestic animals I would send Wallace a copy of my letter to Asa Gray, to show him that I had not stolen his doctrine But I cannot tell whether to publish noould not be base and paltry This was my first impression, and I should have certainly acted on it had it not been for your letter

This is a trumpery affair to trouble you with, but you cannot tell how ed I should be for your advice

By the ould you object to send this and your answer to Hooker to be forwarded to me, for then I shall have the opinion of my two best and kindest friends This letter is miserably written, and I write it now, that I may for a ti

My good dear friend forgive s

Yours most truly, C DARWIN

I will never trouble you or Hooker on the subject again

CHARLES DARWIN TO C LYELL Down, 26th [June, 1858]

My dear Lyell,

Forgive ainst ht say, ”You did not intend publishi+ng an abstract of your views till you receivedfreely, though unasked, co you?” The advantage which I should take being that I a that Wallace is in the field It seems hard on me that I should be thus co, but I cannot feel at all sure that this alters the justice of the case First iht it would be dishonourable in me now to publish

Yours ht you would make a first-rate Lord Chancellor; and I now appeal to you as a Lord Chancellor

CHARLES DARWIN TO JD HOOKER Down, Tuesday [June 29, 1858]