CHARLES DARWIN TO MRS. HALIBURTON. (Mrs. Haliburton was a daughter of my father's old friend, Mr. Owen of Woodhouse. Her husband, Judge Haliburton, was the well-known author of 'Sam Slick.') Down, November 1 [1872].
My dear Mrs. Haliburton,
I dare say you will be surprised to hear from me. My object in writing now is to say that I have just published a on the 'Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals;' and it has occurred to me that you might possibly like to read some parts of it; and I can hardly think that this would have been the case with any of the which I have already published. So I send by this post my present Although I have had no communication with you or the other members of your family for so long a time, no scenes in my whole life pass so frequently or so vividly before my mind as those which relate to happy old days spent at Woodhouse. I should very much like to hear a little news about yourself and the other members of your family, if you will take the trouble to write to me. Formerly I used to glean some news about you from my sisters.
I have had many years of bad health and have not been able to visit anywhere; and now I feel very old. As long as I pass a perfectly uniform life, I am able to do some daily work in Natural History, which is still my passion, as it was in old days, when you used to laugh at me for collecting beetles with such zeal at Woodhouse. Excepting from my continued ill- health, which has excluded me from society, my life has been a very happy one; the greatest drawback being that several of my children have inherited from me feeble health. I hope with all my heart that you retain, at least to a large extent, the famous "Owen constitution." With sincere feelings of gratitude and affection for all bearing the name of Owen, I venture to sign myself,
Yours affectionately, CHARLES DARWIN.
CHARLES DARWIN TO MRS. HALIBURTON. Down, November 6 [1872].
My dear Sarah,
I have been very much pleased by your letter, which I must call charming. I hardly ventured to think that you would have retained a friendly recollection of me for so many years. Yet I ought to have felt assured that you would remain as warm-hearted and as true-hearted as you have ever been from my earliest recollection. I know well how many grievous sorrows you have gone through; but I am very sorry to hear that your health is not good. In the spring or summer, when the weather is better, if you can summon up courage to pay us a visit here, both my wife, as she desires me to say, and myself, would be truly glad to see you, and I know that you would not care about being rather dull here. It would be a real pleasure to me to see you.--Thank you much for telling about your family,--much of which was new to me. How kind you all were to me as a boy, and you especially, and how much happiness I owe to you. Believe me your affectionate and obliged friend,
CHARLES DARWIN.
P.S.--Perhaps you would like to see a photograph of me now that I am old.
1873.
[The only work (other than botanical) of this year was the preparation of a second edition of the 'Descent of Man,' the publication of which is referred to in the following chapter. This work was undertaken much against the grain, as he was at the time deeply immersed in the manuscript of 'Insectivorous Plants.' Thus he wrote to Mr. Wallace (November 19), "I never in my lifetime regretted an interruption so much as this new edition of the 'Descent.'" And later (in December) he wrote to Mr. Huxley: "The new edition of the 'Descent' has turned out an awful job. It took me ten days merely to glance over letters and reviews with criticisms and new facts. It is a devil of a job."
The work was continued until April 1, 1874, when he was able to return to his much loved Drosera. He wrote to Mr. Murray:--
"I have at last finished, after above three months as hard work as I have ever had in my life, a corrected edition of the 'Descent,' and I much wish to have it printed off as soon as possible. As it is to be stereotyped I shall never touch it again."
The first of the miscellaneous letters of 1873 refers to a pleasant visit received from Colonel Higginson of Newport, U.S.]
CHARLES DARWIN TO THOS. WENTWORTH HIGGINSON. Down, February 27th [1873].
My dear Sir,
My wife has just finished reading aloud your 'Life with a Black Regiment,' and you must allow me to thank you heartily for the very great pleasure which it has in many ways given us. I always thought well of the negroes, from the little which I have seen of them; and I have been delighted to have my vague impressions confirmed, and their character and mental powers so ably discussed. When you were here I did not know of the noble position which you had filled. I had formerly read about the black regiments, but failed to connect your name with your admirable undertaking. Although we enjoyed greatly your visit to Down, my wife and myself have over and over again regretted that we did not know about the black regiment, as we should have greatly liked to have heard a little about the South from your own lips.
Your descriptions have vividly recalled walks taken forty years ago in Brazil. We have your collected Essays, which were kindly sent us by Mr. [Moncure] Conway, but have not yet had time to read them. I occasionally glean a little news of you in the 'Index'; and within the last hour have read an interesting article of yours on the progress of Free Thought.
Believe me, my dear sir, with sincere admiration, Yours very faithfully, CH. DARWIN.
[On May 28th he sent the following answers to the questions that Mr. Galton was at that time addressing to various scientific men, in the course of the inquiry which is given in his 'English Men of Science, their Nature and Nurture,' 1874. With regard to the questions my father wrote, "I have filled up the answers as well as I could, but it is simply impossible for me to estimate the degrees." For the sake of convenience, the questions and answers relating to "Nurture" are made to precede those on "Nature":
NURTURE.
EDUCATION?
How taught? I consider that all I have learnt of any value has been self- taught.
Conducive to or restrictive of habits of observation? Restrictive of observation, being almost entirely classical.
Conducive to health or otherwise? Yes.
Peculiar merits? None whatever.
Chief omissions? No mathematics or modern languages, nor any habits of observation or reasoning.
RELIGION.
Has the religious creed taught in your youth had any deterrent effect on the freedom of your researches? No.
SCIENTIFIC TASTES.
Do your scientific tastes appear to have been innate? Certainly innate.
Were they determined by any and what events? My innate taste for natural history strongly confirmed and directed by the voyage in the "Beagle".
NATURE.
Specify any interests that have been very actively pursued. Science, and field sports to a passionate degree during youth.
(C.D. = CHARLES DARWIN, R.D. = ROBERT DARWIN, his father.)
RELIGION?
C.D.--Nominally to Church of England. R.D.--Nominally to Church of England.
POLITICS?
C.D.--Liberal or Radical. R.D.--Liberal.
HEALTH?
C.D.--Good when young--bad for last 33 years. R.D.--Good throughout life, except from gout.
HEIGHT, ETC?
C.D.--6ft. Figure, etc.?--Spare, whilst young rather stout. Measurement round inside of hat?--22 1/4 in. Colour of Hair?--Brown. Complexion?-- Rather sallow. R.D.--6ft. 2 in. Figure, etc?--Very brand corpulent. Colour of hair? --Brown. Complexion?--Ruddy.
TEMPERAMENT?
C.D.--Somewhat nervous. R.D.--Sanguine.
ENERGY OF BODY, ETC.?
C.D.--Energy shown by much activity, and whilst I had health, power of resisting fatigue. I and one other man were alone able to fetch water for a large party of officers and sailors utterly prostrated. Some of my expeditions in S. America were adventurous. An early riser in the morning. R.D.--Great power of endurance although feeling much fatigue, as after consultations after long journeys ; very active--not restless--very early riser, no travels. My father said his father suffered much from sense of fatigue, that he worked very hard.
ENERGY OF MIND, ETC.?
C.D.--Shown by rigorous and long-continued work on same subject, as 20 years on the 'Origin of Species,' and 9 years on 'Cirripedia.' R.D.--Habitually very active mind--shown in conversation with a succession of people during the whole day.
MEMORY?
C.D.--Memory very bad for dates, and for learning by rote; but good in retaining a general or vague recollection of many facts. R.D.--Wonderful memory for dates. In old age he told a person, reading aloud to him a only read in youth, the passages which were coming-- knew the birthdays and death, etc., of all friends and acquaintances.
STUDIOUSNESS?
C.D.--Very studious, but not large acquirements. R.D.--Not very studious or mentally receptive, except for facts in conversation--great collector of anecdotes.
INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGMENT?
C.D.--I think fairly independent; but I can give no instances. I gave up common religious belief almost independently from my own reflections. R.D.--Free thinker in religious matters. Liberal, with rather a tendency to Toryism.
ORIGINALITY OR ECCENTRICITY?
C.D.-- -- Thinks this applies to me; I do not think so--i.e., as far as eccentricity. I suppose that I have shown originality in science, as I have made discoveries with regard to common objects. R.D.--Original character, had great personal influence and power of producing fear of himself in others. He kept his accounts with great care in a peculiar way, in a number of separate little , without any general ledger.
SPECIAL TALENTS?
C.D.--None, except for business as evinced by keeping accounts, replies to correspondence, and investing money very well. Very methodical in all my habits. R.D.--Practical business--made a large fortune and incurred no losses.
STRONGLY MARKED MENTAL PECULIARITIES, BEARING ON SCIENTIFIC SUCCESS, AND NOT SPECIFIED ABOVE?
C.D.--Steadiness--great curiosity about facts and their meaning. Some love of the new and marvellous. R.D.--Strong social affection and great sympathy in the pleasures of others. Sceptical as to new things. Curious as to facts. Great foresight. Not much public spirit--great generosity in giving money and assistance.
N.B.--I find it quite impossible to estimate my character by your degrees.
The following letter refers inter alia to a letter which appeared in 'Nature' (September 25, 1873), "On the Males and Complemental Males of certain Cirripedes, and on Rudimentary Organs:"]
CHARLES DARWIN TO E. HAECKEL. Down, September 25, 1873.
My dear Haeckel,
I thank you for the present of your ('Schopfungs-geschichte,' 4th edition. The translation ('The History of Creation') was not published until 1876.), and I am heartily glad to see its great success. You will do a wonderful amount of good in spreading the doctrine of Evolution, supporting it as you do by so many original observations. I have read the new preface with very great interest. The delay in the appearance of the English translation vexes and surprises me, for I have never been able to read it thoroughly in German, and I shall assuredly do so when it appears in English. Has the problem of the later stages of reduction of useless structures ever perplexed you? This problem has of late caused me much perplexity. I have just written a letter to 'Nature' with a hypothetical explanation of this difficulty, and I will send you the paper with the passage marked. I will at the same time send a paper which has interested me; it need not be returned. It contains a singular statement bearing on so-called Spontaneous Generation. I much wish that this latter question could be settled, but I see no prospect of it. If it could be proved true this would be most important to us...
Wishing you every success in your admirable labours,
I remain, my dear Haeckel, yours very sincerely, CHARLES DARWIN.
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