My dear Lyell

I am going to do the most impudent thing in the world. But my blood gets hot with passion & runs cold alternately at the geological strides which many of your disciples are taking.

Here, poor Forbes made a continent to N. America & another (or the same) to the Gulf weed.—² Hooker makes one from New Zealand to S. America & round the world to Kerguelen Land.³ Here is Wollaston speaking of Madeira & P. Santo “as the sure & certain witnesses” of a former continent.⁴ Here is Woodward writes to me if you grant a continent over 200 or 300 miles of ocean-depths (as if that was nothing) why not extend a continent to every island in the Pacific & Atlantic oceans!⁵

And all this within the existence of recent species! If you do not stop this, if there be a lower region for the punishment of geologists, I believe, my great master, you will go there. Why your disciples in a slow & creeping manner beat all the old catastrophists who ever lived.— You will live to be the great chief of the catastrophists!

There, I have done myself a great deal of good & have exploded my passion.

So my master forgive me & believe me | Ever yours | C. Darwin

P.S. | When you go abroad you are to lend me Webb. & Heer, & can you add Maury ocean chart;⁶ Woodward had it sometime ago.

Dont answer this, I did it to ease myself.—