To T. H. Huxley 31 October [1861]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Oct. 31st
My dear Huxley
In a little Book, just published, called the Three Barriers (a theological hash of old abuse of me) Owen gives to the Author a new resume of his Brain doctrine;2 & I thought you would like to hear of this. He ends with a delightful sentence. “No science affords more scope or easier ground for the caviller & controversialist; & these do good by preventing scholars from giving more force to generalisations than the master propounding them does, or meant his readers or hearers to give”.—3
You will blush with pleasure to hear that you are of some use to the Master.
Ever yours | C. Darwin
I have had more Catasetums, all right you audacious “caviller”.—4
Mr. Campbell vows he will work; if he will, he shall have lots—5
Footnotes
Bibliography
NUC: The national union catalog. Pre-1956 imprints. 685 vols. and supplement (69 vols.). London and Chicago: Mansell. 1968–81.
[Rorison, Gilbert.] 1861. The three barriers: notes on Mr Darwin’s ‘Origin of species’. Edinburgh and London: Blackwood & Sons.
Summary
Owen’s new résumé of his brain doctrine ["On the cerebral character of man and ape", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 7 (1861): 456–8]; an attack on CD’s views. Quotes Owen on cavillers and controversialists.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3303
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Thomas Henry Huxley
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Archives (Huxley 5: 194)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3303,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3303.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9