Summary

Inquires whether readers of books and periodicals may not reasonably ask that they be delivered from publishers "ready cut". [See also Athenæum 22 Dec 1866, p. 848, for a letter in reply.]

Summary

Replies to a reviewer’s statement, that any theory of descent will connect large classes of facts, by pointing out that no other explanation has been as satisfactory as natural selection. But whatever view is adopted "signifies extremely little in comparison with the admission that species have descended from other species and have not been created immutable".

Summary

Darwin’s ‘Life or Erasmus Darwin’ came out in November 1879, after the March 1879 publication of Samuel Butler’s ‘Evolution Old and New’. CD guarantees accuracy of a translation in the book of an article from Kosmos. CD said article appeared before ‘Evolution Old and New,’ but Butler thinks it takes material from it. Otherwise, CD published another article entirely. Butler strongly criticizes the translation published by CD. Describes correspondence with CD about the matter, and involvement of Pall Mall Gazette.

Summary

Calculations relating to the problem of the increase of elephants (see 6787).

Summary

Thanks correspondent, "Ponderer", for pointing out his erroneous calculation of the rate of increase of elephants in Origin [p. 64]. [!?or p. 74!? (see 6775f), or 75, (see 6790)]

Summary

More on the problem of the increase of elephants (see 6806f and 6820).

Summary

Because readers have arrived at different answers to the problem of the rate of increase of elephants, CD offers a rule, used by his son George, for calculating the product for any number of generations.

[Letter erroneously dated June.]

Summary

Inquires how CD arrived at the conclusion that fifteen million elephants could be produced from a single pair in five centuries [Origin, 5th ed., p. 74].

Summary

Seeks correspondent’s support for his nephew, Henry Parker, for membership in the Athenaeum.

Summary

[Draft letter that was never sent, headed "First letter disapproved by everybody" in CD’s hand.] Explains that he had, in fact, mentioned in the MS of his part of Erasmus Darwin that Krause had added to his essay as it appeared in Kosmos. During subsequent revision, this mention was accidentally omitted. [Apropos of S. Butler’s charges against CD.]

Summary

Expresses his support for new books being sold with the pages cut.

Summary

Attacks the doctrine of "heterogeny" (spontaneous generation during each geological period) as completely lacking in evidence.

Defends natural selection as connecting large classes of facts in natural history. That certain forms have not changed since remote epochs is not an objection of any force.

Summary

[A revised version (but also not sent) of the draft letter 12439.]

Summary

Reports the balloting [for Henry Parker at the Athenaeum?] went off just right.

Summary

Thinks CD’s letter ["The doctrine of heterogeny", Collected papers 2: 78–80] will appear "with a clearer field and to better effect" if delayed a week, since next issue [of Athenæum] has Lyell’s reply to Hugh Falconer, and W. B. Carpenter’s report on the Abbéville jaw.

Summary

"My Dear Sir, I have called on you, to solicit your vote & interest at the Athenaeum Club […] in favour of my brother, Erasmus Darwin".

Summary

Likes JDH’s review of Alphonse de Candolle [Mémoires et souvenirs de A. P. de Candolle (1862)].

Falconer’s article on Lyell ["Primitive man. What led to the question?", Athenæum 4 Apr 1863, pp. 459–60] too severe.

CD has written a letter to the Athenæum "to say, under the cloak of attacking Heterogeny, a word in my own defence" [Collected papers 2: 78–80].

Bates’s Travels [Naturalist on the river Amazons (1863)] are excellent.