Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. H.
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Thanks for congratulations.
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Doubts THH's response to Pangenesis will give him pleasure. "Oh Lord what a blowing up I may receive."
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Still thinks THH has been too "sharp sighted" on hybridism.
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Sends Mrs Huxley Queries about expression.
Summary Add
Transcription
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Jan. 30
My dear Huxley
Most sincere thanks for your kind congratulations. I never
received a note from you in my life without pleasure; but
whether this will be so after you have read Pangenesis, I am very
doubtful. Oh Lord what a blowing up I may receive. I write now
partly to say that you must not think of looking at my Book till
the summer, when I hope you will read pangenesis, for I care
for your opinion on such a subject more than for that of any other
man in Europe.— You are so terribly sharp-sighted & so
confoundedly honest! But to the day of my death I will always
maintain that you have been too sharp-sighted on Hybridism; &
the Chapter on the subject in my Book I sh
I rejoice that your children are all pretty well.— Give
M
The sympathy of all our friends about George's success (it is the young Herald) has been a wonderful pleasure to us. George has not slaved himself, which makes his success the more satisfactory.
Farewell my dear Huxley, & do not kill yourself with work | Yours most sincerely | Ch. Darwin
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- f1 5817.f1
The year is established by the reference to Variation (see n. 3, below). - +
- f2 5817.f2
See letter from T. H. Huxley, [before 30 January 1868]. Huxley had written to congratulate CD on George Howard Darwin's examination results. - +
- f3 5817.f3
CD had sent Huxley a presentation copy of Variation (see letter from T. H. Huxley, [before 30 January 1868]). He refers to the chapter `Provisional hypothesis of pangenesis' (Variation 2: 357--404). CD had sent a draft of the chapter to Huxley in 1865 (see Correspondence vol. 13). - +
- f4 5817.f4
CD refers to Chapter 19 of Variation, which contained `remarks on hybridism'. The implications of research on hybridity by CD and others had long been a subject of debate between CD and Huxley, who had asserted that natural selection could not be considered a vera causa for the origin of species until varieties had been produced by artificial selection that were sterile with each other and with their parent form. For their early discussions on this subject, see Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix VI. CD had revised his chapter on hybridism in the fourth edition of Origin and had urged Huxley to reconsider his views in light of that chapter (see Correspondence vol. 14, letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866]). See also Correspondence vol. 15, letter from T. H. Huxley, [before 7 January 1867], and letter to T. H. Huxley, 7 January [1867]. - +
- f5 5817.f5
CD refers to Henrietta Anne Huxley. The enclosure, probably a printed questionnaire on the expression of emotions, has not been found. Number five on the questionnaire pertained to the expression of a person in low spirits (see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix V). - +
- f6 5817.f6
CD discussed crying in chapter 6 of Expression. He reported observations made on a number of infants and children, but the observers are not identified. - +
- f7 5817.f7
See letter from T. H. Huxley, [before 30 January 1868] and n. 3.