[Enclosure 1]

4, Bryanston Street, | Portman Square. W.

1 Feb 1880

Dear M^r. Darwin,

Henrietta asks me to write my ideas on the Butler letter & your proposed answer.⁴

When I read Butler’s statement at the Club⁵ yest^y I was much relieved to find that it was of a kind which, as I thought made any answer absolutely unnecessary. Neither in form, nor in substance, is it such as to suggest that a reply is expected. You will observe that it does not, as is common with newspaper attacks, ask for any further information or explanation, or touch any point of fact on which either the assailant, or a reader, could require such— In short, I never was clearer about anything than that, if it were my case, I should say nothing.

I tried, a second time, to read the Statement, as if I were an outsider who knew nothing of the quarrel, & felt entirely sure this is the right conclusion.

Not one reader in a thousand will make head or tail of the grievance. It’s all muddled up with complaints agst divers reviewers—⁶ This alone practically neutralizes any effect it might have had otherwise. Then if an attentive reader does care to look back & see what the complaint was he will also see (though in a brief form) your substantial reply: and this is on the face of it, sufficient for the purpose. All the rest of B.’s insinuations read to an outsider as merely the annoyance & venom of a man out of temper & hitting wildly about him.

If you answer him you bring about exactly the result he most wants, w^h is to fill people’s heads with the notion that y^r. b^k. is in some way a reply or rejoinder to his: in fact you make it a “Darwin–Butler affaire” as the French w^d. say—and this is what will delight him.

As it stands there is nothing w^h. any friend of y^rs. or any absolutely indifferent person c^d want explained or answered, and the tone of Butler is of itself quite enough to deprive him of any shadow of claim to an answer w^h. a loyal and friendly correspondent might have.

What I am trying to convey in this letter is that I have thought the thing over as a cold outsider. & that it is in this character that I am against any reply to B.

I agree however wholly with all that H. says as to y^r. draft reply.

Y^rs affec | R B. L

[Enclosure 2]

4, Bryanston Street, | Portman Square. W.

To Father⁷

But in any case omit interpolated sentence about you   Could give explanation of how omission came to be made⁸   People will easily guess that such an accident is possible & this weakens the effect— Also & this is much more important omit last sentence which shows that Butler has stung you—⁹ of course there is no question of a controversy between you & the letter shd be done with a perfectly dry cold manner. I shd like you to treat Butler like a man does a woman who hits him— it isn’t pleasant, but its impossible to meet it—

Your character for perfect fairness & magnanimity is known to everybody who knows anything of science & to think that anybody will heed what Butler says is absurd— I sh^d be very sorry that this last sentence sh^d go forth—

R. wants to say some more but hasn’t time before John’s train—so please don’t make up yr mind—till you hear from us by post—¹⁰

We have copied out your letter to Athenæum so as to make any corrections

John going