Summary

CD apologises for having thought that StGJM’s religious feelings had led him to feel personal animosity towards him. [See 7454.]

He remembers having thought and written that belief in evolution is infinitely more important for science than belief in Natural Selection. For his own part he would have felt little interest in evolution apart from the explanation "in a general manner" of how each organism is so adapted to its conditions.

Summary

Response to [vol. 1 of] CD’s Descent.

Not yet convinced on sexual selection and protection, though their differences are not so great as CD thinks.

On man, he does not think CD has accounted for every step of his development by "ascertained laws".

Summary

Obliged for specimens [of Paritium?].

Discusses difference between sport and parent tree.

Summary

Accepts the proposed corrections of his spelling except for "chloèn". [WSD was preparing the index for Descent, vol. 2.]

Summary

Thanks RM for information on case of hexadactyly [see RM’s paper, "Hexadactylism", Land and Water, 11 March 1871, p. 179.

Summary

He has found passage on false belief, Variation 2: 414, and does not think the whole with context is dogmatic. [Encloses copy of the passage.]

Summary

Has received all the proof-sheets of first volume and of second volume to p. 168 [Descent].

Leaves for Paris tomorrow.

Summary

Responds to ARW’s comments on CD’s argument about protection in Descent.

Comments on St G. Mivart’s criticism [Genesis of species (1871)]. "The pendulum will now swing against us."

Summary

Thanks JVC for his corrections. Will send other errata. Hopes to send remainder of vol. 2 [of Descent] in a fortnight.

Summary

Asks that review copy [of Descent] be sent to F. P. Cobbe.

Discusses mailing of presentation copies.

Summary

Thanks CD for the second volume of Descent.

Summary

Thinks G. H. Lewes will review Descent in Pall Mall Gazette.

Summary

On "moral sense" in Descent.

Summary

Returns pamphlets.

B. T. Lowne’s observation [Mon. Microsc. J. 4 (1870): 326–30] that boiling does not kill certain moulds is curious, but then how account for absence of all living things in Pasteur’s experiment?

Always delighted to see a word in favour of Pangenesis.

Thiselton-Dyer’s paper ["On spontaneous generation and evolution", Q. J. Microsc. Sci. 10 (1870): 333–54] is Spencerian.

The chemical conditions for first production of life are said to exist at present, but in some warm little pond today such matter would be absorbed or devoured, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed.

Summary

Has left Paris because of the war.

J. J. Moulinié and Carl Vogt are at work on Descent, which CR plans to publish in Paris.

Summary

Sir Andrew Smith says Hottentots and Kaffirs laugh till they cry.

Summary

Encloses a letter [missing] from C. Reinwald, publisher of the French edition of Descent [1872].

Vincenzi [of Unione, Turin – publisher of Italian translation] has not yet paid the account.

Summary

On irritation of cutaneous nerves exciting responses in unconnected skin muscles.

Summary

Sends questions on expressions of Laura Bridgman.

Has finished Descent. Believes that parts, like that on moral sense, will aggravate AG.

Working on an essay on expression.

Summary

Does shut eyes when scratching himself. Will ask Langstaff about muscles used when playing flute. Is back at work but hobbling around.