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To Charles Lyell [10 December 1859]
Down Bromley Kent
Saturday
My dear Lyell
...I have [had a] very long interview with Owen, which perhaps you would
like to hear about, but please repeat nothing. Under garb of great
civility, he was inclined to be most bitter & sneering against me. Yet
I infer from several expressions, that at bottom he goes immense way with
us. -- He was quite savage & crimson at my having put his name with
defenders of immutability. When I said that was my impression & that of
others, for several had remarked to me, that he would be dead against me:
he then spoke of his own position in science & that of all the
naturalists in London, "with your Huxleys", with a degree of arrogance I
never saw approached. He said to effect that my explanation was best ever
published of manner of formation of species. I said I was very glad to
hear it. He took me up short, "you must not at all suppose that I agree
with in all respects". -- I said I thought it no more likely that I shd.
be right on nearly all points, than that I shd. toss up a penny & get
heads twenty times running.
I asked him which he thought the weakest parts, -- he said he had no
particular objection to any part. -- He added in most sneering tone if
I must criticise I shd. say "we do not want to know what Darwin believes
& is convinced of, but what he can prove". -- I agreed most fully
& truly that I have probably greatly sinned in this line, &
defended my general line of argument of inventing a theory, & seeing
how many classes of facts the theory would explain. -- I added that I
would endeavour to modify the "believes" & "convinceds". He took
me up short, -- "You will then spoil your book, the charm of(!)
it is that it is Darwin himself". -- He added another objection that the
book was too "teres atque rotundus", -- that it explained everything &
that it was improbable in highest degree that I shd. succeed in this"'.
I quite agree with this rather queer objection, & it comes to this
that my book must be very bad or very good. -- Lastly I thanked him for
Bear & Whale criticism, & said I had struck it out. -- "Oh have you,
well I was more struck with this than any other passage; you little know
of the remarkable & essential relationship between bears & whales". --
I am to send him the reference, & by Jove I believe he thinks a
sort of Bear was the grandpapa of Whales! I do not know whether I have
wearied you with these details which do not repeat to any one. -- We
parted with high terms of consideration; which on reflexion I am almost
sorry for -- He is the most astounding creature I ever encountered.
Farewell my dear Lyell | Yours most gratefully | C. Darwin
(From Burkhardt, Frederick, ed. Charles Darwin's Letters: A Selection 1825-1859. [Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1998])
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