Charles Darwin : his life told in an autobiographical chapter and in a selected series of his published letters / edited by his son, Francis Darwin.

  • Charles Darwin
Date:
1902
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Charles Darwin : his life told in an autobiographical chapter and in a selected series of his published letters / edited by his son, Francis Darwin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    34: the first volume of tlie Principles, wliich had then just been published, but on no account to accept the views therein advocated. How differently would any one now speak ot the Principles! I am proud to remember that the first place, namely, St. Jago, in the Cape de Verde Archipelago, m which I eeoloeised, convinced mo of the infinite superiority of Lyeli s views over those advocated in any other work known to me. The powerful effects of Lyell's works could formerly be plainly seen in the different progress of _ the science in France and England. The present total oblivion of Ehe de Beau- mont's wild hypotheses, such as his Craters of mevation and Lines of Elevation (which latter hypothesis I heard Sedgwick at the Geological Society lauding to the skies), may be largely 'a^'^'ofdeal of Bobert Brown, facile Princeps Botanicorum as he was called by Humboldt. He seemed to me to be chiefly remarkable for the minuteness of his obsei-va- tions and their perfect acciu-acy. His knowledge^ was extra- ordinarily great: and much died with him, owing to his excessive fear of ever making a mistake. He poured out bis knowledge to me in the most um-eserved manner, yet was Sgely jealous on some points. I called on him twoorthree times before the voyage of the Beagle, and on one occasion he asked me to look through a microscope and describe what I w ¥his I did, aud b'elieve now that it was the marveUous currents of protoplasm in some vegetable celL I then asked him what I had seen ; but he answered me, « That is my little ''He'was capable of the most generous actions When old, xnuch o^it of health, and quite unfit for any exertion he daily Sd (as Hooker told me) an old man-servant, who lived at a Ztance (and whom he supported), and read aloud to hira. ThS is enough to make up for any degree of scientific ^Tm:; he: meSSew other eminent men wbom I have occasTonally seen, but I have little to say abo^^* -^th •v,^ T fpit a hish reverence for Sir J. Jlerscbel, ana was deSed to d ne S Mm at his charming house at the Cape i Good Hope aud afterwards at his London house I saw him also on TL other occasions. He never talked muc]>, but
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