To John Phillips   [7 or 14 April 1848]¹

My dear Phillips

It is in honest truth, a piece of impudence on my part to trouble you, I believe now for the fourth time on the same subject, but I do want your help much.—

Talking with some of our geologists & especially Sir H. Delabeche, I see that they are inclined to doubt whether in any cases the boulders have really been carried above their parent rocks, for they think that the strata whence they were derived, may have been within the erratic period prolonged to some other distant place up to the level of the blocks, & subsequently entirely denuded, thus.

This strikes me as a very bold view: can you give me any opinion on it, which I could quote on your authority.² Are the strata of the red Conglomerate, (whence the boulders on Stainmoor have been derived) only gently inclined, for if so, an immense horizontal extension would be necessary to bring them up the 900 feet..—

When the parent rock is a hypogene formation, the whole solid mass on this view must have been denuded to that exact number of feet, which expresses the difference in height between the boulders & such parent rock. I think almost any theory would be more probable than such a view.—

I really sh^d be extremely obliged for one sentence to give on your authority, if you think as I am inclined to do on this head.—

I confess that I thought the notion here given viz of denudation so improbable, that I sh^d not have noticed it, had I not found that others looked at it differently.— I believe I shall get well abused for my paper & not make single convert to my own view, but I am resolved not to show a white feather & bring it out.

Ever yours most truly | C. Darwin

Will you send me a line soon, as my Paper is to be read at the next meeting, for which do you thank Heaven, as it must save you more notes.