To Charles Lyell   30 September [1859]

My dear Lyell

I sent off this morning the last sheets, but without index which is not yet in type.— I look at you as my Lord High Chancellor in Natural Science, & therefore I request you, after you have finished, just to re run over the heads in the Recapitulation-part of last Chapter. I shall be deeply anxious to hear what you decide (if you are able to decide) on the balance of the pros & contras given in my volume & of such other pros & contras as may occur to you.—

I hope that you will think that I have given difficulties fairly. I feel an entire conviction, that if you are now staggered to any moderate extent, that you will come more & more round, the longer you keep the subject at all before your mind. I remember well how many long years it was before I could look into the face of some of the difficulties & not feel quite abashed. I fairly struck my colours before the case of neuter-insects.—¹

I suppose that I am a very slow thinker, for you would be surprised at the number of years it took me to see clearly what some of the problems were, which had to be solved,—such as the necessity of the principle of divergence of character—the extinction of intermediate varieties on a continuous area with graduated conditions,—the double problem of sterile first crosses & sterile hybrids, &c &c.—

Looking back, I think it was more difficult to see what the problems were than to solve them, as far as I have succeeded in doing; & this seems to me rather curious.² Well, good or bad, my work thank God is over & hard work, I can assure you I have had, & much work, which has never borne fruit.— You see by the way that I am scribbling that I have an idle & rainy afternoon. I was not able to start for Ilkley yesterday, as I was too unwell; but I hope to get there on Tuesday or Wednesday.—³ Do, I beg you, when you have finished my Book & thought a little over it, let me hear from you.— Never mind & pitch into me, if you think it requisite.

Some future day in London, possibly you may give me a few criticisms in detail,—that is if you have scribbled any remarks on margin.—, for the chance of a second edition.—

Murray has printed 1250 copies, which seems to me rather too large an edition, but I hope he will not lose.—⁴

I make as much fuss about my book as if it were my first— forgive me & believe me | My dear Lyell | Yours most sincerely | C. Darwin