To St G. J. Mivart   26 January [1871]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

Jan 26

My dear Sir

I have had two bad days in my bed-room & am a good deal shaken & must be brief.— I shd. be an unfeeling wretch, if I was not quite softened by your extremely kind letter.—2 I own that I thought I saw that your religious feelings had led (for I know of no other cause) you to feel personal animosity towards me, but that your kindness had induced you to conquer & mask these feelings, but that they had biassed your arguments. I now quite think that this was an utter delusion & I apologise to you for such thoughts. I express myself very badly but my head feels very weak.— I do most strongly think, & remember writing so just after appearance of Origin, that the belief in Evolution is infinitely more important for science than belief in Nat. Selection;3 but I do not wish to obtrude this opinion in any public work, or at least not without it comes in naturally & is duly guarded.— I think so, because an [immense] field of enquiry is thus opened up on the manner in which each organism has acquired its present structure—causes of variation—mutual sterility—geographical distribution &c &c &c

(By the way do not your adduced facts of anomalous distribution tell quite as much against evolution as against nat. Selection?)4 For my own private part, I shd have felt little interest in evolution if I had not been able to explain in a general manner to my own satisfaction how each organism had become so wonderfully adapted to its conditions. You admit that Nat-selection has done something, but I almost think you wd be puzzled to say what, judging from your argument from jaw of Thylecimus.5 I almost think you wd have been more secure to have followed Owen6 & given Nat. Selection altogether up.—

Pray tell me when I used that horrid arrogant expression—“it is a false belief”—7 When in London, strength & time permitting, I will surely call on you.— Accept my cordial and sincere thanks for your great kindness & for not taking offence with me.— I can write no more.— I do not know whether all this will be intelligible.

Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from St G. J. Mivart, 24 January 1871.
2
On CD’s illness, see the letter to J. B. Innes, 26 January [1871] and n. 2. CD refers to the letter from Mivart of 24 January 1871.
3
The reference has not been identified. See also draft letter to St G. J. Mivart, [23 January 1871].
4
On the geographical distribution of animals, see Mivart 1871a, chapter 7.
5
In Mivart 1871a, p. 68, Mivart commented on the fact that the anterior molars of the dog (a placental mammal) resembled those of the thylacine (Tasmanian wolf; a marsupial mammal). See also Correspondence vol. 18, letter to W. H. Flower, 25 March [1870] and n. 4.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
1.5 that they had biassed] after del ‘but’
1.7 thoughts] after del ‘[feelings]’
1.9 is infinitely] ‘is’ interl
1.9 for science than belief] interl
1.9 in Nat. Selection; 1.10] after del ‘than’
1.11 is duly] ‘is’ interl
2.1 (By the way … Selection?) 2.2] square brackets in MS
2.1 quite] interl
2.5 that] interl
2.5 almost] interl
2.7 Nat. Selection altogether 2.8] interl above del ‘it all’
3.2 on you.] interl
3.4 & for … with me.] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7459A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7459A