Ɛpsilon

To J. J. Weir   16 October 1871

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Oct 16th 1871

My dear Sir

I am much obliged for your kind note & invitation.1 I shd. like exceedingly to accept it, but it is impossible.— I have been for some months worse than usual, & can withstand no exertion or excitement of any kind, & in consequence have not been able to see anyone or go anywhere.— As long as I remain quite quiet, I can do some work, & am now preparing a new & cheap Edit. of the Origin in which I shall answer Mr. Mivart’s chief objections.2

Huxley will bring out a splendid review on do. in the Contemporary R. on November 6th.—3

I am pleased that you like Ch. Wrights article.4 It seemed to me very clever for a man who is not a naturalist. He is highly esteemed in the U. States as a Mathematician & sound reasoner.

I wish I could join your party.— | My dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | Ch Darwin

1
Weir’s letter has not been found.
2
In Origin 6th ed., chapter 7, CD answered the objections of, among others, St George Jackson Mivart in his Genesis of species (Mivart 1871a).
3
CD refers to Thomas Henry Huxley and T. H. Huxley 1871b (in the Contemporary Review).
4
CD refers to Chauncey Wright and presumably to the pamphlet version of Wright’s review of Mivart’s Genesis of species in the North American Review (Wright 1871a and 1871b).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

& cheap] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8013,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8013