WCP1931

Letter (WCP1931.1821)

[1]1

Down.

Beckenham Bromley

Kent. S.E.

January 26 [1870]2

My dear Wallace

I have been very much struck, by your whole article3 (returned by this post), especially on the rate of denudation, for the still glaciated surfaces have of late much perplexed me. Also especially on the lesser mutations of climate during the last 60,000 years; for I quite think with you no cause so powerful in inducing specific changes through the consequent migrations.4 Your argument w[oul]d be somewhat strengthened [2] about organic changes having been formerly more rapid, if Sir W. Thompson5 is correct that physical changes were formerly more violent & abrupt.

The whole subject is so new & vast, that I suppose you hardly expect anyone to be at once convinced, but that he sh[oul]d. keep your view before his mind & let it ferment. This, I think, everyone will be forced to do.— I have not as yet been able to digest the fundamental notion [3] of the shortened age of the sun & Earth. Your whole paper seems to me admirably clear & well put.— I may remark that Rütimeyer6 has shown that [one word illeg. crossed out] several wild mammals in Switzerland since [the] neolithic period have had their dentition & I think general size slightly modified. I cannot believe that [the] Isthmus of Panama has been open since [the] commencement of [the] Glacial period; for notwithstanding the Fishes so few shell, crustacean & according to Agassiz7 not one echinoderm is common to the [4] sides.— I am very glad you are going to publish all your papers on Nat[ural] Selection: I am sure you are right, & that they will do our cause much good.

But I groan over Man— you write like a metamorphosed (in retrograde direction) naturalist, & you the author of the best paper that ever appeared in [the] Anth[ropological]. Review!8

Eheu Eheu Eheu9 | Your miserable friend | C. Darwin [signature]

1
A pencil annotation at the top of page 1 adds 'On measurement of Geol[ogical]. Time ("Nature").'
2
A pen annotation in the upper centre of page 1 adds '(1870)'. The year of 1870 has been established as the correct date by the Darwin Correspondence Project see DCP-LETT-7086.
3
Wallace, A. R. 1870. The Measurement of Geological Time. I. Nature 1: 399-401 (17 Feb. 1870) / II. Nanture 1: 452-455 (3 March 1870).
4
A vertical double scored pen annotation runs down the left-hand margin of page 1 from the text "Also especially" to " consequent migrations".
5
Thomson, William (1824-1907), First Baron Kelvin. British mathematician and physicist.
6
Rütimeyer, Ludwig Karl (1825-1895). Swiss zoologist, anatomist and paleontologist.
7
Agassiz, Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe (1835-1910). Swiss-born oceanographer, marine biologist and mining entrepreneur.
8
Wallace, A. R. 1864. The Origin of Human Races and the Antiquity of Man Deduced From the Theory of "Natural Selection. Journal of the Anthropological Society of London, 2: clviii-clxx.
9
Latin for alas.

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP1931.1821)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Darwin Correspondence Project [2012-11-19] Transcription checked by Beros, Matt [2019-12-20]

Published letter (WCP1931.6016)

[1] [p. 250]

Down, Beckenham, Kent, S.E. January 26, [1870]1.

My dear Wallace, — I have been very much struck by your whole article (returned by this post), especially as to rate of denudation, for the still glaciated surfaces have of late most perplexed me. Also especially on the lesser mutations of climate during the last 60,000 years; for I quite think with you no cause so powerful in inducing specific changes, through the consequent migrations. Your argument would be somewhat strengthened about organic changes having been formerly more rapid, if Sir W. Thomson2 is correct that physical changes were formerly more violent and abrupt.

The whole subject is so new and vast that I suppose you hardly expect anyone to be at once convinced, but that he should keep your view before his mind and let it ferment. This, I think, everyone will be forced to do. I have not as yet been able to digest the fundamental notion [2] of the shortened age of the sun and earth. Your whole paper seems to me admirably clear and well put. I may remark that Rütimeyer3 has shown that several wild mammals in Switzerland since the neolithic period have had their dentition and, I think, general size slightly modified. I cannot believe that the Isthmus of Panama has been open since the commencement of the glacial period; for, notwithstanding the fishes, so few shells, crustaceans, and, according to Agassiz4, not one echinoderm is common to the sides. I am very glad you are going to publish all your papers on Natural Selection: I am sure you are right, and that they will do our cause much good.

But I groan over Man5 — you write like a metamorphosed (in retrograde direction) naturalist, and you the author of the best paper that ever appeared in the Anthropological Review! Eheu [Latin: Alas]! Eheu! Eheu! — Your miserable friend, | C. DARWIN.

1
In the published letter the year was in square brackets.
2
Thomson, William (1824-1907), First Baron Kelvin. British mathematician and physicist.
3
Rütimeyer, Ludwig Karl (1825-1895). Swiss zoologist, anatomist and paleontologist.
4
Agassiz, Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe (1835-1910). Swiss-born oceanographer, marine biologist and mining entrepreneur.
5
Darwin, Charles [1871] The Descent of Man. 2 vols.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP1931.6016)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Lo, Yen-Nyuk [2019-12-17]

Please cite as “WCP1931,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 3 May 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1931