time enough on them myself.

The gorse case is very valuable, and I will quote it, as I presume I
may.

I was very glad to see in the _Reader_ that you have been giving a
grand paper (as I infer from remarks in discussion) on Geographical
Distribution.

I am very weak, so will say no more.--Yours very sincerely,

C. DARWIN.

* * * * *

In Vol. I., p. 93, of the "Life and Letters of Charles Darwin," Darwin
states the circumstances which led to his writing the "Descent of Man."
He says that his collection of facts, begun in 1837 or 1838, was
continued for many years without any definite idea of publishing on the
subject. The letter to Wallace of May 28, 1864, in reply to the latter's
of May 10, shows that in the period of ill-health and depression about
1864 he despaired of ever being able to do so.

_5 Westbourne Grove Terrace, W. May 10, 1864._

My dear Darwin,--I was very much gratified to hear by your letter of a
month back that you were a little better, and I have since heard
occasionally through Huxley and Lubbock that you are not worse. I
sincerely hope the summer weather and repose may do you real good.

The Borneo Cave exploration is to go on at present without a
subscription. The new British consul who is going out to Sarawak this
month will undertake to explore some of the caves nearest the town, and
if anything of interest is obtained a good large sum can no doubt be
raised for a thorough exploration of the whole country. Sir J. Brooke
will give every assistance, and will supply men for the preliminary
work.

I send you now my little contribution to the _theory_ of the origin of
man. I hope you will be able to agree with me. If you are able, I shall
be glad to have your criticisms.

I was led to the subject by the necessity of explaining the vast mental
and cranial differences between man and the apes combined with such
small structural differences in other parts of the body, and also by an
endeavour to account for the diversity of human races combined with
man's almost perfect stability of form during all historical epochs.

It has given me a settled opinion on these subjects, if nobody can show
a fallacy in the argument.

The Anthropologicals did not seem to appreciate it much, but we had a
long discussion which appears almost verbatim in the _Anthropological
Review_.[39]

As the _Linnean Transactions_ will not be out till the end of the year I
sent a pret