be a start in the same line of variation. What
astonishes me as against experience, and what I cannot believe, is that
varieties already improved or modified do not vary in other respects.
I think he must have generalised from two or three spontaneously fixed
varieties. Even in seedlings from the same capsule some vary much more
than others; so it is with sub-varieties and varieties. (230/1. In
a letter of August 13th, 1869, Sir J.D. Hooker wrote correcting Mr.
Darwin's impression: "I did not mean to imply that Hallett affirmed that
all variation stopped--far from it: he maintained the contrary, but if
I understand him aright, he soon arrives at a point beyond which any
further accumulation in the direction sought is so small and so slow
that practically a fixity of type (not absolute fixity, however) is the
result.")

It is a grand fact about Anoplotherium (230/2. This perhaps refers to
the existence of Anoplotherium in the S. American Eocene formation: it
is one of the points in which the fauna of S. America resembles Europe
rather than N. America. (See Wallace "Geographical Distribution," I.,
page 148.)), and shows how even terrestrial quadrupeds had time formerly
to spread to very distinct regions. At each epoch the world tends to get
peopled pretty uniformly, which is a blessing for Geology.

The article in "N. British Review" (230/3. See Letter 229.) is well
worth reading scientifically; George D. and Erasmus were delighted with
it. How the author does hit! It was a euphuism to speak of a fling at
you: it was a kick. He is very unfair to Huxley, and accuses him of
"quibbling," etc.; yet the author cannot help admiring him extremely. I
know I felt very small when I finished the article. You will be amused
to observe that geologists have all been misled by Playfair, who was
misled by two of the greatest mathematicians! And there are other
such cases; so we could turn round and show your reviewer how cautious
geologists ought to be in trusting mathematicians.

There is another excellent original article, I feel sure by McClennan,
on Primeval Man, well worth reading.

I do not quite agree about Sabine: he is unlike every other soldier or
sailor I ever heard of if he would not put his second leg into the tomb
with more satisfaction as K.C.B. than as a simple man. I quite agree
that the Government ought to have made him long ago, but what does
the Government know or care for Science? So much for your splenditious
l