This is a trumpery affair to trouble you with, but you cannot tell how much obliged I should be for your advice.
By the way, would you object to send this and your answer to Hooker to be forwarded to me, for then I shall have the opinion of my two best and kindest friends. This letter is miserably written, and I write it now, that I may for a time banish the whole subject; and I am worn out with musing...
My good dear friend forgive me. This is a trumpery letter, influenced by trumpery feelings.
Yours most truly, C. DARWIN.
I will never trouble you or Hooker on the subject again.
CHARLES DARWIN TO C. LYELL. Down, 26th [June, 1858].
My dear Lyell,
Forgive me for adding a P.S. to make the case as strong as possible against myself.
Wallace might say, "You did not intend publishing an abstract of your views till you received my communication. Is it fair to take advantage of my having freely, though unasked, communicated to you my ideas, and thus prevent me forestalling you?" The advantage which I should take being that I am induced to publish from privately knowing that Wallace is in the field. It seems hard on me that I should be thus compelled to lose my priority of many years' standing, but I cannot feel at all sure that this alters the justice of the case. First impressions are generally right, and I at first thought it would be dishonourable in me now to publish.
Yours most truly, C. DARWIN.