[The remaining letters of this year deal chiefly with the books, reviews, etc., which interested him.]
CHARLES DARWIN TO H. THIEL. Down, February 25, 1869.
Dear Sir,
On my return home after a short absence, I found your very courteous note, and the pamphlet ('Ueber einige Formen der Landwirthschaftlichen Genossenschaften.' by Dr. H. Thiel, then of the Agricultural Station at Poppelsdorf.), and I hasten to thank you for both, and for the very honourable mention which you make of my name. You will readily believe how much interested I am in observing that you apply to moral and social questions analogous views to those which I have used in regard to the modification of species. It did not occur to me formerly that my views could be extended to such widely different, and most important, subjects. With much respect, I beg leave to remain, dear Sir,
Yours faithfully and obliged, CHARLES DARWIN.
CHARLES DARWIN TO T.H. HUXLEY. Down, March 19 [1869].
My dear Huxley,
Thanks for your 'Address.' (In his 'Anniversary Address' to the Geological Society, 1869, Mr. Huxley criticised Sir William Thomson's paper ('Trans. Geol. Soc., Glasgow,' volume iii.) "On Geological Time.") People complain of the unequal distribution of wealth, but it is a much greater shame and injustice that any one man should have the power to write so many brilliant essays as you have lately done. There is no one who writes like you... If I were in your shoes, I should tremble for my life. I agree with all you say, except that I must think that you draw too great a distinction between the evolutionists and the uniformitarians.
I find that the few sentences which I have sent to press in the 'Origin' about the age of the world will do fairly well...
Ever yours, C. DARWIN.