difficulties...During the earliest period the record would be most
imperfect, and this seems to me sufficient to account for our not finding
intermediate forms between the classes in the same great kingdoms. It was
certainly rash in me putting in my belief of the probability of all beings
having descended from ONE primordial form; but as this seems yet to me
probable, I am not willing to strike it out. Huxley alone supports me in
this, and something could be said in its favour. With respect to man, I am
very far from wishing to obtrude my belief; but I thought it dishonest to
quite conceal my opinion. Of course it is open to every one to believe
that man appeared by a separate miracle, though I do not myself see the
necessity or probability.

Pray accept my sincere thanks for your kind note. Your going some way with
me gives me great confidence that I am not very wrong. For a very long
time I halted half way; but I do not believe that any enquiring mind will
rest half-way. People will have to reject all or admit all; by ALL I mean
only the members of each great kingdom.

My dear Jenyns, yours most sincerely,
C. DARWIN.


CHARLES DARWIN TO C. LYELL.
Down, January 10th [1860].

...It is perfectly true that I owe nearly all the corrections (The second
edition of 3000 copies of the 'Origin' was published on January 7th.) to
you, and several verbal ones to you and others; I am heartily glad you
approve of them, as yet only two things have annoyed me; those confounded
millions (This refers to the passage in the 'Origin of Species' (2nd