CHARLES DARWIN TO ASA GRAY.
Down, January 28th [1860].

My dear Gray,

Hooker has forwarded to me your letter to him; and I cannot express how
deeply it has gratified me. To receive the approval of a man whom one has
long sincerely respected. And whose judgment and knowledge are most
universally admitted, is the highest reward an author can possibly wish
for; and I thank you heartily for your most kind expressions.

I have been absent from home for a few days, and so could not earlier
answer your letter to me of the 10th of January. You have been extremely
kind to take so much trouble and interest about the edition. It has been a
mistake of my publisher not thinking of sending over the sheets. I had
entirely and utterly forgotten your offer of receiving the sheets as
printed off. But I must not blame my publisher, for had I remembered your
most kind offer I feel pretty sure I should not have taken advantage of it;
for I never dreamed of my book being so successful with general readers; I
believe I should have laughed at the idea of sending the sheets to America.
(In a letter to Mr. Murray, 1860, my father wrote:--"I am amused by Asa
Gray's account of the excitement my book has made amongst naturalists in
the United States. Agassiz has denounced it in a newspaper, but yet in
such terms that it is in fact a fine advertisement!" This seems to refer
to a lecture given before the Mercantile Library Association.)

After much consideration, and on the strong advice of Lyell and others, I
have resolved to leave the present book as it is (excepting correcting