CHAPTER XXVI.

HIS LAST ILLNESS (1882).

In the last few months of his life, towards the end of 1881 and beginning of 1882, Darwin began to suffer from his heart, causing attacks of pain and faintness which increased in number. On March 7th, 1882, he had one of these seizures when walking, “and this was the last time that he was able to reach his favourite ‘sand-walk’” (“Life and Letters”). After this he became rather better, and on April 17th was able to record the progress of an experiment for his son Francis. The following sentences are quoted from the “Life and Letters”:--

“During the night of April 18th, about a quarter to twelve, he had a severe attack and passed into a faint, from which he was brought back to consciousness with very great difficulty. He seemed to recognise the approach of death, and said, ‘I am not the least afraid to die.’ All the next morning he suffered from terrible nausea and faintness, and hardly rallied before the end came.

“He died at about four o’clock on Wednesday, April 19th, 1882.”

He was buried in Westminster Abbey on April 26th.

Thus died one of the greatest of men, after a life of patient and continuous work interrupted only by ill-health; a man who was, perhaps, more widely attacked and more grossly misrepresented than any other, but who lived to see his teachings almost universally received; a man whose quiet, peaceful life of work, and whose precarious health, prevented that large intercourse with his fellow-men which is generally forced upon greatness, but who was so beloved by his circle of intimate friends that, through their contagious enthusiasm, and through the glimpses of his nature revealed in his writings, he was in all likelihood more greatly loved than any other man of his time by those who knew him not.

And for all those of us who have loved Darwin, although we have never seen him, we can at any rate remember that we have lived in his time and have heard the echoes of his living voice; he has been even more to us than he will be to future generations of mankind--a mighty tradition, gaining rather than losing in force and in overwhelming interest as each passing age, inspired by his example, guided by his teachings, adds to the knowledge of nature, and in so doing gives an ever deeper meaning to his life and work.

FOOTNOTES

[A] See Professor Meldola’s interesting Presidential Address to the Entomological Society of London (January, 1896) on the use of the imagination in science, printed in the Transactions of the Society and in _Nature_. See also “The Advancement of Science” (London, 1890), in which Professor Lankester maintains (p. 4): “All true science deals with speculation and hypothesis, and acknowledges as its most valued servant--its indispensable ally and helpmeet--that which our German friends call ‘Phantasie’ and we ‘the Imagination.’” Consult also Professor Tyndall’s essay “On the Scientific Use of the Imagination” (“Fragments of Science,” 1889, vol. ii., p. 101).

[B] We are told in the “Life and Letters” that the last proof of the “Journal” was finished in 1837. The Diary, as stated above, was written between July, 1837, and February, 1838.

[C] Professor H. F. Osborn has rightly urged that this essay should be published (“From the Greeks to Darwin,” 1894, p. 235).

[D] My friend Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N., tells me that the house in which Wallace lived in Ternate, and in which the essay was written, is still pointed out by the natives as one of the features of the place. It is, unfortunately, much dilapidated.

[E] Wallace has added the following note to the reprint in “Natural Selection and Tropical Nature,” London, 1891, p. 31: “That is, they will vary, and the variations which tend to adapt them to the wild state, and therefore approximate them to wild animals, will be preserved. Those individuals which do not vary sufficiently will perish.”

[F] Since the above paragraph was written I have again read Professor Newton’s eloquent Address to the Biological Section of the British Association at Manchester in 1887, and find that he says on the same subject--“If in future you should meet with any cynic who may point the finger of scorn at the petty quarrels in which naturalists unfortunately at times engage, particularly in regard to the priority of their discoveries, you can always refer him to this greatest of all cases, where scientific rivalry not only did not interfere with, but even strengthened, the good-feeling which existed between two of the most original investigators” (Report of Meeting, p. 731).

[G] “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one;...”--(Concluding paragraph of “Origin,” 1860, p. 490.)

[H] “Life of Lord Sherbrooke,” Vol. II. (pp. 205–206), Longmans & Co. London, 1893.

[I] Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., Jan. 16th, 1860.

[J] Presidential address to the British Association at Belfast, 1874. Report, p. lxxxvii.

[K] See H. F. Osborn, “From the Greeks to Darwin” (1894).

[L] In “Comparative Longevity.”

INDEX.

Abnormal Transposition, or Multiplication of Parts, 172

Acquired Characters, Transmission of, 179, 180

Agassiz, Prof. L., and Darwin, 157, 158

Animals, Variation of, under Domestication, 75, 115, 161, _et seq._; Abnormal Transposition or Multiplication of Parts, 172; Instinctive Knowledge in, denied, 216

Argyll, Duke of, on Natural Selection, 144

Atlantis Hypothesis, The, Darwin’s Objections to, 53–55

Bastian, Dr. H. C., 160

Bates on Mimicry, 212

Bateson on Speculation and Hypothesis in Science, 14–15

“Beagle,” Darwin’s Voyage in the, 21–24; Important Observations and Discoveries, 23; Countries and Islands visited, 23–24; Completion of “A Naturalist’s Voyage,” 30; Zoology of, 31; Geology of, 35

Beale, Dr. Lionel, 184

Bear and Whale, a Hypothetical Illustration of Natural Selection, 151

Beetles, Wingless, 51

Birds, Experimenting with Distasteful Caterpillars, &c., 216

Botanical Works of Darwin, 193, _et seq._

Bree, Dr., “Species not Transmutable,” 149

Butler, Dr., School at Shrewsbury, Darwin’s Education at, 16, 17

Butterflies, Dimorphic, 204, 205

Cambridge, Darwin studying at, 18–20; Revisited, 25

Carpenter, Dr., 159

Carus, V., 183

Case, Mr., Darwin attends his School at Shrewsbury, 16

“Challenger” Expedition, The, 53, 55

Cirripedia, Monographs on the, 36

Climbing Plants, 196; Revolution of the Upper Part, 196

Copley Medal of the Royal Society awarded to Charles Darwin, 109; to Sir Joseph Hooker, 111

Coral Reefs, Work upon the, 32; Theory of Origin, 33; Dr. John Murray rejects the Darwinian Theory, 33

Creative Hypothesis, Huxley on the, 135

Crossing in Plants, The Advantages of, 194

Cross-fertilisation in Plants, 201

Darwin, Charles, Birthplace, 9; His Parentage, 10; Family Genius, 10; Secret of his Strength, 13–15; his high Valuation of Hypothesis, 14; Boyhood, 16–17; School-life, 16; Love of Sport, 16; at Edinburgh, 17; Dislike of Dissection, 17; First Scientific Discovery and Paper, 17, 18; at Cambridge, 18–20; his Friendship with Professors Henslow and Sedgwick, 19; Voyage of the “Beagle,” 21, _et seq._; Preparation for and Effects of the Voyage, 22; the Most Important Discoveries during, 23; Places Visited, 23, 24; Re-visits Cambridge, 25; Work upon the Collections, and the “Naturalist’s Voyage,” 25; at London, 25; Origin of Species, 25–29; Geological Work, 29, 33; Completion of “A Naturalist’s Voyage,” 30; Zoology of the Voyage of the “Beagle,” 31; Papers on Earth-Worms, 31; Marriage, 32; Book on the Coral Reefs, 32; Ill-health, 32; at Down, 35; his Career as a Biologist, 37; Systematic Work, 37; his Dislike of Species-mongers, 39, 40; Death of his Father and Daughter, 41; Growth of the Origin of Species Theory, 42–59; Correspondence with Friends, 50–59; Experiments with Seeds in Salt Water, 51, 52; Letter to Wedgwood, 52; Objections to the Atlantis Hypothesis, 53, 55; Letter to Lyell, 53; Friendship and Correspondence with Wallace, 60–64, 81–86; their Joint Papers Presented to the Linnean Society, 46, 62; Letter to Asa Gray on Selection, 68–70; Comparison and Reception of the Joint Papers, 78–82; Delay in Publishing his Discoveries, 90; Preparation of Origin of Species, 95, _et seq._; Observations, 96; Appeals to Lyell, 97; Letter to John Murray, 97; his Influence upon Lyell, 105; Receives the Copley Medal of the Royal Society, 109; his Indebtedness to Lyell’s Teaching, 110; Influence upon Hooker and Asa Gray, 111; his Controversy with Asa Gray, 114–118; his Influence upon Huxley, 119–143; his Views of Natural Selection as the Cause of Evolution not accepted by Huxley, 121–128; Extracts from Letters showing Difficulty with which Natural Selection was Understood, 145, _et seq._; on Spontaneous Generation, 108, 159; and Bastian, 160; his Later Works, 161; his Theory of Pangenesis, 163, _et seq._; Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, Outline of the Book, 163; on Sexual and Asexual Reproductions, 164, _et seq._; Extracts from Letters to Friends on Pangenesis, 178, _et seq._; “The Descent of Man,” 186; “The Expression of the Emotions,” 189; “Volcanic Islands,” 190; “South America,” 190; “The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms,” 191; his Life of Erasmus Darwin, 192; “Fertilisation of Orchids,” 193; Cross- and Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom, 194; Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of Same Species, 194; Climbing Plants, 196; “Power of Movement in Plants,” 197; “Insectivorous Plants,” 198; Letters to Prof. Meldola, 199, _et seq._; his Last Illness, 219; and Death, 220

Darwin, Erasmus, Brother of Charles, 11

Darwin, Erasmus, Grandfather of Charles, 10, 192

Darwin, Prof. George, Brother of Charles, 11

Darwin, Robert Waring, Father of Charles, 10; Profession and Character, 10; his Dislike to the “Beagle” Expedition, 21–22; Death of, 41

Darwin Medal of the Royal Society awarded to Huxley, The, 140

Darwinism not Evolution, Huxley’s Speeches, 139–141

Deposits, Oceanic, 55

Descent of Man, The, 186

Development, 166, 171

Dixey, Dr. F. A., Paper on Mimicry, 214

Domestication, Variation by, of Animals and Plants, 115, 161, _et seq._; of Animals, 75

Down, Darwin’s Home at, 35

Drosera and Other Insectivorous Plants, 198

Earthworms, 191; Castings of, 191; Papers on the, 31

Edinburgh, Darwin studying for Medicine at, 17

“Emotions, The Expression of the,” 189, 190

Evolution, First Recorded Thoughts upon, 28; Natural Selection as a Cause not accepted by Huxley, 121, _et seq._; the Argument for, 100; supported by Huxley, 121; Huxley agrees with Darwin, 121, _et seq._; Discussion at Meeting of the British Association, 82, 138; not Darwinism, 139–141

“Expression of the Emotions, The,” 189, 190

Extinction, 43–45

Fertilisation of Germ Cells, 165; “of Orchids, The,” 193; of Flowers by Insects, 193; Effects of Cross- and Self-, 194

Fitzroy, Capt., of the “Beagle,” 21, 22

Flowers, The Fertilisation of, by Insects, 193; Effects of Cross- and Self-Fertilisation compared, 194; Different Forms on the same Plant, 195

Flustra, Darwin’s Discovery of the Free-Swimming Larvæ of, 18

Forbes, Edward, and the Atlantis Hypothesis, 53

“Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms, The,” 191

Fox, W. Darwin, 19

Galapagos Archipelago, The Animals, etc., of the, 26, 27, 42

Galton, F., 184

Geikie, James, 190

Geological Society, The, Darwin appointed Secretary, 29; Papers on the Earthworms, 31

Geology of the Voyage of the “Beagle,” 35

Glacial Phenomena, Darwin’s Paper upon, 33

Graft-Hybrids, 166

Grafting, Production of Hybrids by, 168

Gray, Asa, Darwin’s Correspondence with, 51, 55, 107, 181, 184; his Influence upon, 112; Darwin’s Controversy with, 114–118

Gray, Dr., 146, 149

Henslow, Prof., Friendship with Darwin, 18–21

Herbert, J. M., on Darwin’s Character, 19, 20

Hereditary Genius, Evidences in the Darwin Family, 10, 11

Heredity, Theories of, 167, 174

Hermaphroditism, 175

Holmes, Dr. Oliver Wendell, his References to Darwin, 9; his Correction of Darwin, 9

Hooker, Sir Joseph, 37, 48; Darwin’s Letters to, on Species-mongers, 39–40; Darwin’s Opinion of, 48; Friendship and Correspondence with Darwin, 50; Lyell’s Correspondence with, as to Specific Centres, 57; Darwin’s Influence upon, 110, _et seq._; awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society, 111; and Darwin, 146; Darwin Writing on Pangenesis, 181, 182

Huxley, Prof., Criticisms of Darwin’s Theory, 46, 48; on Teleology, 113; Darwin’s Influence upon, 119–143; agrees with Darwin on Evolution, 121; Views on Natural Selection, 121, 124, 126, 138; Article in the _Times_ on the Origin of Species, 124; his Article in the _Westminster Review_, 125; Lectures on the Causes of the Phenomena of Organic Nature, 128, 142; Views as to Natural Selection not changed, 137, 138; Speech at the British Association Meeting at Oxford, 139; awarded the Darwin Medal of the Royal Society, 140; Darwinism, not Evolution, 140, 141; and the Bishop of Oxford, 155

Hybrid Grafts, 166

Hybridism, 175, 176

Hybrids, Tendency to Resemble one Parent, 171; Sterility of, 171; Produced by Grafting, 168

Hypothesis and Speculation, Bearing on Science, 14, 15

Inheritance, The Theories of, 167, 174

Insectivorous Plants, 198

Instinctive Knowledge in Animals denied by Darwin, 216

Jenkin, Fleming, 81

Lamarck’s Theory of Evolution, 99; Comparison with Darwin’s, 148, 150

Lankester, Prof. E. Ray, 99, 184

Linnean Society, Joint Memoirs by Darwin and Wallace, read before, 65, _et seq._

Lowe, Robert, 150

Lyell, Sir Charles, Influence on Darwin, 29, 30, 51; and Continental Extensions, 53; and Hooker’s Agreement on the Specific Centres Theory, 57; Darwin’s Appeal to, on the Natural Selection, 97; Influence of Darwin upon, 105; Accepts Darwin’s Views, 108, 109; Death of, 109; Darwin’s Letter on Pangenesis, 181

Lythrum, Different Forms of Flowers on the, 195

Macleay, W. S., 150

Malthus on Population, its Influence on Darwin, 46; and on Wallace, 88, 89

Man, The Descent of, 186

Meldola, Prof., on Systematic Work, 37; and Darwin, 199, _et seq._

Metamorphosis, 171

Mimetic Resemblance, 202

Mimicry, 202, 204; Bates’ Theory, 212; Fritz Müller’s Theory, 212; Dixey’s paper on, 214

Müller, Fritz, Darwin’s Letters to, 181, 183; on Mimicry, 212–214; his Paper Translated, 213

Murray, Andrew, 152

Murray, Dr. John, Controversy as to the Origin of Coral Reefs, 33

Naming of Species, Darwin on the, 39, 40

Natural Selection, Early Impressions on Darwin, 30, 45, 46; Survival of the Fittest, 56; Specific Centres, 57; Darwin’s Paper on, 65; Theory of, 68–70; Wallace’s Discovery of, 88–91; Lord Salisbury’s Attack on, 82, 138; Canon Tristram, the First Publicly to Accept the Theory, 92–94; Argument for, 100–103; Huxley not convinced as to Sufficiency of the Evidence of, 121, 123, 124, 126; as the Highest Attempt to Account for Evolution, 129; Huxley’s Description of the Theory, 136, 137; H. C. Watson on, 144; Hostile Criticisms, 144, _et seq._; Why the Term was Chosen, 147

“Naturalist’s Voyage, A,” Completion of, 30

Newton, Prof., Speech at the British Association, 153

_Nineteenth Century_, The Duke of Argyll’s Article in the, 144

Orchids, the Fertilisation of, 193

Origin of Species, Darwin’s Theory of the; Early Reflections upon, 25–29; Growth of the Theory, 42; Separate Creation Theory Inadequate, 42; Principles of Development, 45; First Account of Darwin’s Theory, 46; the Sketch Enlarged, 46; Profs. Huxley and Newton’s Criticisms, 46, 47; Divergence of Character, 47, 48; Competition, 47, 56; Darwin’s Arrangements for the Publication in case of his Death, 48; Darwin and Wallace’s Joint Paper Presented to the Linnean Society, 46, 62; his Confidence, 48; Correspondence with Friends, 50; Immutability of Species denied, 50; Theory not understood by Naturalists, 55; the Polyphyletic Theory, 57; Specific Centres, 57; Darwin and Wallace, 60; their Papers before the Linnean Society, 62–77; Struggle for Life, 65–77; Principles of, 68–70; Comparison of the Joint Memoir, 78, _et seq._; Preparation of the Work on, 95, _et seq._; Interest of Lyell and Hooker in its Publication, 95; Letters to John Murray, the Publisher, 97; full Title of the Volume, 98; Outline of the Book and its Various Editions, 100–104; its Reception by Lyell, 105; by Hooker, 111; by Asa Gray, 112; and by Huxley, 119; Huxley’s Article in the _Times_, 124; and in the _Westminster Review_, 125; Huxley’s high Tribute to Darwin’s Theory, 130; Difficulty with which Understood, 144, _et seq._; Regarded by Darwin as an Abstract of a Larger Work, 162

Osborn, Prof., 79, 80

Oxford, the Bishop of, and Huxley, 155

Pangenesis, Darwin’s Hypothesis of, 164, _et seq._; his Confidence in the Theory, 180, _et seq._

Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, The, 31

Parthenogenesis, 164

Petrels at St. Kilda, West Indian nuts found in, 96

Plants and Animals, Variation of, under Domestication, 161; Production of Abnormal Parts, 172; Separate forms on same Individual, 175; Different forms of Flowers on the same Species, 194; Climbing, 196; Power of Movements in, 197; Insectivorous, 198

Pollen, Fertilisation of Ovule, 166

“Power of Movements in Plants, The,” 197

Protective Mimicry, 203

Reproduction of an Amputated Limb or part, 170

Reproduction, Sexual and Asexual, 164, _et seq._

Reversion, 167, 175

Rolleston, Prof., 155, 156

Romanes, Prof. G. J., 185

Salisbury, Lord, Speech at the British Association Meeting at Oxford, 82, 83, 138

Scientific Discoverer, The Qualifications of a, 12

Seeds, Experiments on the Vitality of, in Salt-Water, 51, 52

Sedgwick, Prof., Darwin’s Friendship with, 18; his Excursions with, 20

Sexual and Asexual Reproduction, 164, _et seq._; Advantages of, 165; Cross-Fertilisation in Plants, 166; Characters, 174–177; Selection Theory, 67, 188, _et seq._; rejected by Wallace, 188; Darwin’s Letter to Meldola, 201

Shrewsbury, Darwin’s Birthplace, 9; and School-life at, 16; Re-visited, 25

“South America,” 190

South America, Some Observations on the Geology of, 26

Species, New, The Origin of, 56, _et seq._; “Species not Transmutable,” Dr. Bree’s Book, 149

Species-mongers, Darwin’s Dislike of, 39, 40

Speculation and Hypothesis, 14, 15

Spencer, Herbert, Term of Survival of the Fittest, 148

Spontaneous Generation, 108, 159

Sterility of Hybrids, 171

Struggle for Existence, The, 65–67, 71–77

Survival of the Fittest, The, 148

Teleology, 113, 114

Ternate, Wallace’s house at, 63

_Times_, Huxley’s Article on the Origin of Species in, 124

Transmutation of Species, 26, 149

Tristram, Canon, 92–94; Paper on Ornithology of Northern Africa, 92

Tuckwell, Rev. W., 155

Turkeys, Experimenting upon with Distasteful Caterpillars, 216

Tyndall, Prof., 157

Use and Disuse, The Inherited Effects of, 167, 179

Variability, 167, 173

Variation, of Organic Being, Darwin’s Papers upon, 65; Wallace’s Paper on, 71, _et seq._; and Selection Relative Importance of, 96; Under Domestication, 115, 161

Varieties, Departure from the Original Type, 71–77

“Volcanic Islands,” 190

Wallace, Alfred Russel, and Darwin’s Joint Paper Presented to Linnean Society, 46, 62; and Darwin, 53, 60–64, 81–86, 134; Paper Published on the Law Regulating new Species, 60; Essays on Variations from Original Type, 61, 71–77; house at Ternate, 63; Comparison of the Joint Memoir, 78–86; his Discovery of Natural Selection, 87–91; Darwin’s Letter on Bastian’s Theory of Archebiosis, 160; Darwin’s Letter to, on Pangenesis, 182

Watson, H. C., 144

Wedgwood, Josiah, 18

Weismann, Prof., on Germ-Plasm, 179; “Studies in the Theory of Descent,” Meldola’s Translation, 205–210

_Westminster Review_, Huxley’s Article on Origin of Species in, 125

Wilberforce, Bishop, 149

Zoology of the Voyage of the “Beagle,” The, 31

PRINTED BY CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, LA BELLE SAUVAGE, LONDON, E.C.

* * * * * *

Transcriber’s note:

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed.

Simple typographical errors were corrected; unpaired quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left unpaired.

Running page headers in the original book are shown here as sidenotes.

Dates and locations in the headings of letters usually were on the same line in the original book, but have been placed on separate lines here.

Footnotes, originally at the bottoms of pages, have been collected, resequenced, and placed just above the Index.

The Index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references.

Cover created by Transcriber and placed into the Public Domain.

Page 197: The correct title of “The Power of Movements in Plants” is “The Power of Movement in Plants.”